Everyone walks their dogs. Many take advantage of that time to catch up on phone calls or chatting with fellow walkers. Many times, our walks turn into “our” walks instead of a walk for the dog. That can be a good thing, too! It can be the only break in an otherwise stressful day for us! I am always refreshed after taking a walk with my dog(s)!
Most of us make play dates with other dogs, especially for our puppies so they learn how to interact appropriately with other dogs. While this is a GREAT idea, many times, playtime teaches dogs to become nuts and uncontrollable around other dogs! One of the biggest concerns people call me about is that their dogs “come” very well, EXCEPT WHEN THEY SEE ANOTHER DOG!
This is a topic most people never talk about or never think about when getting a dog. We tend to look at how cute the dog is and how much we want a dog in our lives. It’s hard to think about our dog outliving us. As a responsible dog owner, long range planning really is a part of getting a dog in the first place. When contemplating getting a new dog, there are many considerations such as how old we are, what our health is, and what our living circumstances are.
Halloween has come and gone along with the ghosts and goblins. But, the fever to dress and groom our dogs up has not left so quickly! All the major pet store chains carry every imaginable dog costume around! Soon, it will be Thanksgiving and Christmas costumes! How incredibly cute our dogs look all dressed up for the festivities!
It is of HUGE importance that puppies remain on a leash until they have a flawless recall. In puppy development, almost all puppies are pre-programmed by Mother Nature to follow the leader until they are approximately 19 weeks old. That can lure us into believing they have learned how to come when they are called. However, at this critical time of 19 weeks or so, they begin to feel confident and will start to look at you as if to flip you the paw!
The best time to start leash training is the day you bring your puppy home. Many have thought that you cannot begin leash training until a puppy is 6 months old. By then, most puppies have learned that if they pull they get more! So, stop it at the start! Prevention is always our best tool! When I have a litter, I start training as young as 4 WEEKS old! At that age, it is incredibly easy to use almost all positive reinforcement.
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. A few years ago, 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 would allow him to compete in AKC tracking performance events.
Kalidor is now almost 16 weeks old and the critical imprinting time is just about over. So far, he has learned to sit for petting, sit to come out of his crate, sit at all doors going in or coming out. He knows how to “Leave it” with food on the floor or in my hand. He is not jumping on people. He comes to his name even when he is playing with the other dogs. He sits and does down. He also watches me on command even in public.
Kalidor turned 6 years old this past week and in honor of him, I want to rerun a few articles I wrote that earned me the Idaho Press Club Award. More so, since I have some new puppies to take care of right now, I am not available to many who have requested my help. I thought this would be an excellent way to give those with new puppies some things to focus on! Here we go…. As many of my clients know, I am bringing home a puppy this Thanksgiving week.
Kalidor has been cruising right along learning all kinds of things including imprinting of behaviors I want to see the rest of his life. I have until he is 16 weeks old to teach him those vital things. Who he will be is a combination of genetics and experiences. Critical to me is the sport of competition tracking, so Kalidor has already had many experiences on the tracking field. More critically, is that I want Kalidor to focus on me with a calm, confident manner so he learns to “defer” to me in my leadership.
AFTER AN EXTENDED MEDICAL LEAVE, I WILL BE RETURNING TO WORK MARCH 1st!
