Get Along Little Doggie Blog

Puppy Won't Come When Called?

Try these tips from dog training legend Patricia McConnell:

 Ah, life with a new puppy! We have a 14 week-old Border Collie pup named Hope at the farm, and what better reminder of the importance of “talking to your dog” with your body! We’ve been working hard on teaching him to come when called by giving him lots of positive reinforcement for running toward us when we say That’ll Do.” (The classic herding dog handler’s phrase . . . you might have heard it in the movie Babe?). As soon as his head turns toward us we reinforce his attention by running away and letting him chase us, by laughing and clapping and giving him lots of yummy food treats when he catches up.

However, we noticed that Hope was much more responsive to me than to my partner Jim, even though Jim was doing a great job of giving Hope treats and chase games when the pup came running. I put on my “field observer” hat, and paid more attention to our behavior. Sure enough, I soon realized that if the pup showed the slightest hesitation to leave something that distracted him (and there’s always a lot of that any time a pup is outside, right?), I bent at the waist and snapped my fingers or clapped my hands at the level of the pup’s head. With very rare exceptions, this caused Hope to move away from the distraction and come to me.  Good puppy!

This makes sense when you think about it. First of all, imagine life through the eyes of a puppy. If you’re able to, get down on your hands and knees and look at the world from the level of your dog’s eyes—boy does it look different! When we call a dog to come our faces and hands are often far above their level of vision. It makes sense that our movements have more impact if we make them at eye level. Don’t you pay more attention to things directly in front of you?

In addition, the movement of bending down contains a compelling message to a dog. When dogs want to play, they bend forward to each other in a “play bow,” a signal universal understood to mean “let’s have fun!” No wonder they respond it when you bend down! Of course, you have to be at least 5 feet away from them for it to look like a play bow to your dog; if you are closer it’s more like looming over them, which can be scary for some pups.

The next time your pup, or full grown dog for that matter, looks at you as if she’s pondering whether to come or not, try bending forward, clapping your hands at her eye level and then moving away so that she is stimulated to chase you. Is it going to work if your dog is about to chase a squirrel? Very doubtful! But it might be just enough to “talk” a dog into coming when called if she’s on the fence!

New Puppy Tips

It’s puppy season! Bringing home your new puppy is very exciting. There is so much work to be done! Be prepared for some sleepless nights, lots of patience, and some hard work. Two of the most common misconceptions that new owners have are: (A) The new puppy understands language and (B) The new puppy already knows how they are expected to behave in a home. A puppy, just like a human baby, must be taught everything. Unfortunately, too many people imagine that their new puppy will be just like Lassie and the whole experience will be nothing but rainbows and butterflies. With such unrealistic expectations, people often become overwhelmed when puppy starts exhibiting her natural puppy behaviors. The good news is that there is no better way to establish a bond than through training. With a little work, patience, and perseverance, you can teach your puppy to be your best friend and companion for many years to come. Here are a few tips to help you get started:

