Dog Service Network, LLC » Adolescent Dogs

Puppy Obedience Basics

Tracy — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:48:38 +0000

Puppy obedience starts from the moment you come home with your puppy. It is kept simple and you motivate your pup to do everything. There is no forcing here, keep it fun! Use small food treats and toys.

This will show leadership on your part and shape your pups behavior, which is much easier then changing bad behavior later on. Training your pup is a “lifestyle”! Remember you are training your pup all of the time and every time you interact with him. Even if you not thinking about training your puppy.

NOTE: Keep your commands specific with only one meaning. Example: if “down” means lay on the floor then don’t use “down” when you want your pup to get off of you or off of something else by saying “get down” this will be confusing to the pup.

Remember you don’t want to get into the habit of using a lot of verbal wording to stop your pup from doing something or you could just end up giving your pup negative attention and wonder why he is repeating the behavior.

Part of teaching your puppy obedience is to teach him to always look at you. If your pup isn’t looking at you DON’T talk to him. If you want to say something to him make a kissing sound so the pup looks at you and gives you eye contact as you say “ready”, then praise him with “good ready” and then speak to him.

It is important to ALWAYS have your dog’s attention before interacting with him no matter what you are doing with him. Soon you won’t have to make the kissing sound just give the command, “ready”.

Help your pup do a “sit” when you feed him by holding his food bowl up over his head and back slightly, not so high that he jumps up, but low enough that he will automatically go into the sit position. Don’t ask for the “sit” at this point until you are sure your pup will give you the “sit” position every time, then ask for the “sit” as your pup starts to give you the behavior.

Praise and release with a word like “okay” and place the food bowl on the floor for him. Important you must release your pup BEFORE he gets up! This keeps you in the leadership role, very important. If he does get up, say “No” and gently replace him in the “sit” position, wait a few seconds before releasing.

You can ask your pup for a “sit” by using a small food treat or toy for motivation. Do this whenever you want to pet your pup, play, throw a toy, put on his leash, or go out the door. Do this any time you want to interact with your pup. Later you can do this with the “down” too.

The next step in puppy obedience is to teach your puppy to do a “down” position. Start from the “sit” position WITHOUT saying the command “sit” motion for it instead. You should be on the floor with your pup and have him on one side or the other.

Have small food treats (or toy) in your hand and make sure the pup sees or smells it, then promptly place your hand on the floor with the food treat directly in front of the pup and wait. You DON’T say anything at this point.
If your pup tries to get up gently keep his butt on the floor in the “sit” position with your other hand then remove your hand. Touch is distracting, use it as little as possible. Tap the floor with the food treat a couple of times to refocus the pup.

Be patient and your puppy will eventually go into the “down” position. When he does, instantly release the food treat to him as you verbally praise him. Get him to look at you with the kissing sound and or “ready” and then release him with “okay”.

When your pup is giving you this “down” position every time you can start giving the command, “down”, at the same time as you place your treat hand on the floor, tap the floor if necessary. Praise! (When tapping the floor never take the treat back up to the pup’s nose, small little taps will be sufficient to get your pups attention and to refocus him.) NOTE: When giving the verbal command, never repeat it, say it only once!

To teach your pup to hold any position longer give little food treats every few seconds. Building the time slowly, then decreasing the number of food treats given. If you don’t ask your pup for more he won’t give you more! Build on wins! Always verbally praising your pup! Remember to always get his attention BEFORE you release him.

Tracy Lenderink, Master Trainer
“Master In Creating A Bride of Knowledge Between The Animal And Human Spirit”
http://www.simpledogtrainingsecrets.com

Critical Periods In Your Puppy’s Psychological Growth

Dog Service Network — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:42:53 +0000

0 to 7 Weeks
Neonatal, Transition, Awareness, and Canine Socialisation. Puppy is with mother and littermates up to at least seven weeks. During this period, your puppy learns about social interaction, play, and inhibiting aggression from its mother and littermates. Puppies must stay with their mother and littermates through this critical period. As the puppies learn the most important lesson in their lives–they learn to accept discipline. It is at this time that they also learn not to toilet in the nest.

