Puppy Training Tips

Hello Pupsters and all the folks that love them. Here's some excerpts from the Puppy/Beginner class notes, on the password protected pages. The following is about half the amount of 'after class help' you'll receive each week as a student.

                                                           


Are you getting your pups out and about to five new environments each week? Are they seeing fifty strangers a week?We have so little time in their life to get all the novelty that we can stuffed into their little heads. If we make our pup's introduction to the world important now we'll have a much better adult dog, for years.

The most critical time in a pups' life is between six and sixteen weeks. What does and does not happen to him during this brief time affects the rest of his life. Yes, get him into class before he has 'finished his shots.' Please see the Class and Vaccinations page for more information about that.


Rough play. Pups love it. Let's take advantage of that inner yearning to be a wild, free dog. The human, like in tug o war, starts the game. Give the pup a signal you both like. Now, play as roughly as the dog likes. Don't let him fall on his back or slide across the floor to bang into the wall. And, there are more artistic pups that abhor rough play. If he bites you during rough house games (and he will) the game is immediately over. Bite equals no game. "Oh too bad!" sez you and game is over. "Hmmm.." thinks little puppy brain. "I inhibit my bite and the game continues. I bite too hard and the game stops. Seems to be a natural connection, there." Correctly played rough games actually get the dog's wildness under control sooner and helps inhibit biting, too. Oh. So will time.


The attack of the Zoomers.

                                                       

Does your puppy become a limb of Satan in the early evening? Do his eyes roll back in his head as he blasts through the house biting everyone and everything? Good. He's a normal, if annoying, little dog. It's a phase all pups outgrow and soon he'll forget the Zoomering of his youth. Now, if he is large enough to damage you or the house, put him outside (If you can catch him) put you outside, put the dog in an ex pen or maybe Montana.

You can't train him when he's Zoomering and he is not being a bad doggie. He's overcome with the Zoomer devil and he will soon outgrow it.


  Three minutes of practice before pup is allowed to play with neighbor dogs. Dogs cannot lose their mind just because other dogs are present.

  Quaker sits. Have doggie sit in front and wait for the Spirit to move you to reward. Then reward again. Change the time intervals so dog thinks "If I leave I could lose a treat! I'll wait here and see when they feel the Spriit."

 Is something new?" Go toward it. "Go see" and take your pup to investigate. Fear is the most damaging emotion a pup can have. Fearful pups who hang back and avoid life do not grow up to be well paid executives. Always go toward new things and things that scare them.

 Creepy people. You are supposed to protect your pup from creepy people. Raise up your hand and tell the unwanted person "She's got scurvy" or "We're in training." Don't let people rush into the pup's space and scare the lights out of them.

Attention Getting Behaviors. Give the pup a cue that you are done with listening to him whine, whimper and bark and then ignore the little beast. And don't cave in even if they are cute...which they all are.

Spay and neuter when you and your veterinarian decide is best for your pup.




Please, sir, may I have a bit of...canned food?

Oh yes you may. A small amount of canned food added to your dog's dry kibble makes him thrilled as well as healthier. No, kibble does not and will never keep his teeth clean. In fact, dry kibble adds to the crud on his teeth...like dry soda crackers. Add the canned food and keep him well supplied in knuckle bones to keep his teeth gleaming and...sharp!

He's five months old and he's worse than ever!
Ah, truer words are never spoken. Don't be surprised be prepared. At five months of age, your pup experiences a growing pang that may give you one of your own. Five month old canines get a burst of independence Ben Franklin would admire. They become temporarily deaf to commands once reliable. Telling them to sit may get a response equivalent to 'Huh?"

Not to worry. Expect this drop in command response reliability and have a cookie. Lot of 'em. This phase passes and your pup enters the magical world of adolescence. And just like your own, it's a fun filled phase for all. Unlike yours, they pass through without even saying, "I wish I'd never been born!"

They just wag and smile at you.


                                                            
Does your puppy like burritos? Try this on for size....get a sterilized bone. Sterilized bones are white, and hollowed out (see above). Stuff the bone with canned food, a mix of canned food and kibble, or, just about anything that you want and the dog likes. If using peanut butter use the low fat. High fat foods are a real doggie no no.

Now, freeze several of these sterilized bone 'burritos' for handy grab and give to the pup. The frozen bones help when the pup is teething and keeps the pooch chewing for a long, long time. The more burritos in the freezer the happier the pup.

Do I have to take my dog to day care or get a pet sitter?

Please, no. No. No. Both are relatively new phenomenons in the world of dogs. Dogs are magnificent at waiting. The more that a dog goes to day care the higher the chances of creating dog aggression. Pet sitters are not qualified to walk dogs simply because they love dogs and want to go for lots of walks. The more people involved in the pet's care, separate from the family, the more havoc.

The pacing of when a dog is trained to do what is as important as how the dog is trained. Pups cannot learn to heel, but they can learn to be confident and 'bomb proof' in the world. We teach heeling when the pup is older and can so this. Now, the pup should be taking walks that may not be described as heeling but can be described as 'ain't he having a good time in the world"


Puppies and growth spurts.

Your pup will have a sudden, almost overnight growth spurt. Yes, he'll want more food. And, he'll need to sleep more. His job now is growing and its a tough job to accomplish. He does not need more exercise; at this growing phase he needs less. His body is more fragile now and fifteen minutes walks, at his pace, are the best way to go. No hour runs alongside the bike, please! And, did you get him a ramp for the car, yet?

Want to learn more about pups? Enroll in the Puppy/Beginner class and the world is yours, my pup.

suemyles@gmail.com