Tips on How to Raise a Puppy

Puppies bring joy to a home. They make us smile, they make us laugh. But if you’re not prepared for the work involved to raise one, they can also make you cry.  Every year, thousands of people plunge into puppy ownership without a realistic idea of the work involved to raise one.  Puppy ownership can give us plenty to chat about around the water cooler: “You’ll never guess what Sparky decided to eat this morning!” And sometimes expressions of regret: “What was I thinking when I brought home this little bundle of energy!?”  

As a professional dog trainer for over two decades, I’ve seen some really good puppy parenting, and some, well, not as good.  In spite of an unlimited number of puppy-how-to books and Internet tips, things don’t always go smoothly.  Add to that the barrage of advice from well-meaning friends and relatives, and the result could be confusion and frustration for you and your new best friend.

Raising a puppy is a lot of work, much more than can be condensed into a few “Easy Tips.” But after helping thousands of puppies and their owners over the years, I believe there are some things that rank at the top of the list if you want to dramatically raise the odds of a stress-free puppy experience:

·       Focus on what you want the puppy to do, not just what you want the puppy to stop doing.  A puppy explores the world through the eyes of a predator (chase, hunt, chew, forage). Teach the puppy how to use that energy and drive in a human world. Teach your puppy what to do, and you won’t have to spend as much time teaching him not what not to do.  Supervision – and holding a 6 foot leash attached to the puppy not just outside but inside the home - is a simple but overlooked tool.
 

·       Use a crate. When puppy can’t be on a leash, he should be safely confined in a kennel crate.  I know that many people are turned off to the idea of crating a puppy. They think it’s mean to lock that cute little ball of fur in a cage.  But a crate is the best gift one can give their puppy. It’s a place of peace and safety, working in harmony with the natural denning instincts of a dog. Plus, puppies need a lot of sleep and crates gives them the opportunity to get it.  Also, with the proper use of a crate, housebreaking will be much easier.

·       Use the puppy’s name to gain her attention - for example, before giving an obedience command - but never to scold.  If you use the puppy’s name to scold (e.g. “Molly NO! Molly OUT! Molly OFF!”) you’re teaching her that her name signals a conflict with the owner. 

 

·       Socialization. At Canine Dimensions we call this the “Rule of 120.” Your puppy should meet 100 friendly people and 20 friendly dogs before 6 months of age. Most aggressive behavior that trainers encounter among adult dogs is the result of failing to create a positive imprint on the young mind at an early age. It is much easier to prevent aggression than to treat it. The most important thing to teach your puppy at a young age is that other dogs and people are fun to be with and are no threat.

·       Take your time! Training should begin the moment you bring your puppy home, but it doesn’t have to be completed in a hurry. There are several developmental stages that puppies go through.  For example, from age 8 to 11 weeks anything that frightens the puppy will have a more lasting effect than if it occurred at any other time. This is known as the “Fear Imprint Period.”  From about 4 to 8 months of age a puppy will test its wings. He may challenge you in an attempt to decide who’s in charge. Also, he will be uncomfortable because his adult teeth are growing in. Make sure he always has lots of acceptable “doggy” things to chew on, or he will find your new iPhone to chew on.

·       Finally, a few words about walking on a leash at a young age. The pup should learn to enjoy the walk. Watch for any fear or shyness on leash and help your puppy work through this without coddling him. Just keep your head up, lead the walk and act natural. Stopping to talk to him at a moment of hesitation will send the wrong signal. Instead of pulling or popping the leash of a lagging puppy, use a happy tone of voice and your body language to get the puppy moving.   (Note:  No long jogging with a young puppy. The puppy’s skeletal system is not mature enough for repetitive exercises like jogging until around 12 to 18 months of age depending on breed. Check with your vet before jogging, rollerblading or using a treadmill with a puppy or an adolescent dog.)

Work with and respect your puppy’s natural instincts and drives, instead of battling them. Help your puppy channel those drives into healthy, fun activities and both of you will enjoy the puppy parenting experience! 

My Dog Barks at the TV!

“My dog goes ballistic when other dogs are on TV! He barks incessantly, lunges at the TV and just generally makes it impossible for us to enjoy watching TV.”

This is a common problem reported by dog owners – one that often stubbornly resists attempts at resolution through the introduction of various competing aversive stimuli (water sprays, shake cans, throw chains, air cans etc.)  On the surface it may appear comical – in fact, there are dozens of YouTube videos featuring dogs howling and barking at TV programs. But it can be more than just a minor annoyance. It can effect the quality of life of both the owner and the dog.

