So much can be done with puppies to PREVENT behavior problems down the road. Not long ago, it was thought that we should start training when puppies were more mature, say about 6 months old. However, there are many things we can do to start puppies off on the right paw long before that, imprinting them positively for the rest of their lives. This imprinting period lasts until the puppy is about 16 weeks old.
What fabulous idea puppy parties are for socializing young puppies! However, the best puppy parties do have some guidelines that should help ANY doggie gathering. First, be sure you have lots of enclosed, SAFE space for the party. When several dogs meet, puppies or older dogs, it takes only a second for someone to go missing and find themselves on a dangerous roadway. Safe and FUN dog relationships need SPACE. The closer the confinement, the more likely there is to be a fight.
It’s the first week of December and the holidays are fast approaching. Many folks consider giving a puppy as a gift. From a trainer’s point of view, this is an incredibly difficult time to bring a puppy home. It is also not always a good idea to give a gift of an animal unless the recipient is involved in the “getting” process.
One of the biggest complaints I get from my clients is that their dog won’t listen when there is a distraction, especially with the “come” command. I’ve talked before about teaching puppies and dogs to sit nicely before playing with other dogs to encourage reward (playing with other dogs) for quiet behavior and owners making decisions about which dogs their own dog gets to play with.
Many of us have heard of the “Fear Period” for puppies that usually occurs during the 9th week of a puppy’s life. From 6 to 8 weeks is also a critical period for puppies to learn bite inhibition from their mother and siblings. This is why many responsible breeders will not let a puppy go to their new home until after that time.
Many of us have heard of the “Fear Period” for puppies that usually occurs during the 9th week of a puppy’s life. From 6 to 8 weeks is also a critical period for puppies to learn bite inhibition from their mother and siblings. This is why many responsible breeders will not let a puppy go to their new home until after that time.
The warmth and sweet dreams of Christmas are upon us and nothing is as sweet and full of warmth than a snuggly, furry puppy! What could be finer than to give the special gift of a friendly and cute puppy for Christmas? Giving and thoughts of others is the spirit of Christmas! A puppy would seem to fit that description of giving love to someone you love! But, alas, there are many reasons NOT to give puppies or any animal as a gift at Christmas time.
Many of you have been following the training I have been doing with my youngest, Kalidor. He is now 20 months old. It seems he should be a mature dog by now. He looks so grown up and has such nice manners, but the reality is, he is still a puppy. Since Kalidor was 9 weeks old we have been learning tracking people for competition. It was the end of November 2014 when he came to Idaho and we started training. Then our training was interrupted by winter and my knee replacement.
I spent the weekend with my family, including my grandson, 2 ½ year old Ben. What was incredibly interesting to me was the roll that Baewulf took in becoming a guardian for Ben. In a series of photos I took, I recorded some beautifully demonstrated guardianship of Ben between Baewulf, my almost 11 year old long coat, black and red retired service dog and baby Cloud. There is no act of aggression in these photos. What is demonstrated is what is call “splitting”. Splitting is when one dog comes between someone a dog feels protective of, putting distance between the person (or dog) and another person or dog. It is a natural and very desirable behavior.
I was at a park a few years ago and watched a woman sitting at a bench next to a picnic table with a little dog on her lap. As she at her lunch, she occasionally gave the little fellow a nibble of her sandwich. Along came a couple of little girls about 7 or 8 years old, minding their own business with some dolls in their arms walking over to the big toy. As they approached the woman with her little dog, the dog watched intently. When the girls got closer, the dog jumped up, standing on his owner, barking and snarling fiercely. The owner quickly patted him, telling him it was okay. As the girls left, the woman went back to her sandwich and giving her dog nibbles.
AFTER AN EXTENDED MEDICAL LEAVE, I WILL BE RETURNING TO WORK MARCH 1st!
