Adding a puppy when you have an adult dog can be a little stressful. It's important to ease them into their new relationship with supervision and guidance.
Check out Dixie, the adult, engaging in some play with Gryffin, the puppy.
Jeanne, the dog parent, is nearby supervising to ensure both are having a good experience.
What we don't recommend is just letting dogs "work it out". They don't always have the skills to make good choices.
If you need help integrating a puppy, please let us know.
www.caninecountryacademy.com/contact-us-athens
Coming when called is a skill all dogs need to keep them safe. What if you drop your leash? a door gets left open? Will your dog come back upon request?
We recommend starting playing recall games on leash, in your home, and in an enclosed yard. This way your dog has a lots of repetition under their belt in being successful before ever needing them to really come in an unsafe scenario. Coming when called is a behavior we like to reward 99.9% of the time to ensure they know the value of the skill.
If you need help in this area of your training, please reach out for a lesson with Rachel Stroud-Anderson.
www.caninecountryacademy.com/contact-us-athens
Take two 4 month old puppies to a coffee shop who are also siblings? Sounds like a disaster, right?
Nope.
Kiki (Sara Beth, our agility instructor's puppy) and Swagger (Shari a student and Canine PT's puppy) did great on their field trip to Boulder Creek Coffee in Lawrenceville. Their porch is dog friendly. They have tasty coffee and eats.
The most challenging part was when food and drinks arrived at the table. They hopped up to see what we got and if they could have some. 🤣
On field trips, dogs get to do fun things while practicing known skills. It's the trainer's choice as to what activity they will experience. They are "teacher's pet" for a bit. ❤️
www.caninecountryacademy.com/field-trips
One trick all three of Paula's terriers know is to "spin" in a circle. You too can teach your dog this trick, too.
Wanna learn a dog trick? The "around" trick is a personal favorite. It's one you can use for agility or when your dog loops their leash around a tree.
You'll need an object, your dog, treats, and a clicker or marker word.
We have multiple trick classes starting next month (Lawrenceville and Rutledge). Check out the schedule here: https://caninecountryacademy.dogbizpro.com/Public/Registration/Index.aspx
Check out Frankie practicing "place" in the kitchen. It's a very easy skill to teach dogs to stay out of your way while preparing a meal.
Does your dog need this training?
Taking your dog to patios for coffee or a meal can be a very fun opportunity. That being said, your dog may need to build skills to be a low stress outing.
Bowie, the Boxer, enjoyed going with his teacher to lunch during his day training session. Rachel Anderson-Stroud is aways looking for fun learning opportunities for the dogs and their people.
If you'd like to prepare your dog for patio outings, please let us help make it a great success!
www.caninecountryacademy.com/contact-us-athens
Life gets busy. We like to implement easy outlets for dogs to use their natural abilities to decompress and enjoy their life.
A super easy enrichment option is scatter feeding one of their meals in your yard. Literally throw their kibble out like you are feeding chickens, lol
If you have multiple dogs and have concerns about resource guarding or fights, we recommend only having one dog at a time do this. There is no need to turn enrichment into a stressful situation.
Will you be trying this?
Is your puppy needing an outlet for their extra energy on these rainy days? This is a great opportunity to use their tail teaser toy. You can use this to have them run around, play tug, and practice known skills for a very fun reward.
Check out Barli demonstrating how fun it can be.
Dogs speak through their body language. One way they get to know another dog is through scent.
These puppies are giving each other the "doggie handshake" by doing sweeping circles smelling each other's booties. They are both agreeable to this interaction, too.
Some people might be grossed out by dogs smelling each other in this way, but it's a good thing. When dogs can happily greet off-leash in a safe environment it's a great scenario for a dog who is comfortable around other dogs.
It's important for those sharing their lives with dogs to understand dog communication with other dogs. We can easily misinterpret or put human ideas into these situations causing the dog to not feel heard.
What is something you observe about your dog's communication around other dogs?
On a decompression walk it's tempting to ask your dog for things like recall. Do your best to let your dog just dog.
This may be hard for your dog to move away from you and not seek information on what to do. You may want to create context clues and even a verbal cue like "go dog" to get into this mindset faster.
Norby had 50-feet to go do things, but initially stuck close and checked in constantly. As the walk progressed and I kept quiet the more exploring he did.
I like to reward a couple of times when he checks in and asks for a snack. But other times smile and say something kind so he loves on.
This walk is for your dog. That being said, being quiet in nature together is great for you both.
