Happy Pets

Puppy Pet Socialization

Part of the secret of having a well-trained puppy is the ability on your part to think ahead. You won’t be able to take him for a walk outside until he’s completed his injections, at about fourteen to sixteen weeks. This is far too late to introduce your puppy to a collar and lead and the outside world. The socialization of your puppy at an early age is essential if you require a well-adjusted adult dog. I discovered this, to my cost, with Bracken, my first puppy. I never thought of taking him out on to the streets until he was sixteen weeks old. At home, he was perfectly behaved and afraid of nothing and walked well in the garden on a collar and lead. You can imagine my surprise at our first day’s outing. The moment we stepped out of the gate, Bracken flattened himself to the pavement with terror at the sound and sights of traffic. (more…)

Puppy Pet Sit

The first lesson you wish your puppy to learn is Sit. When you’re in possession of his toy, push your puppy gently down into the Sit position. With your right hand cupped around the puppy’s chest, place your left hand on his back near the tail. With your right hand, push gently backwards, while you are easing down with your left. Give a firm, but not loud, command. Never shout at your puppy. It will only lead him to flatten his ears against the noise and ignore you. It’s much better to talk quietly, then he has to make the effort of listening to you. As soon as his bottom is on the floor in the correct position, throw his toy. Repeat this over and over again in your games, which can take place as often and for as long as puppy is keen to play. He’ll have a marvelous time with you. As far as puppy is concerned, he’s not learning anything, for the Sit position is part of the fun. (more…)

The first night with your puppy could be a traumatic experience for both of you. You may decide that you wish your puppy to sleep in your bedroom. Fine, but I might warn you it’s not a very pleasant experience to be jumped on and bitten in the middle of a peaceful sleep, apart from the fact that your bedroom carpet will not benefit from puppy’s puddles. The more acceptable place for a young puppy is in the kitchen. Your bedtime must now become a well thought out, planned affair. For at least half an hour before you wish to retire, play with your puppy. This will, hopefully, tire him out—at least for an hour or so. His supper eaten, you must visit the garden with him and ensure he’s a ‘busy dog‘. (more…)

Food will be one of your puppy’s main interests in life. Have you remembered to check with the breeder what your puppy has been fed on? A new house and a different type of food can easily upset a young puppy. A six-week-old puppy should be provided with five meals a day. If your ,puppy has come from a reliable and conscientious breeder you will have been supplied with a diet sheet with the type of food and quantities he will require, although a few useful hints may help you. I have often found diet sheets from breeders contained too milky or sloppy feeds for a puppy. This can often give diarrhoea. If you have this problem, replace milky or sloppy feeds with meat meals. (more…)

I am very worried about the current enthusiasm for check-chain collars. The public seem to believe the be-all and end-all of training their dog is having it on the end of a chain. I agree there is a time and place for a check-chain collar, but it is certainly not on a puppy under six months of age, and, in my opinion, should not be used by inexperienced people. If you train your puppy correctly from the beginning, there will never be any need to revert to a chain. Seventy-five per cent of dog owners have a dragging dog. Why? Because they didn’t think to train their dog at an early age. I have seen four- and five-month-old puppies completely out of hand and then it’s so easy and so much less trouble to put a chain around the dog’s neck, whereas a little effort and patience on the owner’s part would prevent this. (more…)

With the puppy sitting on your left-hand side, give a quiet, but firm, Wait command. Do not use puppy’s name. Puppy should always associate his name with coming to you and we do not wish him to do that on this occasion. Take one small pace to your right, count one second and return to your dog and praise him. He shouldn’t have had time to move. If he has, just patiently put him back into the Sit position and try again. You are only expecting puppy to wait there for one second. Extend your puppy’s waiting time very gradually. If you rush it, puppy will want to come to you and you have achieved nothing.

Many puppies lose their confidence if they think their owner is leaving them. It’s not a bad thing that your puppy wants to be with you constantly, so you must build his confidence up. (more…)

I keep a store of worn tights on my dressing table and each time I go to make the bed my new puppy is asked to do something—a Sit or a Down, say—and I throw an old pair of tights and have a little game. An ideal opportunity to teach puppy all the do’s and don’ts is while you’re going around the house. Katy, my little black Labrador puppy, soon realised the things that she could carry about and the things that were absolutely taboo by this method. Upstairs I would find her ferreting under Kerensa’s bed for inviting-looking teddy bears or furry slippers. Being a Labrador, she would come and show me her prize with tail wagging and ears flicking. The first instinct of most pet owners would be to make a grab for the puppy’s prize, shout and reprimand them. (more…)

It is important for you to remember that your puppy does not understand English. It is essential to show him exactly what the words mean. Most dog owners don’t realise that they have actually taught the puppy to do the wrong thing by not using action and words together. A good example of this is a puppy who tries to climb on the furniture. Just think of it for a moment. You’re the puppy, you have two paws on the settee and your owner is sitting reading the paper in an armchair. ‘Get off!’ your owner will shout.

But he can’t be bothered to put the paper down, come across to you and physically show you what he means. So, what are you to think, after he’s stayed sitting for quite some time, telling you to get off? If you are a reasonably intelligent puppy, as most puppies are, you will associate the words ‘Get off’ with having your front two paws on the furniture. (more…)

Exactly the same training goes for your first small ride in the car. It would be a great advantage if you could be free to attend to your puppy while someone else drives the vehicle for you. The dominant puppy who barks only needs firm handling. Don’t give up. If he jumps out of his place a thousand times, put him back and make him understand that he is not allowed to dive about the vehicle or bark. Here, it is your patience that is needed more than anything else. Give in once to your puppy and you might as well throw in the towel as far as dog training is concerned. You must always win. The puppy who is afraid will take more time and gentler handling to bring round. Something to chew in the car will probably take his mind off his fear. Extreme fear should be dealt with immediately by constantly putting puppy in the car and feeding him a titbit before and after a short journey. (more…)

The worst thing you can possibly do is introduce your puppy to the car on his first journey to the vet for his inoculations. A sensitive puppy will remember this traumatic experience and link the car journey with the vet. Stop problems before they begin and you’ll never have any. Don’t be tempted to rush any part of your puppy’s training. It would be so easy to put puppy in the car and go, and you could be lucky and have a dog who enjoyed car riding. But if the puppy you have has any qualms whatsoever about the car, you may be instilling a fear of the vehicle in him that will take years to cure. (more…)