Puppy Training, Sunshine Coast, BC
Socialization is a word we hear often when people talk about puppies. Especially if you’re talking to a trainer or some other dog-savvy individual, everybody seems to agree it’s important to socialize a puppy early in his life but what is everybody talking about? Here’s what the dictionary says: “To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable.” That sounds about right, huh? We want our new puppy to become [...] Read more »
I received this recently from a friend of mine. I have heard it from many others. “…our little Lucy! She is perfect of course the only real problem we are having is jumping up on people when they come in. She LOVES people but that doesn’t mean we have to be all over them when they arrive! She does settle down after 5 mins but would just sooner she [...] Read more »
The #1 challenge new puppy owners face is potty training (or as it used to be called ‘house training’) their puppy. 8 week-old puppies have no control over their elimination and that can be a real nightmare for the new owner. No one likes cleaning up pee or poop and it can be extremely frustrating if there are carpets in the home. Training your brand new puppy to enjoy spending [...] Read more »
Can’t say how long this will last. Perhaps tomorrow the leash-pulling puppy will return but today’s honeymoon was truly a treat! Not once did I have to stop and click because Molly was pulling. Even though she was often at the end of the leash as she checked out some interesting smell, she never pulled it taut and certainly didn’t even consider taking off at a gallop. She trotted [...] Read more »
In part 1, I ended by saying that Miss Molly was so much better at keeping the leash loose and even self-corrected. Being the human that I am, I expected to progress from there today. After all, she obviously ‘got it’. As though learning, for any of us, is that easy. If you, like I, have, on a given day, accomplished some new techie thing on the computer, [...] Read more »
It’s just an ordinary grey day in November. No rain yet. My car is stopped, waiting to make the left-hand turn to get to the Community Centre. The oncoming traffic stretches back beyond the mall. There’ll be no turning just yet. My attention wanders to the sidewalk. Almost at once I notice a middle-aged woman walking briskly with a ShiTzu- type dog on a leash. Nothing out of the ordinary [...] Read more »
“Puppies bite and thank goodness they do.” That’s a quote from Dr. Ian Dunbar and one that initially puzzles people. Biting is normal dog behaviour. Our human job in the early weeks of owning a puppy is to teach him what he can and cannot bite. I give every new puppy I work with a stuffable rubber chewtoy such as a Kong™ to assist in teaching him what he can [...] Read more »
With this post, I’m departing (just for now) from the puppy arena. My brother, after much research and the application of it, has compiled: Hints and Tips from the Owner of a 3 year old Newf with Hip Dysplasia. I hope it is of use. At some time in your dog owning future ,you may be faced with a diagnosis of hip dysplasia. Advice on what to do takes many [...] Read more »
Training your puppy to “come” when you ask is not simply an issue of obedience. It can also be a matter of safety and certainly it is a big part of good manners in a variety of circumstances. Certainly if you and your dog frequent off-leash dog parks, walk on off-leash trails or in the woods, you will want her to come when you call her either to go home [...] Read more »
Training your puppy to like everything… people, big and little, old and young and all manner of things…bikes, skateboards, vacuum cleaners, big trucks, coffee grinders, mixers, hats, big bags, masks, big dogs, tiny dogs, umbrellas and hats is not really ‘training’. It is exposure. It’s super important that you begin immediately – as soon as you bring your puppy home. The learning window in puppies that is wide open at birth [...] Read more »