7 to 14 Weeks
Human Socialisation Period. The best time to take a puppy home is 7 weeks onwards then you have nine whole weeks to work with the dog over this incredibly important period. The puppy now has the brain waves of an adult dog, but his attention span is short. This period is when the most rapid learning occurs. Learning at this age is permanent so this is a perfect time to start training, but make it fun. This is also the time to introduce the puppy to things that will play an important part in his life. Different people, places, animals, hoovers, washing machines and unusual sounds, in a positive, non-threatening way.

8 to 10 Weeks
Fear Imprint Period. Whilst the Pup is going through human socialisation is will also go through an important fear/hazard avoidance period. Avoid frightening the puppy during this period. Any traumatic, frightening or painful experience will have a more lasting effect on the puppy than if it occurred at any other time in its life. This period if you do not handle it correctly could give your dog a lasting fear of say traffic or other frightening noises or events. Never ever praise or sympathise with your pup when it is showing fear. This only serves to confirm the fear.

11 to 16 Weeks
Seniority Classification Period. Puppy starts to cut teeth and apron strings! At the end of this period and begins testing its position in the family unit. You must discourage all biting; the dog should have started to learn and understand bite inhibition by this time! It is important that you are a strong and consistent and fair leader The period between 0 and 16 weeks is the most important period in your dog’s life. He will learn more during that short space of time than at any other time in his lifetime. Other windows of opportunity for learning will open during your dog’s life. Other windows of opportunity for learning will open for your dog. However, what you see at 16 weeks without extensive training and behavioural modification is about what you are going to get as an adult. Therefore, work hard on giving your pet the best start in life.

4 to 8 Months
Play Instinct Period. Flight Instinct Period. Puppy may wander and ignore you. It is very important that you keep the puppy on a leash at this time! The way that you handle your pup at this time determines if he will come to you when called. At about 4-1/2 months, your puppy loses his milk teeth and gets his adult teeth. That’s when he begins serious chewing! A dog’s teeth don’t set in his jaw until between 6 /10 months. During this time, the puppy has a physical need to exercise his mouth by chewing. Training must continue through this period or all your good work may revert back to stage one. Occasionally the puppy will start to urinate in the house again if this happens, just go back to basic toilet training.
6 to 14 Months
Second Fear Imprint Period or Fear of New Situations Period. Dog again shows fear of new situations and even familiar situations. Dog may be reluctant to approach someone or something new. It is important that you are patient and act very matter of fact in these situations. Never force the dog to face the situation. DO NOT pet the frightened puppy or talk in soothing tones. The puppy will interpret such responses as praise for being frightened. Training will help improve the dog’s confidence. This fear period is normally more marked in male dogs.

1 to 4 Years
Maturity Period. You may encounter some increased aggression and renewed testing for position and authority, however if you have spent lots of time with your dog and trained consistently and regularly, then this should not present itself as a problem – in fact you may hardly notice this change, it is just something to keep in mind. Continue to train your dog during this period. It is possible that your dog may have another fear period between 12 – 16 months of age.

Regardless of your reason for acquiring a puppy, you will have to win it over. You, not your dog, will have to create a safe and secure environment with ongoing training, if your pup is to develop into a well-mannered family member instead of a thug or a burden.

Dogs are canids taxonomically part of the Wolf, Coyote and Jackal group , they are not human beings and do not think or act like humans. They are instinctively pack animals. In every pack their can be a number of leaders, these tend to make most of the decisions. Usually the pack will have at least one breeding pair. All the other members of the pack form a hierarchy in which everyone has a place. However your dog is not a wolf, and though we have tended to think Alpha is important, new thinking and scientific studies have somewhat disproved this thinking.

