It’s hard to believe delightful Dogue de Bordeaux puppy Boris is only fourteen weeks old because he’s so big!
The household has a range of ages including two little children, therefore it’s vital Boris grows to be a stable and gentle family dog. I do so love helping people to get things right early on.
Off to a great start
Already the lady has been socialising him. His toilet training is going great. Circumstances mean they have to take him out down the road on lead to toilet, so already he is learning to walk nicely and not to get too excited about going out.
They have to deal with the usual puppy things like nipping and grabbing kids’ clothes when they run about and I advised that for now their Dogue de Bordeaux puppy and little children should be separated as soon as there is any excitement.
From correction to positive reinforcement
The most important area needing work is changing away from scolding and harsh ‘uh-uh’ and ‘no’. Apart from teaching Boris very little, it can cause him frustration. they will show Boris what he should do instead, using food rewards and praise – positive things – along with distraction.
If he picks up something he shouldn’t have, chasing him, shouting at him or forcing it off him encourages defiance. Teaching him to exchange it for something better means he’ll grow into a willing and cooperative dog.
Pre-empting (catching him when he’s just about to do something they don’t want him to do and calling him away or diverting him) is the very best tactic.
Every member of the family on board
It’s important that every member of the family is on board. Mixed messages could cause a problem. A puppy is most likely to grow into a gentle, trustworthy and kind adult dog if the people around him treat him in a gentle and kind fashion.
Little children must be taught to respect a dog and learn the kind of touching that dogs do like and don’t like.
Just as it is important for a puppy to avoid contact with dogs whose behaviour could later make him fearful of dogs, it’s important for a puppy to be protected from people whose behaviour could later make him fearful or aggressive with people. We need to pick our puppy’s friends just as we would our child’s!
Getting the basics right
Boris is a clever boy. He catches on really fast. HIs lady owner is really switched on and she has done really well already. This first couple of weeks with me is about getting the basics right. I am sure that when I visit next time everyone will have worked hard at finding ways to reinforce good behaviour and to drop any scolding, and we will move forward to other interesting and fun things.