• Don’t wait! From the moment you bring your puppy home, you must start teaching the house rules and stay consistent with them. Young puppies have short attention spans, but they can begin to learn simple obedience commands from as young as 7 to 8 weeks old! Utilize methods that rely on positive reinforcement and gentle teaching. Clicker training is an excellent way to start. Keep the sessions brief, frequent, and fun.
• It takes a Village. Introduce your puppy to as many new situations, people, sights, and sounds as possible. Babies and toddlers, people in uniforms, people of all races and sizes, wheelchairs and crutches, bicycles, car rides, elevators, stairs, vacuum cleaners, etc… These are just a few examples that may lead to fear and anxiety unless there is sufficient early, positive exposure. Have a socialization party! Invite 10 people over to help and put a bowl of treats by the door. Tell your guests to ignore any unwanted behavior (jumping up) and praise proper behavior.
• Never coddle or soothe a fearful puppy as doing so will only reinforce her fear. Instead, stay calm and positive while going about your normal routine, thus showing her there is no reason to be afraid.
• Don’t allow your puppy do anything you don’t want your grown-up dog to do. For example, it’s cute when a little puppy jumps up on you, but when she is full grown; it’s obnoxious and quite possibly dangerous. There should be no grey area as far as the rules and boundaries are concerned. Once a rule is established, you must stick with it.
• Always supervise your puppy! She should not have free reign in the house. Unsupervised puppies will chew and destroy as part of their natural curiosity and play. They are also likely to find a nice hidden potty spot. Rather than finding yourself with the need to reprimand your puppy, use a crate, X-pen, or long leash to help you keep an eye on her and avoid unwanted behaviors. Always provide suitable play objects designed to entertain your pup so that she will not want to destroy your possessions.
• Get clean and puppy-proof your house. Anything left on the floor is an invitation for puppy to chew. If you find something she has chewed, but you did not catch her in the act, roll up a newspaper and give yourself a whack for leaving her unsupervised and/or leaving something on the floor. Do not take your puppy over to the mess and yell or physically discipline her. Remember, you have to punish the behavior you want to change at the exact moment it occurs. If you do not catch her in the actual act of chewing, all you are doing is punishing her for being present at a mess on the floor. Since this makes no sense to your puppy, your reprimands could create fear and anxiety, which could lead to aggression or owner avoidance.
• If you catch your puppy misbehaving, try a loud noise such as clapping your hands or a loud “uh-huh!” Most the time the noise will startle her and she will temporarily stop the behavior. At that moment, praise her with a “good dog!” and quickly redirect the puppy to a more appropriate task. You can also use noise devices like a shaker can or pot and pan lids. Most of the time young pups are very impressionable and easily intimidated. Harsh physical reprimands only serve to frighten them and make them hand shy. We want your pup to look toward a human hand as something pleasant that brings comfort, food, and affection.
• Do yourself and you new puppy a favor and find a trainer, a class, and/or a puppy socialization/play time.
• Download these two priceless books all about puppy training: Before You Get Your Puppy and After You Get Your Puppy.

“Whoever said you can’t buy happiness forgot little puppies.”

~Gene Hill

The Most Important Reasons for Puppy Class

Bite Inhibition and Socialization.  

 

Preventing bad bite inhibition and poor socialization are the most urgent priorities when it comes to your new puppy.  These things need to be worked on before your puppy is 18 weeks old.  Unfortunately, many owners don’t consider or think about training until the puppy is 5 or 6 months old.  This is actually a poor time to start training as the puppy is no longer a puppy, but an adolescent.  That’s right a teenager! The good news is that dog adolescence doesn’t last near as long as human adolescence.  The bad news is that the transition from puppyhood to adolescence is the most difficult time for owners.   This is the most common age that dogs are surrendered to shelters.  However, if you start puppy class before 18 weeks of age, you will have a much better chance of making it through teenagerland without pulling your hair out! 

 

Puppy classes provide a clean, non-threatening, controlled environment for your puppy to play and socialize with other people and puppies.  Puppies must play together to build confidence and to learn proper doggie etiquette.  A puppy that is properly socialized and given the chance to play with other puppies is much less likely to develop fear or aggression as an adult. 

 

The Big Daddy, critical reason for puppy class is provide the best opportunity for your puppy to develop bite inhibition and a soft mouth.  Puppy biting is absolutely natural and normal.  But, those little needle teeth hurt! Still, one of the biggest mistakes we can make is to punish them for biting.  We have to teach the puppy by giving appropriate feedback.  The more appropriate feedback, the less dangerous she will be as an adult dog.  As far as bite inhibition goes, there are no better teachers than other puppies.  Puppies give each other excellent feedback when bitten too hard.  “Hey that hurt!  I’m not going to play with you anymore!”  It’s a wonderful and amazing thing to watch. 

 

The best puppy classes intermingle short training sessions with off leash play.  To search for trainers and classes in your area, visit www.apdt.com

 

In Houston, there is still time to join Get Along Little Doggie’s Puppy Class (10-18 weeks) that meets every Saturday at 11 AM through March 6^th @ Urban Tails in Midtown.  Call 323--573-0727 for more information.

 

 “A house is not a home until it has a dog.”

~Gerald Durrell