That is not to say you should not show leadership in a fair and equable way. In your home you and your family become your dog’s family, as do any other dogs you may have. It is therefore your responsibility to establish yourself in a position of authority and trust. If you fail to do this, your dog may question your requests and authority. Many people assume that they are automatically the lead figure just because they are humans, are you really the leader. Does your dog know this and does he/she respect your wishes and commands?

Being the leader does not mean you have to be big and aggressive. Nor does it mean that there has to be a battle of strength or wills, after which you emerge the victor. Anyone can be the leader. It is an attitude an air of authority. It is the basis for mutual respect, and provides the building blocks of communication between you and your dog. It never means punishment or overt aggression. Think fair, equable, and consistent and you will not go far wrong.

Stan Rawlinson © 1999
(Doglistener}
stan@doglistener.co.uk
www.doglistener.co.uk
07976 153161
0208 979 2019

© Copyright: Stan Rawlinson (Doglistener) one of the leading Dog Behaviourists and Obedience Trainers in the UK. Who has owned and worked dogs for over 30 years, starting with Gundogs then moving on to the behavioural and obedience side of Pet Dogs. He now has a successful practice covering London, Surrey and Middlesex. Visit his Web Site for more information and details of his work. www.doglistener.co.uk

Puppy House Training, 7 Easy Steps!

Tracy — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 02:03:38 +0000

Puppy house training is really simple if you follow these 7 easy steps:

Crate train your pup: feed pup in crate and have special toy for crate this creates a pleasant experience with the crate. It also keeps the pup out of trouble and safe. It also prepares your pup to travel, or go to the vet, or be boarded and accept being confined.
Keep a schedule and write down when you take your pup outside and what he does. After a week you will know what times you can eliminate taking the pup out because he doesn’t go potty at that time most days.
Don’t leave food and water down for your pup. Give food and water at specific times. Once your pup can be trusted you may leave the water down. No water after 7pm at night unless really hot weather or you think the pup needs it, but don’t let the pup have a bowl full just enough to do the job.
Prime times to take your pup outside to go potty: first thing in the morning, 5-20 minutes after eating, after excitement or play time, waking up from a nap, just before going to bed at night, and at first once or twice during the night.
Confine the pup to the crate when you can’t watch him. Only give the pup one room in the house like kitchen, laundry room, with easy floors to clean if he has an accident. If you want the pup with you in other rooms after the pup is collar and leash trained, pin or tie the leash to your clothing so you can keep an eye on your pup and avoid accidents. Make sure your pup gets lots of good attention and exercise.
Learn your pups body language just before he starts to go potty, this will give you a heads up. Only stay outside with your pup for about five minutes. If he doesn’t go potty take the pup inside and confine him but watch him. I would put him back into his crate. In one to five minutes I would take him outside again. If he doesn’t go potty in five minutes bring him inside and put him back into the crate. When he does go potty outside bring him inside and let the pup have supervised free time. He will soon get the message. I suggest you use verbal and food rewards for the pup as he is going potty softly praise him and instantly give him a small food treat as a reward for going potty outside. Tell him what a good pup he is.
Be consistent, be patient, and don’t give your pup too much freedom too soon. Let the pup prove himself and earn the privilege of being allowed into another room. ALWAYS supervise your pup. If you let your pup have too much space too fast it could stress him and cause accidents.

TIPS:

Most pups can hold it for one hour for every month of age: four month old pup can usually hold it for four hours, give or take a little. This is just a guide.

If you use one word for going pee and another word for going poop and say the word softly as you pup is getting ready to relieve himself, during the process, and stop saying the word when he finishes, you will train him to go on command. He will associate the word with the action of the sphincter muscles.

Most pups go pee in one place and then move to another area to go poop. So give him a big enough area outside to be able to do this. If you only want the pup using the whole yard use tent stakes and white string to rope off the area that you want him to use. That will give your pup a visual of the spot. Always take him to that area to relieve himself. Down the road you will be able to remove the stakes and the string.

