This is how Sprinkles walks on a least more than 50% of the time. This is the expectation and her skills will improve as she matures. She knows what she’s supposed to do, but rest assured, when another dog or human goes by SHE WANTS TO PLAY AND SHOW THEM HOW MUCH SHE LOVES THEM WITH HER WHOLE ENTIRE BODY!!! And then she walks reasonably again. 🤣
Two of the most common questions I get when someone is getting to know my puppy training style are: Do you use shock collars? Will my puppy love me if you train it first?
Do I use shock collars? Nope. And I will never use one on a puppy.
Shock collars are a tool, and like all tools, they have a time and a place. This simply isn’t it.
Will your puppy love you if I train it first? Yes. Absolutely. 100%.
It’s important that pets are loved and develop a healthy capacity for affection and trust. This is why I treat every puppy as though it were my own. (And why I let my kiddo play and snuggle and be adorable/disgusting with the puppies.) For their own emotional development, it is important that the pups feel like family while they are here. Practically speaking, if the pups don’t have a solid and trusting relationship with me and my family, then our training potential together will be limited. This puppy love is 100% transferable to you and the bond you form with your pup will facilitate your ability to continue your pup’s training journey.
Lucy the (12 week-ish old) Sheepadoodle pup has achieved single-handed leashing status! This feat requires a pup to come when called, automatically sit calmly, stay somewhat relaxed while the human fumbles with the collar/leash.
I like to shape as much automatic well-mannered behavior as I can before introducing commands. Here’s why:
An obedient dog sits on command. We all know a dog who knows a lot of commands, but is still like a lit firecracker to be around.
A well-mannered dog sits automatically. A well-mannered dog can easily become an obedient dog. But, when life gets too busy for extra obedience training, the dog remains a well-mannered delight.
Throwback Thursday to Daisy the Fierce, bravely hunting her… tail. 😂
It is impossible not to fall in love with Daisy.
Old Kiwi turned 14 recently. She’s probably only got a few months left. 💜🐾
A few years back we found a tiny kitten in the road that didn’t even have her eyes open yet. How she go to the middle of the road is a mystery. Mammals need mammals. So, as part of raising Pancake the tiny kitten, we recruited Kiwi to act as her mother. Kiwi let Pancake knead on her, try to nurse, and they snuggled up and napped together. It was the sweetest. Now Pancake is a healthy and spoiled cat living her best life with her forever family.
Please enjoy a glimpse into the sweetness.
Here’s a boring video illustrating how chill and cuddly Daisy is. Also, demonstrating the different ways to hold and carry your pup regularly (starting day 1) to keep them laid back. You can see that while Daisy didn’t love me shifting her position, she let me do it and relaxed once I got her stable (she got heavy!). In North Carolina, we’ve got to be able to hold our pups and position them in all sorts of ways so that we can check them for ticks.
Also, note that I didn’t tell her to sit. I don’t worry about teaching the command “sit” until the very end of a pup’s stay with me. I expect a pup’s default behavior to be an automatic sit. Want something? Sit calmly. Waiting for instruction? Sit calmly. Not sure what to do? Sit calmly.
“May your days include moments as wonderful as a good belly scratch” -Traditional Labradoodle Blessing
Sometimes a little indoor chaotic puppy play is just fine. Sometimes it’s just not. “That’s Enough” means that’s enough.
Rhonda leaves me and starts her life with her family today! Always a bittersweet day around Puppy Training Camp. Check out Rhonda’s commands! Not bad for an almost 12 week old pup! Rhonda is well on her way to becoming a Very Good Dog.
Sometimes they both squeeze in there like a clown car. 🤣
That’s a cheesy egg breakfast burrito and a bit of lunch meat for added challenge. I kept the plate on the ground another 5 minutes or so while I finished cooking. These pups are on their way to becoming Very Good Dogs.
What puppy training actually is.
What people think puppy training will be.
Rhonda loose leash walking with an automatic sit.
Well-mannered = cute
When you’re exactly as fierce as you look…
Daisy the labradoodle is 50% lab + 50% poodle + 50% hippopotamus.
Working on “leave it”, one of my favorite boundary-setting commands. That silver plate holds a banana with peanut butter (part of my kiddo’s breakfast) and the pups may not have it. I have a rigid No Human Food rule for dogs in my house which prevents begging, counter surfing, and food stealing.
Feeding puppies in different places and messing with them and their food while they eat is one of the things I do to help pups stay laid back.
Here’s a boring video of an ideal evening in my living room. 3 calm dogs relaxing and dozing. Not pictured: the walks, playing, and training necessary to work with and meet their energy needs. (Except for Kiwi. At 14, she has no energy needs 😂).
Three equally playful pups all having an equally good time playing! 😂