The big world beckons. Are you and Bozo ready? His immunity is building, his people socialization is excellent, and his dog-to-dog socialization is up to par now that he’s in puppy class. Your wee, wiggly, sweet-smelling puppy is growing up. Doghood is just over the bridge of adolescence. Just as with humans, adolescence is a time of heightened interest in his own kind, a time to focus on what it [...] Read more »
Choosing a Puppy Class.. Learning to be Dog/Dog Friendly
“But I’ve potty trained Bozo, taught him to ’sit’, ’down’, ‘come’ AND I’ve had people over to meet him. Now you want me to take him to class?” That’s right. I do. If indeed, you have done all those things, good on ya! All that, though, has been done in isolation because Bozo’s immunization protection was insufficient to expose him to other dogs and public places. Now that he’s three [...] Read more »
Puppy Socialization… Outings
It may be too soon for puppy class and the dog park but outings are still important. Using the crate in the car is important too, for his safety and yours. Once Bozo has learned a reliable ‘sit’, ‘stay’ and ‘settle’, you can teach him those cues in your stationary car (more on that later). Starting with short rides, a quick trip for milk or a hop to pick up [...] Read more »
Puppy Socialization…Meeting Lots of New People
Have a puppy party. In fact, have several of them during the first month Bozo comes to live with you. “A what? You mean put lots of puppies in one place together?” “No, no. Not that. Not yet.” This is a concept I first heard from Dr. Ian Dunbar. I love the idea so here it is. Based on the premise (Dr. Dunbar’s) that a puppy needs to meet at [...] Read more »
Your New Puppy Has Arrived…The Early Days
Even as I write all that needs to happen in order to a) Be ready to bring the puppy home and b) To integrate him into your family, I feel the pressure of “so much to do, so little time.” I sincerely hope you’re reading this while you’re in the “maybe we’ll get a puppy” stage. Having a plan will make Bozo’s moving in much easier. It doesn’t matter where [...] Read more »