Retractable leashes aren't necessarily my favorite training tool. However, they can be helpful when they are used and trained appropriately.
Before using a retractable leash, make sure your pup has these three key skills down:
1️⃣ A solid heel/recall: Your dog should reliably come when called and walk calmly by your side.
2️⃣ A solid release cue: The purpose of a retractable leash is to allow your dog more freedom while out on walks. However,they need to know the difference between when it’s okay to go explore and when it’s time to focus.
3️⃣ Proper socialization: They should be well-mannered around other dogs, people, and distractions.
If your dog doesn't have these prerequisites yet and you would like to use a retractable, stick with a harness on walks to prevent injury and keep training!
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Good girl Gertrude learns how to shred🛹
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This time of year can be a bit spooky for your pups. 👻 Get them Halloween ready by helping them build their confidence!!
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THE FOLLOW GAME! A quick training tip to help your pup learn leash manners! #nhdogtrainer #nhdogtraining #dogtraining #trainingtips
Now, let's get into how to properly socialize your puppy-
Puppy socialization is the process of exposing your puppy to a variety of experiences, people, environments, and other animals in a positive and controlled manner. This helps your puppy grow up to be a well-adjusted and confident adult dog. Here are some key aspects of proper puppy socialization:
1. Start Early: Begin socializing your puppy as early as possible, ideally between 3 and 14 weeks of age. This is a critical period for social development. However, limit physical interactions until theyre UTD on vaccinations (16-20 weeks).
2. Exposure to Different People: Allow your puppy to observe people of all ages, genders, and appearances. WITHOUT INTERACTION until vaccinated & pairing with high value items. This includes people wearing hats, sunglasses, and uniforms.
3. Exposure to Other Animals: Allow your puppy to interact with other dogs and animals in a controlled setting. Ensure that the other animals are healthy and vaccinated.
4. Variety of Environments:Expose your puppy to different environments, such as parks, streets, and homes, with various surfaces like grass, sand, and pavement.
5. Different Sounds and Noises: Acclimate your puppy to a range of sounds, including household noises (vacuum, dishwasher), traffic, and other common sounds.
6. Handling and Grooming: Get your puppy used to being handled, groomed, and examined by touching their paws, ears, and mouth gently and positively.
7. Positive Experiences: Ensure that all interactions are positive. Use treats, praise, and play to create a positive association with new experiences.
8. Patience and Gradual Exposure: Go at your puppy's pace and avoid overwhelming them. Gradually increase the level of exposure as they become more comfortable.
9. Puppy Classes: Consider enrolling in a puppy socialization class where your puppy can learn and interact in a controlled environment.
Proper socialization helps prevent behavior problems and ensure
Puppy Socialization is a very important and commonly misunderstood aspect of dog training.
Lets start with common misconceptions and mistakes people make when trying to socialize their puppy-
Improper puppy socialization can lead to fear, anxiety, and behavioral problems as the dog grows. Here are some common mistakes associated with improper socialization:
1. **Starting Too Late**: Waiting until after the critical socialization period (3 to 14 weeks) can make it more difficult for puppies to adapt to new experiences.
2. **Overwhelming the Puppy**: Introducing too many new experiences, people, or animals at once can overwhelm and frighten the puppy, leading to negative associations.
3. **Negative Experiences**: Allowing the puppy to have frightening or stressful experiences without proper management can result in long-term fear and anxiety.
4. **Lack of Variety**: Exposing the puppy only to a limited range of people, places, or situations can lead to fear of unfamiliar experiences later on.
5. **Forcing Interactions**: Forcing a puppy to interact with people, animals, or situations they are uncomfortable with can create fear and stress.
6. **Ignoring Signs of Stress**: Not paying attention to signs of stress or fear in a puppy, such as cowering, growling, or trying to hide, can worsen anxiety.
7. **Punishment During Socialization**: Using punishment when a puppy is fearful or anxious can reinforce negative feelings and hinder socialization progress.
8. **Not Ensuring Positive Outcomes**: Failing to create positive associations with new experiences through treats, praise, or play can lead to a lack of confidence.
9. **Lack of Continued Socialization**: Socialization should continue beyond the puppy stage to reinforce positive behaviors and adaptability.
