Puppy Priorities: Month 1-2

Already, the weeks will have flown by and you’ll notice a big change in your puppy’s development.  They grow up so fast that it takes a lot of hard work to capture the first few important weeks of your relationship, and build on it to establish a great bond, a confident puppy and a set of safe rules of engagement when it comes to people and other dogs.

Collies are strange creatures.  Those of you who know the breed, will agree.  We spent a whole day at a country fair with 14 week old Guinness and he was Mr. Steady throughout the entire event.  He met cows, sheep, horses, poultry, ferrets, ice cream vans, balloons and so many children and other dogs that we lost count.  Then on the way back to the car, we were walking over a manhole cover and Guinness decided that this was worth having a minor scare about.  He refused to walk across it and only quick-chicken-association worked to convince him otherwise.  Tasty treats, it seems will cancel most scary situations.

The work on early socialisation which began as soon as Guinness arrived home at 8 weeks, has continued with a vengeance during his first 6 weeks with us.  Once his vaccination programme was complete, all the places we visited with him in our arms, were revisited with him by our side.  Interesting obstacles were encountered and as with all things at this stage, take your time.  Our puppy had an issue with steps.  He would sit at the top or bottom of the flight of stairs and refuse to move.  We gave him as long as he needed and encouraged him with tasty treats.  It’s taken 5 weeks to get him to willingly climb steps by himself and that’s ok!  We have as long as it takes and this is something I tell myself every day as he gets older and bolder.  Many clients get frustrated with their dog’s slow progress when it comes to socialisation and early training.  I’ve heard so many times, ‘he just refuses to walk’ or ‘he won’t play outside’.  Keep trying, be positive, be happy and encourage your puppy at every step.  Remember how easily distracted they are and how new everything is to them.  Allow puppy to progress at his own pace.  If you want a dog you can simply clip a leash on and take for a stroll, then consider giving a rescue adult dog a home.

Here are some of the places Guinness has been during his first month at home.  We’ve been camping!  We’ve been to several country fairs and agricultural shows, where he met livestock, tractors and countless children and other dogs.  I noticed during one trip along a busy high street that Guinness was pulling away each time a bus passed by.  So for 6 days in a row we visited various high streets (from quieter places gradually moving on to more busy traffic hotspots) until he was happy walking along without a worry, regardless of the engines passing.  We visited a local flyball club to meet the dogs and encounter high energy activity, which for a collie can be a difficult exercise in self control.  Guinness has been to visit our local pet shop and vets multiple times, meeting and greeting staff.  We have taken him to our local pub on numerous occasions and he’s been on both buses and trains.  A garden centre which is dog friendly was a great place to experience smells and sounds of aquatics, small furries like rabbits and guinea pigs, kids playing and café hubbub.

As your puppy gets used to the new routine around your home, it’s important to establish rules early on, so that bad habits don’t get a chance to develop.  Remember that things you find cute now, may not be acceptable when your puppy is fully grown.  So don’t allow jumping up for cuddles or attention just because your puppy is cute and you’re so happy to see him.  This translates into mugging people who visit your home, or jumping on the lady with the white trousers while out and about.  People will be less than happy with your fully grown dog putting feet up to say ‘hi’.  If you want a no furniture rule with your adult dog, don’t begin by allowing puppy on the sofa now.  It’s really unfair to change the rules half way through the game and this applies to your puppy’s upbringing also.

In summary, here are two easy tips for a well mannered dog.  The first is that the more small rules you have for your puppy, the less likely they are to break big rules.  Secondly, don’t allow the word ‘assumption’ to feature in your dog’s vocabulary.  He can’t have something unless you tell him, he can’t climb on things unless you say so, he can’t investigate stuff unless you give him the O.K.  There is a time and a place for your puppy to be allowed to go mad, rip, shred, climb, explore etc but make sure it’s always on your terms and not his.  A pushy, demanding dog is no fun and won’t be welcome most places.

House training has progressed well with our little black and white boy.  Those early weeks of getting up to let him out over night have thankfully moved on.  At first, Guinness was on a four hour schedule over night but gradually he seemed reluctant to get up and come out with me when I woke him, so I started to set the alarm clock later.  Over approximately 2 weeks we pushed the duration he was left without being woken up, until at 10 weeks, he could hold it over night.  Every dog is different and some won’t actually be able to hold it all night until around 13 weeks, so, as with a lot of other things, take your cues from your puppy.  Keep a toileting and feeding diary as this is still beneficial as it gets you used to your puppy’s schedule and toileting habits.

