Real-life case stories about puppies and the challenges that come with raising them, including biting and mouthing, toilet training, socialisation, recall, walking on lead and learning to settle. See how I have helped families give their puppies the best possible start.
What helps a new puppy settle confidently into family life from day one? They picked up their nine-week-old Border Terrier puppy yesterday. As part of our puppy parenting plan we had already discussed on the phone where Monty would sleep on his first night and what they would do if he was distressed Read more
Why was gentle Fen growling at the new puppy Bailey? They were shocked when Fen growled at the new puppy. I look at this very differently. Hooray for the older dog growling! The thirteen-week-old pug puppy is let free in the room, in Labrador Fen’s room. He’s allowed to get Read more
Other dogs have to be transformed into something the puppies feel happy to see. Force won’t do that.
Their understandable reaction to his running off with a twig for example – chasing him, enticing him, bribing him then maybe forcing the item off him – is now actually making his ‘scavenging’ for things like twigs, leaves and bits of paper and eating rubbish a lot worse.
The chase that ensues will be stimulating and maybe even a little scary and Chutney is responding with the beginnings of resource guarding behaviour.
I have just been to two five-month-old Canaan siblings. Before the family picked them up about four weeks ago, despite being brother and sister, each puppy had had a very different life.
What is behind the behaviour isn’t dominance – the puppy wanting to become Alpha – but that certain behaviours bring him the most reinforcement. When he gets a bit rough he can bank on getting rewarded in terms of attention of some sort.
They are now upping their socialisation of Digby and acclimatisation to things. Things such as traffic, noises, people of all sorts and ages, other dogs, the car and so on – within the restrictions of being unable to put him down until his injections are finished. He seems a stable and fearless pup.
How do you help a new puppy settle in when there are already dogs living next door? They had picked up their new puppy, thirteen week old Maltese, Oakley, the day before I came. He now lives with a couple and their two young sons aged eleven and eight. About Read more
For first-time dog owners they had started off brilliantly, so it was unfortunate they temporarily got themselves ‘tarnished’ by this dog trainer’s archaic methods. With the right approach and the family’s level of commitment I reckon they will be quickly back on track, so long as each family member ‘drinks out of the same water bowl’ so to speak.
How do you raise two sibling puppies together without them becoming overly dependent on one another? I had a real treat yesterday. I went to fourteen-week-old Petite Brabancon Griffon siblings, Jack and Coco.They were absolutely adorable. Apparently there are only about seventy-five of the breed in the country. There were Read more