Next we will discuss basic obedience for your pup. Remember they start learning at three weeks of age. Repeated behavior becomes learned behavior. Shaping behavior is much easier then changing behavior.

To find out more about how to do puppy testing and get you’re free Puppy Testing PDF go to http://www.simpledogtrainingsecrets.com/puppy.html

Tracy Lenderink, “Master In Creating A Bridge of Knowledge Between The Animal and Human Spirit”
http:www.simpledogtrainingsecrets.com

I wish everyone a Blessed and Wonderful Christmas and Holiday Season!

Tips On Eliminating Your Puppy Bad Habits Of Whining, Excessive Barking And Chewing

Dog Service Network — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:15:10 +0000

By: Jonathan Cheong

Anyone who owns a dog or puppy will eventually run into the need to eliminate unwanted habits. While most dogs are eager to please their owners and smart enough to do what is asked of them, it is important for the owner to properly communicate just what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable behaviors.

Each type of unacceptable behavior requires its own specific cures, and in most cases the cures will need to be tailored to fit the specific personality of the dog. Every breed of dog has its own unique personality characteristics, and every individual within that breed has his or her own unique personality.

Whining, howling and excessive barking

Let’s start with one of the most frequently encountered problem behaviors in both dogs and puppies. While some barking and other vocalizing is perfectly normal, in many cases barking, howling and whining can become problematic. This is particularly important for those living in apartment buildings, or in closely spaced homes. Fielding complaints about barking is not the best way for you and your dog to meet the neighbors.

Some tips of dealing with excessive whining, barking and howling include:

If your puppy or dog is howling or whining while confined to its crate, immediately take it to its toilet area. Most puppies and dogs will whine when they need to do their business.
It is important to teach a dog or a puppy to accept being alone. Many dogs suffer from separation anxiety, and these stressed dogs can exhibit all sorts of destructive and annoying behaviors. It is important to accustom the puppy to being left on its own, even when the owner is at home.
Always strive to make the puppy or dog as comfortable as possible. Always attend to the physical and psychological needs of the dog by providing food, water and toys.
If the dog is whining, check for obvious reasons first. Is the water dish empty? Is the dog showing signs of illness? Has his or her favorite toy rolled under the furniture? Is the temperature of the room too hot or too cold?
Do not reward the puppy or dog for whining. If the dog whines when left alone, for instance, it would be a mistake to go to the dog every time it whines.
After you have ensured that the dog’s physical needs are being met, and that discomfort is not responsible for the whining, do not hesitate to reprimand the dog for inappropriate behavior.

Problem Chewing

Puppies naturally chew, and they tend to explore their world using their mouths and teeth. While chewing may be normal, however, it is not acceptable, and it is important to nip any chewing problems in the bud to prevent the chewing puppy from growing into a chewing dog.

Providing a variety of chew toys is important when teaching a puppy what is appropriate to chew and what is not. Providing a variety of attractive chew toys is a good way to keep the puppy entertained and to keep his teeth and gums exercised. Scented or flavored toys are great choices for most puppies.

The puppy should be encouraged to play with these chosen toys, and the puppy should be effusively praised every time he or she plays with or chews these toys.

Another great strategy is to encourage the puppy to get a toy every time he or she greets you. Every time the puppy greets you or a member of your family, teach him to get one of his toys.

It is also important to exercise good housekeeping techniques when training a puppy not to chew on inappropriate items. Keeping the area to which the puppy has access free and clean is important. Keeping items out of reach of the puppy will go a long way toward discouraging inappropriate chewing. Try to keep the puppy’s area free of shoes, trash, and other items, and always make sure that the area has been properly puppy proofed.

If the puppy does pick up an inappropriate item like a shoe, distract the puppy and quickly replace the item with one of its toys. After the puppy has taken the toy, praise it for playing with and chewing that toy.

Try booby trapping items the dog should avoid by spraying them with bitter apple, Tabasco sauce or other nasty but non-toxic items.