During the day, our puppy is given so many opportunities to eliminate outdoors, that he rarely has an accident indoors.  Guinness is now weeing on command, something which is so easy to achieve and so convenient throughout the dog’s life.  Always accompany your puppy outside and stand quietly until he starts to pee.  Then begin to repeat a word of your choice while he’s eliminating.  I still make a big fuss when he’s finished and tell him what a great boy he is, occasionally offering him a treat.  Within days the association will be made between the action of going to the toilet and your word or phrase.  Hey Presto, your dog will now pee on command wherever and whenever you want.  Great for travelling, busy lives, rushing out or late night trips to the toilet in the snow during winter.

Toilet training is all about habit and routine and the more success your puppy has with toileting outside, the less likely indoor accidents will occur.  Remember that if your puppy starts to eliminate in front of you indoors, and you have already an established pattern of success outside, only then is it appropriate to scold him.  Don’t scare him or make a big fuss, rather make a noise which will stop him, such as saying ‘ah ah’ or clapping your hands, then scurry him outside to finish off, making sure to reward him for getting it right.  Clean up the mess with no fuss and ideally without your puppy present.

You’ll notice energy levels increase during this period, and while your puppy is not really ready for long walks yet-they need plenty of socialisation, play and leash training forays.  However they also need constant supervision and plenty of entertainment in your home and garden and other safe outdoor spaces such as parks or fields.  This can prove difficult for owners.  A puppy’s ability to cause mayhem and havoc is astounding and while they rarely fixate on anything for more than a few seconds, their razor sharp teeth can chew through things with phenomenal success.  Puppy proof your house and garden as best you can and provide plenty of things your dog is allowed to destroy.  I reserve toys for games played with me, but leave chew toys around the house to keep him entertained when  he’s left alone (Kongs/Busy Buddies/raw hide/treat balls).  In addition, under supervision,  Guinness has endless fun ripping apart cardboard boxes, tearing through kitchen and toilet roll inners and chasing empty plastic bottles around in an attempt to catch or remove food treats.  Lightweight plastic plant pot holders are another free method of puppy entertainment.  Remember not to waste food by giving if away for free from a bowl.  Rather use it to keep your puppy occupied for several hours each day by thinking of imaginative ways to get your puppy to work to find his grub.

While no formal training has taken place with my puppy so far, he has been introduced to several basic concepts when it comes to living with and dealing with human beings and other creatures.  I reward any voluntary attention my puppy gives to me.  If he glances up, he’s rewarded, if he sits in front of me, he’s rewarded.  If he stops and waits for me to catch up, or turns to follow me when I walk away, he’s rewarded.  Don’t miss any opportunity to capture and reward behavior that you’ll want in your adult dog.  Remember that if your dog thinks you’re worthwhile being around, and more importantly randomly checking in with, he will rarely stray away to get himself into trouble.

Guinness has been introduced to two basic concepts at this early stage.  The first is that if he does what I ask, I make it worth his while.  I’ve helped him, using a food lure, to learn what sit, down and stand actually mean (and I continue to remind him of this quite regularly).  However I also begin to request things of him during our day to day interaction.  For example, before I unclip his leash, he must sit, before I throw the ball, he must lie down, if he wants to run free with the other dogs, he must sit, down and stand for this massive jackpot reward.  I use everyday life to help train my dog thus avoiding the need for food constantly to get him to respond.  I’m trying to get into his little collie head that if he cooperates with me, he gets his way.

The second general training lesson which I recommend puppies learn at this stage of development is the concept of self control.  This essentially means that just because your puppy may want something, it doesn’t actually mean they can always have it.  I train this through the use of play.  I have been taking Guinness to our local park with one of my other dogs with me.  He must watch from the side lines, while I play with my other dogs.  All the barking, whining or lunging in the world will not result in him joining in.  Only when he’s laid down and controlled his little egotistical puppy attitude, will he be allowed to join in the fun.  Another exercise we practice with his football, or similar toy.  Guinness is held on leash while I toss the ball ahead of him.  Only when he’s stopped straining at the leash and relaxes, is he released to get the toy.  These early exercises in self control, are vital if your puppy is to grow up a well adjusted dog.  Remember the practical implications of an absence of such training are seen by owners every day when their dog cannot walk past a football game without attempting to join in, or without lunging for someone’s sandwich on a park walk during lunchtime.