Before we can solve this problem we have to consider its etiology.  This is a learned behavior, rooted in watchdog instincts.  Lindsay observes, “Alarm barking and threat barking are normal and useful when expressed appropriately, but under the influence of inadequate socialization or improper training, social novelty or unexpected change  may generate a shift in auto-protective arousal that sets off reactive adjustments that are impulsive and difficult to control.” [1]

Why do some dogs become aroused by sounds on the TV while most dogs seem to barely notice them? This is a learned behavior. The sequence of events is typically this: An under socialized, poorly trained dog reacts to the sound of other dogs on TV (barks) and the owner reinforces the behavior (shouts at the dog). The dog is now (inadvertently) rewarded as, from the dog’s perspective, the whole pack is now vocalizing at the sound of the TV. Let this happen 10, 20 or 30 times and it becomes a hard habit to break. 

An owner’s first reaction is to punish the behavior with an aversive stimulus of some sort. Done early, consistently and with proper timing this tactic can reduce the behavior. But more often than not, by the time the frustrated owners contact a trainer for assistance, the owners have already botched the attempt through bad timing and inconsistent practice. Their use of ever-changing and gradually-increasing aversive stimuli (without consistency and proper timing) has had no lasting effect on the reduction of the undesirable behavior. Instead they have created habituation; a process is known as “learned irrelevance.”   

Mild aversive stimuli, well-timed and consistently delivered are consistent with operant conditioning (+P) and can effectively inhibit nuisance barking, but only if they have been carried out properly (i.e. the “sandwich” technique).  Improperly done, they merely serve to initiate a startle reflex and do not result in a long term reduction of the behavior. They provide only temporary relief and will ultimately result in a frustrated owner and an anxious dog.  

Improperly and inconsistently delivered aversive stimuli serve only to temporarily interrupt the behavior, and in fact can make the problem much worse, as the dog is really NOT being trained to stop barking at the TV, but is instead being trained by the owner to tolerate various aversive stimuli.  By the time the trainer is consulted, the owner may have already removed this tool from the toolbox by misusing it - dooming to failure any further attempts at extinguishing this behavior through mild aversive stimuli (particularly among dogs with sharp personalities and/or hard temperaments). 

Solutions: 

“Plan A”  (The Sandwich Technique)

The trainer’s first step should be is a detailed interview with the owner. Don’t downplay or make light of the problem. Obtain a complete history of everything they have tried. More often than not, coaching them on the “sandwich technique” (and demonstrating it) is all that you will need to do to solve this problem.

“Plan B” (The Dead Dog Rule)

In cases when it is clear that the owners have botched the “simpler”  road to a quiet peaceful home (Plan A), then it’s time to consider the “Dead Dog Rule.” The dead dog rule encourages trainers to identify what they want the dog to do, instead of focusing on what they want the dog not to do (i.e. a dead dog cannot bark at the TV).

When aversive protocols have failed because they have been improperly implemented, try focusing instead on creating an affirmative change in behavior. 

Focus on what you want the dog to do instead of what you want him to stop doing. The goal is no longer  “stop barking” but instead, a new behavior – “rest quietly in the room while the TV is on.” Since the dog has been “trained” to bark at the TV, the owners must now train him to do something else when the TV is on. This approach takes time, patience, some common sense changes in the home and some new skills for the dog:

1)     Train a reliable “stay” command, then back-chain “place.”

2)     The “place” can be in the same room as the TV, but as far away from the TV as possible.

3)     Find something that the dog loves to do more than anything else – e.g. chew on a smoked marrow bone, a frozen Kong or work on an interesting food-puzzle-toy.  

4)     Start with short sessions of low-volume TV while the dog is staying in his place and engaged in one of the above activities.

5)     Any barking means you’re moving too fast. Success might be the ability to have the TV on for 5 minutes without barking, then 10 minutes on day 2, etc.

6)     Until the dog has mastered the new behavior (i.e. lay quietly in your place and enjoy your bone) there should be no more TV with the dog in the room. If you forget the new rules and the dog starts barking, simply shut off the TV. No more yelling at the dog when he barks at the TV. 

Conclusion:

I would much rather train a proper use of the sandwich technique (Plan A) to address this problem. But when owners have backed themselves into a corner by botching attempts at correction over a long period of time, we can fall back on Plan B – admittedly a much longer road – but successful when employed by intelligent, committed owners.

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[1] Handbook of Applied Dog Behavior and Training, Volume Three