Improper socialization can lead to long-term behavioral issues, so it’s important to approach socialization with patience and positivity, ensuring that all experiences are as positive and stress-free a
I know this sounds mean, but I promise there is a method to the madness! Here are a few reasons I don't allow on leash interactions with strangers dogs, while out in public.
- First and foremost, I prioritize my dogs' safety and well-being in public. People and dogs are unpredictable, and in my opinion, the risk is higher than the reward.
-Leashes tangle!! When dogs greet each other, they sniff each other's rear ends and typically spin while doing so. If a fight is to break out, this makes it much more challenging to get the dogs apart!
- I don't want my dogs to develop any emotional reactions to seeing dogs, which can happen if you do constantly allow your dogs to greet every dog they see.
- Concern about unknown dogs' health and training. I don't know other dogs health status (whether they're vaccinated or not) or their training experience. I don't want my dogs to pick up on any unfavorable behaviors or have any unpleasant interactions with other dogs.
- Focus on my dogs’ obedience and attention to me. I want to be the most valuable thing to my dogs when I'm out in public. Not other dogs, people, animals, smells, etc. just me!
- My dogs have plenty of socialization with trusted, vaccinated dog friends. This can insure that we maintain safe and positive interactions in appropriate environments, at appropriate times.
I hope you find this helpful! Happy Training!
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Here's how a car ride can mentally engage your dog:
* New sights and smells:
The changing scenery, different smells, and unfamiliar environments keep a dog's senses actively processing information.
* Cognitive engagement:
Continuously taking in new stimuli helps keep a dog's mind sharp and agile, reducing the risk of cognitive decline as they age.
* Exploration instinct:
Dogs are naturally curious, and a car ride offers a chance to explore new surroundings, even if they're just observing from the window.
* Sensory input:
The combination of sights, sounds, and smells provides a constant stream of sensory input, keeping a dog's brain engaged.
To enhance the mental stimulation during a car ride:
* Interactive toys:
Providing puzzle toys or interactive games can keep your dog's mind actively working while in the car.
* Scent work:
Hiding treats or toys with a scent trail can encourage your dog to use their sense of smell to find them.
* Variety in routes:
Taking different routes can offer fresh experiences and keep the stimulation high.
* Regular stops:
Breaking up long rides with walks or short play sessions can provide additional physical and mental stimulation.
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Physical activity is NOT always the answer when training an energetic dog!! Help your dog learn how to settle down and relax by teaching them when, where & how to do so!!
🐾PRO TIP: A Place command and/or a crate is really helpful when teaching calm behavior!
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Quick & Easy Training Tip: Impulse Control
Impulse control, or lack thereof, is the root of a tonnn of common problem behaviors. Here's a quick tip to help! #nhdogtraining #nhdogtrainer #nhdogtrainers #dogmom #impulsecontrol #dogtrainingtips
Mental Stimulation WITHOUT Food!
As requested, here are a few of my favorite ways to offer your K9 mental stimulation without food! ----- Have training questions? Shoot me a DM or comment below & I will be sure to answer your questions in one of my next videos! #nhdogtrainer #NHdogtraining #nhdogtrainers #mentalstimulationfordogs
The "Place" command is my favorite behavior to train, and it's a behavior I recommend to all my clients.
There are SO many benefits to training this one behavior because it can inadvertently help your dog work through multiple different behaviors! Counter surfing, jumping, begging, bolting, socialization, reactivity, impulse control, and polite introductions just to name a few.
In this video Remi & Zoe are on their "place" (just a towel I keep in my car) while we're out at a Brewery with the family!
The purpose of the "place" command is to give your dog a boundary and a job to do, which is to stay on that boundary and relax, until they're given permission to get off of the "place".
This behavior is trained first in home, where your dog is most confident, comfortable and has the least amount of distractions. Once they have a solid understanding of the "place" command at home, you can slowly begin practicing it out in public and work your way into more distracting environments with progress. Training with gradual exposure helps them solidify the behavior and have a clear understand of the expectation when they go out in public.
I hope you find this information helpful!
if you live in the southern New Hampshire area and you're interested in positive reinforcement dog training check out www.granitestatek9training.com for more information on my training programs.
Happy Training!
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