As your puppy’s confidence grows, so too your early recall training may deteriorate.  It’s important to get puppy out and about to as many strange places as possible to generalize the idea that recall isn’t optional, it’s compulsory.  The easiest way to hard wire a really good recall in your puppy is to randomly hide each time puppy goes ahead of you so that he thinks he has lost you and stresses a little to find his beloved owner.  This puts the responsibility on him to keep an eye on you during walks, and takes some of the pressure from owners to constantly have to nag their dogs to follow them.  The key with this panic training is that most owners will only have a strong social attraction for their dogs for a very short while during puppyhood.  You must use this stage of development to your advantage to train recall before it’s too late.   Of course the more fun you are to be around the more puppy will look to you for entertainment rather than seek it in the environment around him.  For every chance Guinness gets to interact with dogs (an important part of socialisation of course), he spends hours with me, playing, running about, tugging, training etc.  One great idea to help train recall is to bring many family members with you and take a hungry puppy to several low distraction environment such as a field or local park during a quiet time.  In a safe enclosed area, each person takes turns to call puppy, rewarding with a suitably high value treat such as chicken, liver, hot dog or cheese when he gets to them.

Like recall, loose leash walking can also take several steps back once your puppy’s confidence grows.  I’ve found that my little shy boy who crept along the high street during the first few outings now struts his stuff like a pro, regardless of traffic or crowds.  Remember the basic concept of walking on a loose leash, make it clear to your puppy that pulling never works.  Each time you feel the leash tighten do something to let puppy know pressure on his neck means he can’t move forwards.  I tell clients over and over again, leash training cannot be incorporated into ‘taking the dog for a walk’.  The two are separate entities and the latter can only be achieved once the former has been successfully mastered.  Simply turning away from your puppy and making him follow you if you feel him pulling is great start in loose leash training.  Similarly offering him a reason to stay beside you, feeding him while walking by your side, is a great method of getting puppy to stick close and not forge ahead.  Another simple exercise advocated by the master of puppy training Dr. Ian Dunbar, is to teach your dog to walk beside you without a leash at all.  This means you need to concentrate on your puppy and he on you, before adding the leash at a later stage once puppy knows the correct place to be on walks is by your side.

You should reach the end your puppy’s 16^th week with a dog who is on the way to becoming a well adjusted adult.  He is now, believe it or not, a pre-teen and in the next few months, all your early training, as well as your patience, will be tested once the teen hormones begin to influence his behaviour.  We have already seen some humping from Guinness, which so far, we are ignoring to ensure it doesn’t become an attention seeking behaviour. It’s so vital to make a good impressions early on.  Not just to establish a positive relationship with each other, but also to lay down ground rules which are clear and understood, both by your family and your dog.  This way you can continue to enjoy each other’s company during the often frustrating teen months ahead.  I can already see Guinness beginning to question ground rules, to stand back and think about responding, where a few weeks ago he would have done so unquestionably.  I remind myself every day what a short time I have to teach how the world works in his little puppy brain but I’m still, thankfully, enjoying every minute of our time together.

Puppy Priorities Week 1

I have preached to others for so long about what you should focus on during early training and your puppy’s crucial socialisation period.  So to help, I’ve decided to document the programme I’ve undertaken with my new addition.  That way, you can get some ideas of what I feel is priority, how to start on the basics and what can be left for later on in life.

Rescue puppy Guinness, a Border Collie, arrived home at approximately 8 weeks old.  He had been vaccinated early because of the rescue policy and so may have been allowed out sooner than the average ‘bought’ puppy.  It is imperative that you combine an early socialisation and training programme with care and attention to your puppy’s exposure to common canine illnesses.  For example having people visit you and visiting friends who have children and vaccinated adult dogs is a great way to start early socialisation.  This still allows puppy time to complete his vaccination programme.  In addition, carrying your puppy to places where he’ll meet other people, see traffic, livestock, experience various forms of transport and be handled by lots of people is another great way to start socializing him.  Finally your local vets, groomers and kennels will be only too happy to have you visit and cuddle a cute puppy.  This gets your dog used to the sights, smells and sounds of places he will no doubt visit regularly for the rest of his life.  Just make sure you don’t put him on the floor where unknown dogs have been or in areas of high canine traffic.

Socialisation is key to a well adjusted dog.  In the word of Dr. Ian Dunbar, ‘Living with an undersocialized dog can be frustrating, difficult, and potentially dangerous. For undersocialized dogs, life is unbearably stressful.’  I believe that more dogs are put to sleep every year because of lack of socialisation, then ever die of the canine diseases we vaccinate against.  I look upon socialisation as vaccination against life itself.  That’s why it is so important to get puppies out and about to meet and greet people and other dogs, ride on public transport, be around livestock, not worry about traffic, noises, surfaces, mingle in crowds etc.

