Happy Paws

Here's some training tips to keep you warmed up for the season!


(Tucker Fedoryshyn pictured above in his Christmas best!) 

Q. How important is it to socialize your puppy?
A. Properly socializing your puppy during his formative months is crucial to healthy emotional growth. Most dogs that are anxious or aggressive in most cases weren’t well socialized as puppies. Exposure and experience will build up your dog’s confidence and allow him remain calm and relaxed in our more complex, human world.
Begin socializing your puppy once he has completed the parvovirus and distemper shot series as this will protect him from fatal illness. Remember, proper socialization goes far beyond meeting other dogs and will require exposing Fido to varying sounds, objects, places, and people. This will give him the opportunity to develop confidence and build a history of relaxed responses to new things.

Q. How do I get my dog to come when I call him?
A. Many owners struggle to retrieve their dog at a park or in their neighborhood.
Teaching your dog to come when called can be a life saving skill and one that should be practiced often.
The reason your dog doesn’t want to come when you call is because he’s figured out it’s way more fun and rewarding for him to avoid you. So make it fun to come to you! Practice hiding in different spots of your house and calling your dog. Use an excited tone and tell Fido to “Hurry! Hurry!” when finds you reward him by giving him lots of praise, a good rub down. You can also vary the rewards by interchanging treats, toys, and affection to keep him interested in the game.

Q: How can I get my puppy to stop nipping? It hurts!
A: Every new puppy owner will fall victim to those little needle teeth since puppies put their mouths on everything and anything they can effectively stuff inside.
At first, most owners will allow Fido to "play bite" and nibble on them for the first couple of weeks, usually because it isn't painful.
But as the puppy matures and his jaw begins to strengthen, what once was a harmless behavior, can then become very dangerous.
The first important thing to mention is that your puppy isn't trying to be aggressive or harm you intentionally. Quite the opposite in fact, he's doing this because it gets him attention, your attention.
In order to change the behavior you will need to teach your puppy what's referred to as "bite inhibition".
Puppies who play rough or bite too hard do so because they haven't gotten any feedback from anyone that this hurts. An owner intervening might be something like telling Fido "No bite!" and maybe pop him on the nose. The reason that will not work is because the puppy doesn't understand what you're saying and usually it leads to more nipping because puppies end up thinking this is a game.
Here's a simple fix: The next time you're playing with your puppy and he begins to put his mouth on your hand in any way immediately make a quick high-pitched squeal; just like a puppy, avert your eyes, fold your arms, stand up and ignore your puppy for 10 seconds.
After you squeal your puppy's immediate, natural, response will be to stop what he's doing and evaluate what just happened.
Begin playing with your puppy again and repeat the process several times. Through this exercise your puppy will learn two very important things: 1.) "I bit too hard" 2.) "When I bite mom ignores me and play time is over." which is the complete opposite of what your dog wants. With practice and consistency your puppy will abandon the behavior quickly.

Q: Is it safe to play tug with my dog?
A: In a word, absolutely. Playing tug-of-war with Fido will not cause him to be aggressive however, it can intensify aggression that is already there. For this reason it's important to have safe boundaries and rules for tugging and playtime as it is crucial in emotional development and bonding and overall well being. Dogs thrive off of the excitement and they need an outlet for all of that energy unless of course you don't mind them taking it out on your shoes when you're at work.
A couple of rules though; first, never let Fido end the game. When a dog gets tired and walks away he's decided he's done playing with YOU not the other way around and therefore making a decision that a higher ranking pack mate would have made. Instead, when you see he's getting tired, promptly end the game and put the toy you were tugging with away will send a very clear message as to who is in charge. Second, ask your dog to do a known cue often such as "sit" to earn more tug time. Make frequent "stops" during the game which helps teach them self control as well as to relax and not get over stimulated.
With these rules, you will have years of happy tug games ahead of you!

Teach a true "stay" to your dog and use it during the holidays!
Start with your dog on a 6 foot leash and ask him to "sit" in front of you.
Then raise your hand up in front of you as if to say "stop" and tell Fido to "Stay". Stand still, don't move and count to three seconds in your head. Then immediately say "Good Boy, OKAY!" and coax him out of position. As soon as he moves out of a sit to a standing position or by walking over to you give him lots of praise!
Remember, timing is everything, you need to say "okay" before Fido stands up on his own, so if you feel he may get up before you want him to say "okay" before he does.
By doing this two connections are made, one, that staying still was rewarding, and two, that he needs to hear the cue "Okay" before getting up. At first, your dog won't know that he needs to hear the word "okay" before he's released but with repetition he will wait to move until he hears his new release word.
As you practice the stay cue, gradually add distance and time by taking one step back from your dog at a time.
Don't rush the process, if your dog begins getting up faster than you want him to you probably need to shave off a few seconds from his time until you find an amount of time he is successful with. Add time in five second intervals as your dog progresses successfully.
Work this into your holiday schedule and you'll be able to tell Fido to "stay" while you go to answer the door. Your guests will be thrilled they don't have a dog jumping on them as they walk in.

-Mallery Bosworth, Master Trainer, ABCDT.
Owner of Happy Paws Dog Training Services LLC
American Pit Bull Terrier Advocate
AKC Canine Good Citizen Evaluator
Professional Member of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT)

770-876-7678 Serving the Dallas Metroplex 

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