Author Bio

Discover How You Can Train Your Dog With Effective Results In Less Than 1 Week Using Proven Simple Steps For FREE! Click Here www.absolute-dog-training.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

Dog Training and Your Relationship With Your Dog

Dog Service Network — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 20:34:53 +0000

By: Melissa Buhmeyer

My best friend is incredible! She’s one of those rare types who hangs on every word you say. She’s content to be quiet when I need stillness, even though she’s one of those high-drive types. All I have to do is call and she’s there in an instant, no matter what she was doing before. She puts me ahead of all her other friends, never fails to make me feel special, and is a redhead just like me. But she’s not a person, even though she’s sure she is. She is a butterfly dog; a Papillon.

When I brought this eight-week-old bundle of joy home, I didn’t know what to call her. I’m not very good at naming anything, so I usually just observe for a couple of weeks and let the animal name itself by its personality. This puppy’s name became evident in nothing flat: Tazzie. She whirled around the house, jumping up on furniture five times her size, zooming and zipping and totally charming me. She was, indeed, a Tasmanian devil pup. I quickly realized the athleticism of this dog and knew I’d have to find her a “job” when she got a little older. High-drive dogs, that don’t have “jobs,” will certainly find other outlets for their energy and those outlets aren’t usually things you would enjoy!

You already have a burning love for your puppy, but what is your relationship like? Does it come when you call it? Does it sit or lay or stay? From your first class, at your dog training school, your relationship with your dog begins to change. I will warn you, however, that anything you want to teach your dog won’t come just with a once-a-week class, even if you have the best dog training school in the world. You have to practice with them, just a little bit, every day.

Tazzie was a very food-motivated dog, so the fact that she got food every time she did something right made training a blast for her, all by itself. And this happened every day! Bonus! She made fast friends at her new dog training school, so going to class was fun as well. She got to where she would whine, as soon as we pulled in the parking lot, until I finally got her out of that car.

So now you’re taking your dog to classes in a place they love, and you’re working with them every day. During that time, you’re paying complete attention to them, teaching them to pay complete attention to you, and they get their favorite food as icing on the cake. This does incredible things for the bond between you and your dog. They learn to focus on you, no matter what, and good things will come. They get praised and fed, or praised and allowed to tug on a toy, whichever motivates the dog more, so your relationship can’t help but blossom.

Ever since Tazzie and I started training together, she has claimed me as her own. When my other two dogs want to sit on my lap, she’ll push them out of the way to get the best spot because, I am her property, as far as she’s concerned. I do give the other dogs personal time as well, but I have to put her in a sit/stay or a down/stay so she’ll let them come get love.

She is, by far, the one I can trust the most, not only because of her training, but from the bond we gained through the training. She never takes her eyes off of me, since we began at our dog training school, and it serves us well in the agility ring!

If you want to forever alter and solidify the bond you share with your dog, find yourself a good dog training school, for whatever discipline you prefer, and go for it. With a little time, money, and patience, your relationship will become a forever relationship. If you do, your dog will turn out to be your best friend too!

Author Bio

Melissa Buhmeyer has been training for dog agility for two years and competing for one. She is co-founder of http://www.dogtraining-school.com/, a dog training school resource site for aspiring and professional dog trainers.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

Benefits of Getting Dogs Neutered

Dog Service Network — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 04:28:40 +0000

Health Benefits of Neutering Your Dog:

Your dog won’t be prone to developing testicle / prostate cancer
Your dog will be at less risk of getting perineal hernias, and penile tumours
Won’t have hormone levels that get out of control

Behavior Benefits of Neutering Your Dog:

Decreased interest in marking their territory indoors and out
Less aggressive, because hormone levels are more in control
Acts calmer and will be less likely to wander away from home in search of mating

Source: “What Is Neutering and What Does It Do?”, About.com; Retrieved on December 6, 2008 from http://dogs.about.com/cs/disableddogs/p/neutering.htm

YOUR NEW PUPPY, and what it already knows..