A puppy like my new arrival, Guinness, who isn’t shy, but is not the pushiest pup in the litter, needs careful socialisation to avoid becoming overwhelmed.  The key here is to relax, keep your voice upbeat and never force interaction.  If he’d rather watch from the sidelines, which he has chosen to do on several occasions, then that’s ok.  In the first week home-all outdoor public trips had been in our arms.  We’ve visited the cash and carry, a local theme park, watch outdoor theatre, been to the beach, visited the pub, met hundreds of people young and old, seen wheelchairs, buggies, kids rolling down hills and playing football.  We have smelt horses and geese and pigs and cows.  Guinness has met our vet staff at least 4 times.  We have invited as many people to visit as we can.  He has been introduced to quite a few well adjusted adult dogs and a couple of unruly puppies, which he was not so sure about.  In all cases, it’s my job to intervene if at any point I feel my dog is being overwhelmed.  The key to good socilisation is to move slowly, encourage, never force and give your dog the opportunities, but allow him to decide whether he wants to take them or not.  Coupling tasty treats at a safe distance from scary events or things is also a good way to use classical conditioning to help your puppy change his opinion from negative to positive.

House training begins on day one with the premise that puppy is always where I want him to be, when he needs to eliminate and unless I’m sure he’s just done a wee/poo, he’s crated unless supervised.  This means that I keep a diary of the times he’s eliminating over the first few days so that I can preempt his toilet needs and make sure he only ever toilets outside.  Mistakes will happen, he has soiled his crate a couple of times which was entirely our fault and had a tummy bug which didn’t help the poo diary.  I’m exhausted from getting up to take him out in the early hours, but after only a week, we already well on the way to establishing a good housetraining routine.

None of my puppies are fed from a bowl.  I use the food as a means of training, reward and more importantly a way to keep puppy entertained, rather than getting into mischief chewing elsewhere.  So chew toys such as Kongs are introduced from the very first day.  In addition, I carry kibble around with me so that any voluntary interaction I get from Guinness, following me, sitting in front of me, eye contact etc can be immediately rewarded with a piece of food.  A word of warning though, unless you’re prepared to get up several times a night to let your puppy poo, I’ve avoided feeding from noon to approximately 6pm.

Training always starts with getting the dog’s attention.  Ideally, I don’t want to have to nag my dogs to comply, so I try to get them to offer me behaviour instead, as it’s worth their while.  So sitting on the floor on day one, I showed Guinness that I had food, and then waited for him to stop looking everywhere but at me, then rewarded him for eye contact.  I use a clicker for shaping this behaviour as I’ve found it’s the fastest and easiest way to get the message across to the dog that you are worth checking in with.  The basic puppy positions of sit/down/stand are taught immediately as they are so easy to get into a young puppy’s head using food lures.  It’s vital that after showing the puppy 3 or 4 times what you want him to (by putting the food on his nose and getting him to follow it), you remove the bribe and reward instead.  Most young puppies get this really quickly.

Recall training, at this early stage is so easy and this is mainly due to the social attraction that you, the owner has for your puppy.  Guinness is a people oriented dog, that was one of the reasons I chose him, however he also has an independent streak already with potential to do his own thing later in life.  So getting a strong recall was crucial.  My first lesson was in the house, where I simply made myself really appealing (I make silly noises, jump about, scratch the floor etc) which usually gets the average puppy to come running.  I then offer something as a reward, either food or toys.  Remember that recall is all about the promise that fun is about to start, not end, so I try to couple running towards me with rewards so amazing that puppy can’t resist.  Only when puppy is running towards me do I start to put in a recall command.  After several repetitions, I start to run off as the puppy is eating his treat, and bingo, he usually follows, so I repeat the command and reward again.  By day 3, Guinness was following me around the garden and small local field picking up speed to catch up if I ran away from him.  My main ambition is for him to be toy focused, so plenty of play helps build our relationship and makes me more worthwhile to stick around.  But play needs to start in the house, and then the garden and out and about.  Most owners give up trying to get their dog to play out and about which is a shame as a dog who likes to play with toys on a walk, rarely has a poor recall.

