Dog is God spelled backwards. I always get a little burst of joy when I am reminded of that connection. Anyone who has experienced the unconditional love of a dog knows what I mean. That said, puppy or young dog is demon spelled backwards. OK, it isn’t, but it should be. Shelters are full of wonderful young dogs whose owners started out with the best of intentions.
If you are thinking about bringing home a puppy, or if you are at your wit’s end and are contemplating surrendering a young dog, maybe something in this blog post will help you and your dog. I hope so.
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a Match
I was walking my dog near a dog park once, and I saw a man with two spaniels who were frantically running miles and miles worth of laps. I stopped to watch and asked him if they had been cooped up lately because of bad weather that we had been having. He smiled and said, “Nope, they do this every single day.”
Dogs have been bred for different jobs and it shows. They have different energy and train-ability levels. You might think that a smart and highly trainable dog like a border collie would make a great pet, and they will, if you can meet their needs. If not, you might need a new couch or two. So do your research and be brutally honest with yourself about how much dog exercising and enrichment activities you are willing to do. This recommendation applies for rescue dogs too. Talk with the rescue organization to get a better idea on what an adoptable puppy’s breed might be as well as what their expected fully grown size and energy needs will be.
Regardless of the breed of dog, remember that taking walks or playing games of fetch are an important part of your dog’s daily routine. A tired dog is a good dog.
They’ll Grow Out of It
Puppies and young dogs are destructive. There is no way around it. No matter how vigilant you are and how hard you try to puppy proof your house, there will be damage. I once made the mistake of thinking that it was safe to take a nice relaxing shower, and came out to find my living room looking like it was filled with snow. My very well behaved young dog, with whom I really hadn’t had any destruction issues, completely demolished a fluffy dog bed and decorated the living room with the stuffing so that it looked like a Christmas scene.
So, accepting that something that you love will get destroyed is an important part of dog ownership. Minimizing the destruction will make owning a puppy or young dog much easier. Here’s where crate training and the use of an exercise pen can be big helpers. I say helpers because I worry about dogs spending too much time in crates. Keeping a puppy or dog in a crate for long stretches of time isn’t good for their mental or physical well being. I like to think of a crate as a useful tool to keep your puppy and your house safe that you will graduate from using as they become more reliable.
Typically, I use the crate, with a comfy washable bed in it, for sleeping at night and an ex-pen, with the crate inside and the door open for when we leave the house or at times when I am too busy to watch the puppy well. When choosing a crate, there are kennel style crates and wire crates. If you go with the wire type, I highly recommend buying a cover so that it has more of a cozy, den-like feel to it.
On the first night that you bring a puppy home, there will be crying. It’s heartbreaking to hear, but normal. I’ve always had small dogs, so to help ease the transition, we’ve put the puppy inside the crate in the bed with us. For a large puppy, I would sleep on the ground next to the crate for the first night and then keep the crate next to the bed for the next month or so. Many puppies can’t hold it through the night, so it helps to have them close so that you can hear them tell you when they need to go outside to potty.
One fail safe method for turning the crate or ex-pen into a doggie Eden, is to make sure that each trip inside is accompanied by a high value reward. Make the reward so special that it’s only given for those times. A treat dispensing toy or food filled Kong can work magic. You’ll know that you’ve done well when the puppy learns that hearing your keys means good things are about to happen and chooses to go running into their ex-pen.
Wanted: Reward Offered
When you reward your puppy for hard tasks, like separating from you and going willingly into their ex-pen, you want a high value reward. Even better is a giving them a high value treat in a toy where they have to work to get the reward. An idle mind is the devil’s playground, especially for puppies and young dogs.
As a dog owner, it took me awhile to realize that dogs absolutely can tell the difference between a regular treat and doggie caviar. Doing something challenging requires more than a regular dog treat, unless of course, your dog is a chow hound. Our dogs have always been a bit more choosy.
So, spend some time figuring out if your dog’s favorite treat is dried chicken liver treats or peanut butter smeared in a Kong or bits of chicken that you’ve cooked yourself. Trust me. It can make a big difference.
Chew on This One
Find a safe and highly desirable chew toy. Puppies and dogs have a strong need to chew. If you don’t provide a safe and yummy alternative, they will use your table leg or Nike Air Jordans. When you first start offering different types of chew toys to your dog, pay attention to the toy’s chew strength rating. I have had small dogs who were extremely strong chewers. Until you figure out where your dog is on the chewing spectrum and identify a safe toy or bone type, be extremely vigilant and supervise their chew time. Meeting your dogs need to chew will go a long way towards keeping you both happy.