Dog Service Network — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:54:12 +0000

When you bring home your new and adorable bundle of joy, it is probably pretty interesting to know that this infant-like pup between 8-10 weeks old, has learned all it needs to know to become the leader of your home and how to get its needs met from its Mom, and its litter-mates. A pup comes to us with 2 months of hard core training, before it ever reaches our doorstep and gets its new bed, and its new basket of toys.

Unlike the human infant, who can not eat, drink or even walk yet, our new pup can do all of those things. Your pup comes to you with an abundance of natural instincts, and learned-pack behavior. Pack behavior leaves no room for “equality”, or “you get one, and I get one”. In pack mentality, your dog has already learned that the Mom gets food first and her needs met, and she quickly shows the pups “where they stand”, and how to wait, and show respect. And as if learning from her was not enough, now there are 4-12 more pups, normally who all fight to be next in line for her food, attention, love, etc. (kinda like a bunch of kids running to the ice cream truck..we quickly know who goes/gets served first).

With that being said, it is important to understand that your new bundle of joy will quickly figure out who in your household is the easiest to challenge for authority and attention. In homes with children, your pup usually will seek to “mouth/play bite” the youngest first.. This play biting, although your dog is teething, is a sign of dominance or challenging for authority. Also, jumping up. Your dog will jump to make itself equal to your eye level, as dogs also view authority in terms of eye level. Remember, this behavior is adorable at 9 wks old, but if you have a large breed dog, it will not be as cute at 75 lbs. If your pup is a small breed or toy breed, this jumping can lead to a “scratching “at your legs forcefully as it gets older, or mounting behavior. It is important to note that dogs will mount one another to establish dominance, NOT only for mating.

In homes with adults only, these behaviors are also used with each adult in the family. The dog will quickly find out who “is easiest to challenge”, or “get its way with”. Normally, the person with the soft voice and the wavering tone will be the target. So, when you have to say something like “NO BITE”, It is important that you MEAN IT WHEN YOU SAY IT. Your pup will actually appreciate the discipline, as it has already learned this from its mom, whenever she growled or snapped to express her discontent with a behavior.

So, when you bring your new bundle of joy in to your family, and in between, loving it and holding it, remember to teach it respect, for you, for your children, and it will be a much more enjoyable part of your family for a long time to come.

Carrie MonteLeon
Alpha Dog Training, NJ
AlphaDogTrainingNj.com

Puppy Testing When, Why, & How?

Tracy — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 01:01:46 +0000

Puppy testing when do you do it, why, and how? These are common questions that people ask. I’m going to answer them for you in this next part of online dog training.

Puppy testing is done when the puppies are 49 days old. Part of the testing is to look at the pup’s physical structure. At that age, what you see is how the puppy will look when it grows up, provided you feed a good diet and proper exercise. If the legs are crooked or the hind-quarters look weak, they will not grow out of it.

Puppy testing will tell you how the puppy is in temperament as far as:

Social Attraction – the pup’s attraction to people, pup’s confidence or dependence.
Following – shows the pup’s willingness to follow a person.
Restraint – shows the pups degree of dominance or submissive tendency, and how easy or hard it will be to handle in difficult situations.
Social Dominance – is the degree of the pup’s acceptance of social dominance by a person.
Elevation – shows the pup’s willingness to accept dominance while in a position of no control like bathing or grooming.
Retrieving – will tell you the willingness of the pup to do something for you.
Touch Sensitivity – will show the pups sensitivity to touch and will be a key indicator to the type of training equipment you will need to use.
Sound Sensitivity – will show how sensitive the pup is to sound, such as loud noises and thunderstorms.
Sight Sensitivity – will show the pup’s response to a moving object so you will know if the pup will chase cars, children, or other animals.
Stability – will show the pups degree of startle response to a strange object.

Get the right puppy and the easiest puppy to train for you by puppy testing. To get your free copy of puppy testing test and instructions go to http://www.SimpleDogTrainingSecrets.com/puppy.html.

