The Testing Phase (12-16 weeks)

Three to Six Months: Ranking Period

• Puppy is most influenced by "playmates," which may now include those of other species.

• Puppy begins to see and use ranking (dominance and submission) within the household (the puppy's "pack"), including humans. This is also a testing phase where the puppy will see where it’s position is in the household and try to move up the ladder.  Be patient and consistent with the training at this point.

• Puppy begins teething (and associated chewing). Provide lots of interactive toys. Remember the 1.3 second rule if you are out of the room and the puppy chews something he isn’t allowed to have you cannot correct him if (1) you didn’t catch him in the act and (2) if more than 1.3 seconds have passed between the time he chewed the object and the time you saw it.

The testing phase for Koro lasted more than 4 weeks and as a trainer was the most challenging time for me.  Koro was already exhibiting a very demanding personality around food. He would whine incessantly from the second I stepped foot into the kitchen, all during food prep, and after I left the kitchen waiting for him to be quiet so I could feed him. This was exhausting for me and I tried everything I knew to do to help him stop this behavior. I couldn’t reward any quiet time with food because he would treat me like a pez dispenser and whine then be quiet when I said quiet to get food to start all over again. So I had to reach out to a peer and she recommended preparing his meals multiple times a day and then walk away. This worked and I added my spin to it. I would prepare these fake meals then when it came time for his actual meal I would prep it and leave the kitchen and the second he stopped "setting up" by laying at the kitchen gate I would walk in and feed him. Fast forward to now and he is no longer whining and is not setting up instead he is now learning if he gets on his chair and stays quiet and stays on the chair for at least 30 seconds I will get up to feed him.
This is all reverent to the Testing part of this phase as in his demanding he would also amp up his whining to see what I would do. Would I cave and just feed him to get it over with? Or Would I keep doing what I was doing and work him through this period of time? I worked him through it keeping the pictures the same and building new ones and it all paid off.

Koro began Testing during training. He would hesitate for every command and wait to see if I would stay the course and wait for him to go into position whether a sit, down, place command or just heeling or if I would get frustrated and just give up.  I never wavered and would just calmly repeat the command until he did it. By doing this and keeping the pictures the same he learned quickly that I was serious and he had to do what was asked. This all clicked for him and around the 14 week mark he began to understand the rules and follow along. At 16 weeks he really matured and all the hrs work came together for him and he has just excelled with all his training and is really enjoying the work.

Koro began Testing his relationship with Blaze. He wanted to play but was barking and biting too much and Blaze ignores that behavior and will not engage when Koro is acting that way. Koro would amp up the biting and began to steal toys from Blaze to see what he would do. Blaze knew what to do and would grab the toy back and stand there holding it to let Koro play tug with him. During tug Blaze would shake Koro off the toy and keep Koro from getting it, then he would again stand still and allow Koro to get ahold and play tug again. Watching this dynamics and seeing how blaze would engage when Koro was in a more relaxed calm energy and disengage when Koro started up with the barking and biting, Koro would reposition and grab blazes ear or beard to make blaze drop the toy and blaze would drop the toy, give a firm correction to Koro, the pick the toy up and reengage with play with Koro. By Blaze doing this it taught Koro to play properly, learn real boundaries, and understand his position in our pack.

A month in the life of a puppy (8 to 12 weeks)

A month in the life of a puppy (8-12weeks)

