16/02/2024
NEW PUPPIES!!!
First of all you must realise you now have a young dog, and must be treated as a dog and not a surrogate human. That might sound obvious but you would be surprised at how many people don't grasp this concept, and this is to the detriment of the welfare of your dog.
Your pup should be 8 weeks old when he arrives at your home, which only leaves you 5 weeks left of his socialisation window. These 5 weeks will be critical in his development. A phrase I use a great deal is;'You can train a dog at any age but you can't socialise it any age.'
Most vets should provide you with a socialisation sheet. It is imperative your pup is exposed to as many different people, friendly dogs, and scenarios as possible. These experiences don't necessarily have to be exciting or positive. They can be neutral, but certainly try to avoid negative experiences where possible.
Personally I would take my pup everywhere with me eg to the town centres, railway stations, school gates, pub. The list goes on. Some owners worry about the pup contracting parvo etc, and yes there is a very small chance that could happen, but many more dogs are put down due to issues emanating from lack of socialisation than ever there are through parvo etc.
Dogs that have not been properly socialised will often lack confidence and become fearful of strangers and unfamiliar dogs. This will last the life time of the dog. Fearful dogs are more likely to become involved fights, and to bite people.
Of course you cannot replicate every scenario your dog will encounter, but what he will learn is that just because something is new or novel, doesn't mean it is harmful or scary.
Teaching your dog boundaries is essential. Don't forget he has only been on the planet for 8 weeks and knows virtually nothing. All his hard wired behaviours are canine. You need to be his guide and teacher. Reward all the good and desirable behaviours, and correct the bad. Both the reward and the correction needs to be immediate.
Getting angry with your pup is counter productive, so keep a cool head.
Teach your dog to be alone. If you do not do this then it is highly likely he will develop separation anxiety which is the devil's own job to put right. I would use a crate and ensure that he is left alone for very short periods initially, incrementally increasing the time he is left.
House training is something that should be relatively easy to teach. A big mistake owners tend to make is to use puppy pads or newspaper. This teaches the pup two things. Firstly that it is acceptable to toilet indoors, and secondly to go on the pads.
You need to teach the dog to toilet outside and to go on grass instead of pads.
Your pup is most likely to want to go in the following circumstances; After he has had something to eat, something to drink, having just woken up and after a period of excited play.
After each of these I would, where possible, put him on a lead and walk him the route to the back door and ultimately to where you wish him to illiminate .
Now, the big mistake owners make is to start telling the pup what a good boy he is the second he starts to go. This usually results in the dog stopping.! Wait until he has finished, and then praise and/or give him a tasty reward.
Hopefully you will have had the benefit of a well run puppy party where the young dogs learn bite inhibition. It is absolutely fine for them to use their teeth on each other, so long as they are gentle.
My view, when it comes to using their teeth on us however, is different. Them using their teeth on our clothing is a no no. Using their teeth on skin should be a real taboo.
I haven't got the time to go into huge detail as it is such a huge topic.
One thing I would add is, if you have children please do not allow them to hug the dog. The vast majority do not like it. Most will tolerate but some don't and will bite.
Also it is a good rule of thumb not to allow dogs to meet if one or both are on a lead. This often results in conflict.
I know this article will be of use to at least one oversees member who cannot get to my puppy parties.
I am planning a booklet on the subject, so let's see how that pans out.
Get the puppy stage right and you will be set fair for life.!!