For more information on Puppy Training, get your Free Ebook on Leadership and Communication go here: http://www.simpledogtrainingsecrets.com.

Tracy Lenderink, has had a love and passion with special communication with dogs all her life. Tracy has spent over 40 years as an Animal Behaviorist, Trainer, and Seminar Speaker assisting pet owners with their problems. It has been said of Tracy that she is a “Master in Creating a Bridge of Knowledge Between the Animal and Human Spirit.” See what others are saying about Tracy too.

Tracy Lenderink
Master In Creating A Bridge Of Knowledge Between The Animal & Human Spirit EzineArticle “Expert Author Status”
http://www.simpledogtrainingsecrets.com
http://www.simpledogtrainingsecrets.com/blog
tracy@simpledogtrainingsecrets.com

Dog Adolescents

Dog Service Network — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:02:50 +0000

Is your 1 year-old dog driving you crazy? Do you walk twice a day, but she’s still getting into everything? Did your dog behave beautifully in class, but now she sometimes acts like she doesn’t even know her own name let alone what “Sit” means?

Congratulations! Your puppy is growing up. Your dog is now an adolescent. Just like human beings, dogs go through different stages of development, both physically and mentally. A dog’s developmental stages are: Neonatal – 0 to 14 days, Transitional – 14 to 21 days, Socialization – 3 to 16 weeks, Juvenile – 4 to 6 months, Adolescence – 6 to 18 months, and Adult.

As a general rule, adolescence can appear in smaller dogs as early as five months. In larger breeds, it can start as late as nine or ten months. In general, the larger the dog, the longer they take to mature. (Timeframe varies with dog breed and size.) Some breeds can remain adolescents until they are 2 1/2 or 3 years old.

Adolescence is a very difficult time for guardians. They are surprised when their cute little puppy becomes an independent thinker. Minor puppy rambunctiousness becomes major-league unruly behavior, such as ignoring you (Come? What’s that?), chewing inappropriate objects, and extreme bouncing-off-the-walls hyperactivity.

The good news is there are many ways to help your dog through this period. While walks are an essential part of any dog’s day, all too often we consider a walk enough exercise. When our puppy’s energy level increases, we try to wear them out with longer walks. Increasing walks will get you a physically fit dog, but it’s not enough. We must stimulate our dogs mentally as well.

There are many activities that will “wear your dog out”, both physically and mentally. Place your dog’s meals in Kongs and let her work for supper. (In a bowl, it’s gone in 3 minutes.) Your dog will spend time figuring out how to get at her supper, and extracting the food provides much needed chewing exercise. (For the 3 stages of Kong stuffing visit (www.fundawgs.com) If your dog spends several hours alone on a regular basis, consider purchasing a Kong Time, which releases Kongs at variable intervals. Sterilized bones can also be stuffed with favorite treats.

In addition, there are many interactive toys for dogs, such as Egg Babies and the Hide-a-Squirrel. Egg Babies have squeaky eggs in a velcroed enclosure, which they must work to extract. The Squirrel Hut is similar in that stuffed squirrels are pulled from their tree.

Toni Lee Hage is a graduate of the SF SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers and the owner/trainer of Fun Dawgs in San Leandro www.fundawgs.com . She offers a variety of group classes, plus private sessions in good manners and bad manners behavior modification.

Dog Service Network, LLC » Adolescent Dogs

Puppy Obedience Basics

Related Articles

Critical Periods In Your Puppy’s Psychological Growth

Related Articles

Puppy House Training, 7 Easy Steps!

Related Articles

Tips On Eliminating Your Puppy Bad Habits Of Whining, Excessive Barking And Chewing

Related Articles

Dog Training and Your Relationship With Your Dog

Related Articles

Benefits of Getting Dogs Neutered

Related Articles

YOUR NEW PUPPY, and what it already knows..

Related Articles

Puppy Testing When, Why, & How?

Related Articles

Dog Adolescents

Related Articles