It has long been thought that if a dog is shy or even fearful, you should get that dog out and expose them to MORE social situations. If your dog is afraid of people, she should see more people. If she is afraid of dogs, she should be more exposed to dogs. The proper time for socialization is very early in a puppy’s life. The best time is up to about 16, maybe 18 weeks. During that time, we imprint events and good behaviors.
Every day I am approached by dog owners whose dogs have practically pulled their arm out of the socket, or jumped on them and knocked them down, or stolen an expensive turkey off the counter. In one incident years ago, I had a client whose dog actually pulled him over and broke his face requiring three reconstructive surgeries! Then the dog pulled over his wife that ended up having to go to physical therapy for six months for her back!! This was the epitome of the worst case I have ever seen.
Recently, I have been so dismayed by the lack of early dog training with puppies. I am not sure where this is coming from, but EARLY training and socialization is imperative to have a dog you can live with! What do I mean by EARLY? BEFORE 16 WEEKS OF AGE! Not AFTER they have finished their shots. By, then, pups have missed a critical imprinting period that helps them to live comfortably in our world. If puppies are not socialized with people, other dogs and new places during this period, they may fear them the rest of their lives.
It’s that time of year to fly for the holidays to visit friends, family or that perfect holiday vacation spot. For some of us, the need to see family and friends outweighs the stress of flying. And for some of us, the need to take the dog is a huge motivation. Some folks are fearful enough that they have sought the help of their family physician and obtained a letter that they do, indeed, need an emotional support dog which is almost always the family pet.
So, you thought this week’s article would be about dog training? Well, in essence it is, but I am sharing with you a personal experience to help reveal what it’s all about. This past weekend, my favorite little character, Kalidor and I traveled to Hamilton, Montana to perform before an AKC judge the AKC Tracking Dog test to earn his certification that will allow him to compete in AKC tracking performance events.
Most of we dog owners love to walk our dogs. We are so blessed to have some of the most magnificent places to walk our dogs that are post cards in every turn along the path! We love the time we spend with our dogs and this special place we call home! Taking our dogs with us also bring some special responsibilities.
We would all agree that the dog lovers in this community are dedicated and extraordinary! Having lived here for 37 years and raised over 25 puppies of my own or service dog puppies, I have seen a lot of changes. Once upon a time, people only had one dog. And, not everyone had a dog. Now, everyone seems to have at least one dog or MORE!
Absolutely! Although, I refuse to tell anyone that their dog cannot be trained. What makes a dog untrainable? Free access to furniture, sleeping areas that belong to others, food, height, affection, and any resources the dog has claimed as his own. Notice the key words here are FREE ACCESS. When a dog has free access anytime to the things that are important to him, then he will no longer have any respect for his owner or others including people and other dogs. He will have no interest in learning or working.
This past week, I had a very disturbing incident happen to my puppy, Cloud and me in the Ketchum Town Square. I have avoided taking Cloud to Ketchum to work on distractions with his obedience training because it was so busy and hot all summer. This week seemed perfect, since it quiet before our holiday visitors come. As a puppy, too many folks at one time could be overwhelming for Cloud.
Today, with the adoption of so many mixed breeds, it is my opinion that knowing the dog’s background, or ancestry is an important part of understanding their behaviors. Some behaviors are hard-wired for most breeds. What we may think is aggression, fear, etc., may in fact be related to the breed of the dog. When we hold all dogs to a standard of behavior, as an example the Golden Retriever, we get ourselves into trouble. Not all dogs behave like Goldens or Labradors with friendly, outgoing and confident behavior.
AFTER AN EXTENDED MEDICAL LEAVE, I WILL BE RETURNING TO WORK MARCH 1st!
