HOW TO START YOUR PUPPY
- The puppy needs a place of their own where they can feel comfortable, away from the stress of other animals, human or not. This enclosed area should offer relief from heat, wind, and other harassments, and should always have a fresh bucket of water.
- The puppy, which has only know its mother, and its whelping area will at first feel a little lonely and confused, but should adapt quickly.
- Take the puppy out of the area only with you. You should carefully introduce the pup to the rest of its environment.
- It is a common occurrence that pups that are started off in the house grow up much more destructive in the yard than those who started in an outside area.
- Also, those pups that are started off in house have a harder time learning to void outside than those started as explained.
- Do not take the pup to areas where other dogs have been or are until it has been with you a minimum of three weeks, and has had a full set of shots from your Veterinarian.
- Put a collar on your pup and tie them to stakeout pole. Allow the pup to pull on the poll and associate the stress of being restrained with the pole, not you.
- While the pup is restrained on the pole take it small pieces of hot dogs, or a similar treat.
- Take the pup off the pole, put it on leash, hold out a treat it is used to eating, and call its' name, stepping backwards. Praise the pup as it follows you for its' treat. When it comes give it the treat. Then, as the pup comes start walking sideways, and then forwards as the pup gets used to moving with you, rewarding it continually with treats and verbal praise.
- If your pup starts to lead you, immediately change direction and let the pup figure out how to follow. When the pup does give it lots of verbal praise for walking beside you on your left.
- Pups get over excited when you touch them and loose emotional control. So use only verbal praise if you want to communicate your support of their actions, but don't touch them until they have accomplished each task.
- Feed the pup two to three times a day, one selected food soaked in very warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Allow it to eat for only 10 minutes and take the food is taken away. (Pups who are free fed lack maturity, motivation, focus, and drive to respond).
- Remember that the primary drive causing response in your pup is their appetite.
- Food left out for more than thirty minutes can become spoiled and infested with bacteria and fly eggs that cause worms.
- Pick up droppings everyday. Fecal left for more than 24 hours can through biological infestation cause up to 52 known diseases in humans.
- Always wash the dog food and water bowls everyday to eliminate bacteria build up.
- Take the pup for short, 5 minute drives in the car. Make sure you have a driver and passenger who can hold the pup on their leash, and control it. Feed the pup treats in the car. Do this six times before taking the pup to the Vet's office.
- All training with pups should be done with leather, or nylon collars using only food and love.
- Pups should not be corrected with strong collars until they mature into formal training age, at approximately 4 months.
- Even pups you want to live in the house should at first be started in their own outside penned area, and brought inside only after obedience training.
- House breaking can happen naturally with your pup as long as you keep them with you, on leash, at all times in the house. Take them out to void regularly, reward and play with them for voiding outside. Do not give the pup the chance to make mistakes inside the house.
- Remember there are many levels in dog training, and puppy training is the first. Keep your training very positive, playful, short, and successful. You have several years to get more serious.
- When socializing remember, what your pup is never exposed to won't hurt them. Don't over expose your pup ever. Take it slow. People don't have to touch your pup, just look. Never trust another dog around your pup.
- When you bring your pup into the house, do so on leash. Make the pup sit and relax. Playing is for outside, relaxing for inside. Voiding is for outside, sleeping is for inside. The pup lives outside, and you inside. The pup needs to understand this.
- Don't spoil your pup with constant attention. It needs regular, consistent periods of quiet and solitude, just like you.
- Let your pup be a dog. It needs to spend time alone being itself. However, you need to spend regular periods of time with the pup as well.
- You don't have to give the pup attention just because you are near it. Let it be around you without having to control your attention.
- Encourage it to play with toys, with you.
- Don't leave lots of toys for it to play with by itself. If it gets a little bored it will appreciate your company much more.
- Never give it anything that smells like you.
- If you give your pup lots of stuff to chew on, it will learn to need to chew.
- Don't over react when your pup does something wrong. Instead, put your emphasis on doing what is right. Be positive and encourage your pup to do what you want.
- Realize that your size magnifies your impression on your pup, especially if you are a man, so take it easy, be patient, and help, don't hurt your pup.
- Be patient with your pup and build the behavior you want in them by putting it into them over and over.
- Realize that your pup wants a relationship with you, and you must dictate the rules of that relationship.
- Don't fight with your pup about what you want, command and control them lovingly.
- Never yell, hit, or get angry at your pup.
- Never train your pup when you are upset.
- Don't let your fears or other emotions traumatize your pup.
- Remember that training your pup is a natural process, and that if you do the right thing today, regardless of what they do, they'll do the right thing tomorrow.
- Realize that communication is your greatest tool in training, and check how you are communicating.
|
|