I picked up Koro in North Carolina and spent the week there with Blaze. It was a mini vacation for us and a chance to evaluate the litter of puppies from the breeder I choose to use. During the evaluation of the 4 males two really stuck out and a third was a contender. When we put Blaze with the pups individually two still were at the top. One was very interested in Blaze and was not so interested in me when he was around so I worried his bond with Blaze would be too strong and he wouldn’t want to work with me. The other pup and the one I ultimately chose was equally interested in Blaze and I. He was respectful from the beginning with Blaze and showed curiousity and attention and initiated play but was not over bearing and constantly trying to bite or bother Blaze. This mattered very much as Blaze will be 11 and I didn’t want a pup who would be over the top with him at his age.
Once the decision was made we visited the pup frequently during that week. The breeder had started separating the pups in crates at night and this was very helpful. That introduction made it possible for Blaze and Koro and I to make the long drive home to Philadelphia. I did a quick run with Koro to see how he would handle the car ride and he told me loud and clear he wasn’t a big fan. He would sing the blues and then settle then back to his song we dubbed Koro’s Chorus!!! I was not concerned because barking never ever bothered me, whining does, so at the end of the week we picked up Koro and headed home. Within 15 mins Koro settled and slept for the rest of the trip. We made frequent stops for potty breaks and meals and even got a chance to stop and visit a friend. That ride solidified his love for the crate. The next day we began just to build a bond. I hand fed his meals and still do with one meal out of a mini muffin pan and the other two fed during training sessions.
The crate is a place for rest and sleeping ONLY. I never ever place anything in the crate except a thin mat bed or quilt. I bought these bed mats that are cloth on one side and waterproof material on the other side to use in the crate just in case of an accident. Koro is very happy with them and sleeps well in his crate.  The biggest mistake people make in my professional opinion is they put toys and Kong’s filled with food in the crate to distract the pup and keep it busy when in fact you want the opposite. You want the pup to completely settle. So do not place anything in the crate but a bed. Potty training you MUST set up a specific potty spot and LEASH walk or carry to that spot every single time. This area will get saturated with the scent and the pup will be triggered to go each time. Do NOT EVER reward with a treat after they potty because dogs know body language better than the verbal cues so each time you "get ready" and go to your pocket to get a treat that pup will STOP going to get the treat and now you think they are done and they have just begun. So you take them in the house and Walla they pee or poop in the house because of you.  Relieving themselves is reward enough. If you have to reward them say good boy/girl and that is it.
Keep a daily log and write down when your pup wakes up, eats, potties, what it does that day and bedtime. Take a look at my first couple logs and last couple logs at the end of this blog to get an idea of what I did and follow suite.

Week 1 (8 weeks old)

I started a daily log to learn the habits of the new puppy. We worked on name recognition Koro likes his name and picked up on it right away. I started by just saying his name and as soon as he turned or came to me I got excited and rewarded him. We worked on his name for the whole first week and by the middle of that week he was coming quickly and excitedly to Koro! 

We worked on Sit this first week as it is the easiest command to learn for a tiny pup! Once I guided him into position by taking the treat and holding it just at nose level and then bringing it up and over his head he started to Offer a Sit as often as he could. I didn’t reward him unless I said the word so he always knew what the position meant.

Every single day we did something new. We met at least 4 new people every day and went for a car ride every day. All these things were to help socialize him and give him a mental challenge.

He napped regularly during this time. ***Please see my logs to get a good idea of our routine!!***
With the nipping I would redirect to a toy or chew. If that did not work he got crate time. In most cases he needed a nap. They do need regular naps and keeping a log will show you when he goes down for one and you can plan accordingly. When I groom dogs I always build that around his naps so he is already tired. With regards to tiring out the pup be careful not to overwhelm them by doing too much. Keep alltraining sessions 10 mins tops and any mental challenges to just one main one. For Koro that meant we did something new every single day but kept the main routine the same.

Week 2 (9 weeks old)

We worked on the down command and body awareness exercises. I hand fed every meal because feeding Koro from a bowl was pointless he would smash his mouth in the bowl and inhale his food.

We began going to a little league park to help work on his relationship with Blaze. It is wonderful because every day something new is happening there!

Taking your pups on excursions to help socialize them and help build on their experiences is extremely important.

Waiting till they have all their shots only causes you to miss major development phases. The Prime Time for socialization is 8-12 weeks. This is the most formative time for the puppy and they commit these snap shots to memory. Socialization is not just with people and dogs it is also important to take the pup to new places. All along the way you are filling that puppy’s memory Rolodex with snap shots that when a situation arises that pup can quickly flip through that Rolodex and see what it did at that time and move forward.

We went to work for the first time and Koro did excellent! He spent 2 hrs in his crate at my clients house and it was perfectly timed for when he would normally nap! Blaze is beginning to play with Koro.

Koro is beginning to learn to focus more and is less scattered! He is doing great for his sit command! And enjoying the training sessions for each meal. We introduced recall and he is coming 90% of the time the other 10% he is busy doing other things. He wears a long line for this reason so I can give a tug an shave him come to me. After 10 mins of recall Koro began checking in and is always heavily rewarded for those things. He is lying more attention to Blaze and beginning to take cues from him!!

He naps 3 times a day typically a hour after each meal.

He is meeting many people of all backgrounds and ages. Koro is sleeping through the night.

Week 3 (10 weeks old)

Koro is really coming into his own. He is excelling with his obedience training we began heel training. And learning to settle. He does whine for attention. We have a routine and Koro really enjoys and looks forward to it each day. Pups at this age will experience their first Fear Period. It is usually with objects they have already experienced. Just keep the routine the same remain patient and allow the pup to work through any periods when they get spooked.

If they get spooked just stand still and let them work it out. Call the dog to you and get excited when it comes.

If the dog is barking at something let it investigate it and eventually sniff it.