“Schedule Your Priorities”, Stephen R. Covey
House training is a process, and structure is your best friend. Try to get your puppy on a schedule while at the same time accepting that there will still be accidents until they get older and develop better control. My post about my beloved Daisy describes how just when I thought that it was hopeless, she developed the ability to hold her bladder at around nine months old.
First thing in the morning, take your puppy outside and walk them until they’ve had a chance to pee and poop. Next feed them breakfast. Try to find a high quality dog food that your dog loves to eat. It will be much easier to get your dog on a potty schedule if they eat at fixed times of day rather than grazing all day long. Depending on the size of your puppy—in general, bigger dogs can hold it longer—eating will likely trigger the need to go again sooner rather than later.
Try to get a feel for how long your puppy can hold it before needing to go outside and plan accordingly. Often they will need to go right after waking from a long nap. When they are successful and go outside, reward them with praise and a treat or a nice long scratch on their favorite itchy spot.
After they eat dinner, take an evening walk to give them an opportunity to go to the bathroom. Remember, the younger they are, the more often that they will need to go outside to potty.
Finally, make sure that you give your dog a potty break right before bedtime so that you can have the longest stretch of sleep possible.
Keeping a fairly set schedule helps develop a potty routine and gives you a better idea of how long your puppy can hold it between potty breaks.
All the Bells and Whistles
As your dog matures and becomes reliably house trained, it helps for them to have a way to tell you that they need to go outside. Training them to ring bells hanging from the door knob works really well. There are great videos online explaining bell training. The only downside is that smart dogs who love to play outside can become champion bell ringers who demand to go out constantly.
To deal with nuisance ringing, it’s important to keep track of their potty schedule so that you know which rings you can safely ignore. When your dog rings incessantly wanting only to go play outside, leashing them and keeping the leash tethered to you until they settle down can help solve this problem.
Flirtin’ With Disaster
Don’t feed your puppy people food. Very often any change in diet can trigger diarrhea in dogs. Even when gradually changing dog foods like veterinarians recommend, my dogs have still gotten loose stools. Unless you are absolutely certain that your dog has an iron stomach, save yourself from one of the four horsemen of the home cleaning apocalypse.
Talk is Cheap
Given that we speak English, and dogs speak bark, it’s no wonder that there is a communication gap. Lucky for us there is a Google Translate for dogs. A quick search of YouTube will show you a host of videos explaining canine clicker training. When the dog sits and the trainer clicks and follows up with a treat, dogs quickly learn that a single click means “Yay! You sat when I said sit! You are a BRILLIANT dog!”
The only problem with clicker training is the clicker. You have to have one on hand at all times. Given that I can’t keep track of my glasses, I have no chance of remembering a clicker. So, to substitute, I use the word “Yes!” said in an enthusiastically delighted tone. When deployed like a click, it works perfectly.
Once your dog understands the meaning of the word “Yes!” you will have an incredible tool to help you communicate with your dog. It’s a great positive training tool that’s worth taking the time to learn.
Keep On Truckin’
Don’t give up. Don’t give up especially after seeing videos showing dog trainers with dogs who seem to learn like magic. Keep in mind experienced trainers probably shoot several takes and work with well exercised, hungry dogs who are extra eager to work for treats.
When we work with our dogs at home, it can be more of a hot mess of UPS delivery trucks driving by, landscapers’ mowing, and neighbor’s dogs barking. For most of us, successful dog training requires playing the long game. Think of it like the Olympics. We see the gold medal moment, but very often the athletes have trained for their whole lives.
So train the long game. Teach the behaviors like sit, down, stay, and come and practice them every single day. It doesn’t take a long time. With my daughter’s dog, we divide up her dinner into three portions and use it as a reward for practicing combinations like sit and stay or down and come. It only adds a few minutes at mealtime, but the daily practice has made her a champ at all of these commands. The best part is that she thinks that it’s a fantastic game.
If all else fails, remember that owning a puppy or young dog is about making progress in their training, not having the perfect dog. So don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Clean up the mess, cuddle with your new friend, and try again tomorrow. You’ll get there.
DaisyGardenCrochet 