Loose leash walking is one of the easiest things to teach a dog, as long as it’s started the first time a leash and collar is attached.  Taking advice from esteemed dog training John Rogerson, Guinness was put on collar and leash and the leash tied to a heavy piece of furniture several times during the first few days he was with us.  This exercise teaches the dog that when he feels tension on his neck, he cannot move forward at all.  I tend to click/reward when he settles and stops trying to get to the end of his leash.  Taking this early learning on his first walk, Guinness stopped and refused to move forward with me.  It’s now crucial that you become the piece of furniture and stop each and every time the leash tightens between you and your dog.  Encouraging Guinness to follow me took a while, but each time he took a few steps forward, I clicked and rewarded him.  Our first walk of approximately 100 yards, took almost half an hour and I carried Guinness home so as not to undo our good work.  But that’s what leash training is about.  It’s not about taking your new puppy for a walk hoping, as if by magic he’ll learn loose leash walking himself.  On our second day trip out on leash, Guinness walked down the local high street, stopping often to take in his surroundings.  This is afterall, what socialisation is all about.   Each time he stopped, I simply waited until he was ready, encouraged him forwards and rewarded him for catching up with me.  At no point so far in our training has he been allowed to move once he feels tension on his neck.  This means however that you cannot pull him along on a tight leash either.

I don’t think with all the puppy training books that I’ve read over the years, anyone has mentioned what hard work it is to raise a well adjusted, well trained dog.  But it’s so worth the early training and socialisation.  I have noticed huge improvements in Guinness since we picked him up a week ago.  He is well on the road to being house trained.  He enjoys my company and is now running with enthusiasm when he hears my recall command.  Guinness has had his first lessons in walking by my side on a loose leash.  He knows the hand signal for sit, down and stand and will offer eye contact regularly.  Guinness is enjoying games so much that he will gladly fetch a toy and bring it back to continue the game-a huge improvement on last week when, due to bossy siblings in his litter, he would run a mile if he managed to win the toy.  Finally he has been exposed gradually to so many experiences out and about that hopefully, he’ll take all that life has to offer in his stride.  And that’s only week 1……

Muttamorphosis First Aid Course for Pet Dog Owners!

On Sunday 12^th June, Muttamorphosis Dog Training & Behaviour ran its first canine first aid course.  Vet nurse Emma Foxall has over 10 years experience in dealing with dogs, from minor mishaps to major emergencies.  She offered an interesting and informative course on all the classic hot spots for first aid treatment, whether you’re living with or caring for a dog.

The course began with checking out vital signs in your dog, being aware specifically of what your own dog is like when at the peak of health.   Fourteen year old GSD X Misty, stooge dog extraordinaire, behaved impeccably while Emma and the group checked for pulse, respiratory rate, temperature and typical signs of a healthy dog such as the condition of coat, skin and gums.

Topics during the day included some very interesting case studies from Emma’s work in practice.  First aid scenarios covered what to do following a road traffic accident, a dog fight, a possible drowning, electrocution, poisoning, stick injury and eye or limb trauma.  In addition to discussion groups over tea & biscuits and lunch (provided), the class also had the chance to practice limb and ear bandaging techniques and view some of the parasites common in pet dogs (not for the squeamish as there were multiple and in jars).

There will be another course held in Autumn which should prove just as popular as this one.  To view what people attending the course said about the day, please visit the testimonial page.

Canine First Aid Workshop for pet dog owners.

Muttamorphosis is delighted to announce a new Canine First Aid course for 2011.  Qualified Vet Nurse Emma Foxall joins us for two dates this year to offer her popular course on first aid for the pet dog owner. During this day course, which includes a certificate of attendance & a first aid booklet, topics include:

While this course is mostly theory based, some hands on experience will be offered.  Places will be limited, so early booking is essential to confirm your place.

Emma Foxall RVN

Emma has worked as a vet nurse with several North East vets for the past 10 years.  She regularly fosters and re-homes both dogs and cats for local rescues.  Emma has taught Puppy School at Croft Vets and has recently started a programme of first aid talks for secondary school children.  An avid follower of flyball, Emma founded Karma Kanines in 2010 and regularly competes with her two dogs Elliot and Alfie and her team.

June First Aid Course : Sunday 12th June 10am-4pm-Now Full!

Oct First Aid Course: Sunday 23rd October 10am-4pm-Bookings Being Taken Now!

Muttamorphosis Puppy Socialisation Class Video!

People are always welcome to come along and observe my dog training classes.   I’m pleased to say that more and more clients are planning in advance, not just when it comes to finding a suitable dog & breeder, but also when it comes to finding a well run puppy training class.  I’ve been asked so many times what I actually teach in my puppy classes, and how they are run, that I decided to video a typical class so that everyone could get an idea of how class is run, how dogs are organised, what we teach and the learning atmosphere during our hour long weekly session.