Many of us have been blessed with living with an incredibly smart puppy or dog. Usually, smart is aligned with the description of precocious, devious, and actually sometimes dumb! The brilliant puppy can be a challenge to live with or a nightmare depending on how you approach it. But, the most important thing is to take puppies for who they are, give them things to keep their dazzling minds busy and nurtured, but also keeping them safe.
This time of year finds us traveling everywhere to visit family and friends. Bringing your dog along is many times a part of the plan. There are several things you can do to make the traveling easier for your dog. Above all, don’t get stressed about it yourself. When you are stressed, your dog will think there is something wrong and be stressed as well.
This past week, I had the most joyous occasion you can imagine! I temperament tested a purpose bred litter of puppies in Pocatello so the puppies could be placed in homes appropriate for their personalities. The parents were both health tested and passed with OFA Good hips and Normal elbows. They were also tested for Degenerative Myelopathy which is a devastating spinal disease that can cripple a dog in their older years. Neither parent carried the gene. The dogs had working titles to prove breed worthiness, and ability to learn and work with superior personality. Both parents had an extensive, proven healthy, long line of ancestry behind them.
We live in a simply amazing area where we can take our dogs to unheard of beauty and let them enjoy the smells, exercise and swimming until their hearts are content! We live where dogs belong to almost every family, every family lives here to enjoy the outdoors, and dogs participate with our family outings all the time. As a trainer, one of the biggest concerns I hear from everyone is that their dog will come extremely well, EXCEPT when there is a distraction.
(Stretching and yawning) “It’s time to get up! BREAKFAST! I LOVE breakfast! But, wait! The humans are hitting that darn noisy thing again! I hate when they hit that! Are they mad at me? I will hide in the closet until it stops that noise! “Now they are heading downstairs! It must mean that breakfast is coming! But, the tall human is putting on their jacket and has my leash! We must be going for a walk first!
“Ut oh. I have to go out. Everyone is asleep. My insides hurt. Maybe if I drink some water I will feel better. “OH NO!!!! I couldn’t hold it any longer! And, again!!!! Geez, I am really going to get in trouble when they wake up. “Now something is happening in my mouth! It tastes horrible! Now it’s on the floor! “I wish someone would get up and help me, but then I don’t want them to get up because they will be mad. “Here my mom comes! I’d better hide. But, OH NO! I have to go again! Oh good, she opened the back door. I am trying to hurry to the weeds, but didn’t make it.
Teaching self control to a dog is much like having a child and teaching him/her not to pound their silverware on the table while waiting for dinner or run up and down the aisle at a restaurant disturbing the other patrons. It can be very difficult to teach, but in the end, it is very influential in the success of your child in society and gaining friends. Teaching self control could even mean whether your child finishes school and gets a job! It is exactly the same for dogs in their success with other dogs, with friends of ours and his ability to not become the stray in the shelter.
With the holidays coming up very quickly, many of us are looking for that special gift that is meaningful and very special to let our loved ones know how much they mean to us. Giving the gift of a puppy or dog is something that crosses everyone’s mind, especially with all the ads in the paper urging you to give a puppy. There are adorable photos and incredibly sweet descriptions that just tempt us beyond belief!
Food is an incredibly important thing to dogs - usually. A dog that eats well and is “food motivated” is much easier to live with for many reasons. In training, food becomes a very good pay check for doing a good job. (Yes, dogs need a pay check just like we do when we do a good job!) Food is not a bribe if the dog works for that tasty morsel. What makes training harder is a dog that doesn’t care much about food. When we train, a dog’s “pay check” must be something he values and he does not have easy access to.
A dog that defends his territory or home is not uncommon for any dog. This is a behavior inherited from the wolf that defends his territory from another pack. It is intended to secure hunting grounds, food and survival of the pack. Territorial behavior is not acceptable in dogs that are now domesticated and expected to live peacefully in our human society.
Now back to work part time. Please call to schedule.