By bringing attention to the things the pup spooks over you are just making it worse. They will feel their response was appropriate and will continue to fear that thing.

Even if it happens to be a person. If the dog barks at someone they know it could be that the pup was distracted when the person came over and was surprised by their presence. Just ignore the pup and have the person do the same. The pup will shake off that little startle and sniff the person and get excited to see them.

If you make the mistake of saying it’s ok it’s just John then you now added more fearful energy to that dog and they will

Now react every time they see John.

Week 4 (12 weeks old)

Koro is at the end of his fear period and he did really well. We worked more on tightening up his recall and basic obedience! He is heeling really well

Both by himself and with one of the other dogs!! He is doing excellent with his sits and down. He learned the Place command this week and did really well with that.

Koro is still learning to settle and not whine when I’m fixing dinner for myself or the dogs. He is now able to be left in the crate for 4 hours.

He has not had any accidents in 3 weeks and is doing excellent with Potty in command.

He begins a testing phase where he will jockey to see where he fits in the pack. He will act like a bratty teenager and push against anything you say. Keep the pictures the same and correct when necessary.

We are beginning the process of only rewarding on a variable schedule. Koro is now demanding rewards and was only working for food so by doing some obedience drills and rewarding at the end of the session I avoid the demanding behavior and he learns he has something to look forward to.

He is heeling nicely on leash and learning to play properly with Blaze and other dogs!

Training logs for first week and last week

Aug 1

Wake up 5:45am peed pooped moaned whined back to sleep at 6:09am

Wake up at 7:50am

fed right away and gave water. Then took out at 8:10 and he peed and pooped again and we played till 9. Then I put him in his crate so I could feed the cats, eat and get a shower. He barked for about 5 mins then settled and is now asleep.

Bedtime 11:15pm zero peeps

Aug 2

Wake up 3:12am peed and pooped

Back to bed at 3:21.

Wake up 6:30am peed.

Back to bed at 6:53. I want to hold off feeding till 8 am since that is the best time for me.

Wake up 7:45am ate breakfast and drank water then out and peed and pooped at 7:54.

Back in for a play session.

Nap at 9:20 we have been alternating with crate time (nap) and relaxing on couch he does fall asleep but is in the mix of everything going on.

Because he will need to love the crate nap time in the crate is just that I do Not put anything in there except a bed. No chews, toys or any other distracting item. He likes the crate and is learning it means to fully relax into a sleep!!

Lunch at 12:15

Potty break 12:30 peed

Nap at 2:30-4

Neighborhood walk at 4 peed

Got caught in just a loud thunder show and Koro did not care one bit.

He is starting to Chill about the water and not gorging himself with it.

Dinner at 5:45

Potty break at 6 peed

Then placed in crate while I feed Blaze. He barked for just a minute at most and settled right away and is still quite!

Building some sort of routine will help gauge when he needs to pee or poop and how much time he can be crated without an accident!

He has only had one accident in his crate and it was a overly busy day and he drank a ton of water and peed in his sleep.

The heat really was affecting him so he just gorged on water. Now I don’t do a lot during the hottest part of the day instead we play inside and do little body awareness exercises, teach little spins and sit! He likes the work. He will

Still eat quickly but as the weeks go on he will learn patience! I alternate one meal out of the 6 cup muffin tin but he is kind of frantic when eating out of it so I do that for afternoon after he has already had one meal and he eats calmer.

Relaxed for about 20 mins then potty break at 8 pm and he peed and pooped

Neighborhood walk at 8:15pm it finally cooled to 77° from 89° so I decided to do a walk with Blaze and Koro! We had a great training opportunity because he has never seen a fire hydrant so we crossed the street above where the hydrant was and walked towards it. He saw it and did a low growl and little bark. Blaze had walked over to it and did his business then stood in front of it on the grass. I didn’t ask him to do that. Then Koro sat down and looked at it and finally got up the courage to investigate it! I never force a interaction and if he just choose to sit there or walk the opposite way we would just go with whatever he wanted and try again another day. He has to learn I respect him too so if he would have been so unsure that he didn’t want to investigate then we would have just left.

After that we came home and he met

My downstairs neighbor kids 8 and 6.

They were so good with him and he loved them.

Then a potty break and he wanted to go to bed at 9.

Woke up and took out at 10:30pm. He did a long pee and back to bed at 10:45. Went right in and right to sleep!!!

Aug 3

3:25 soft wake up he did not whine or cry just softly moaned a little and then stopped but I’m now use to waking up I decided to take him out. He peed and pooped. Back to bed at 3:40

I’m trying to figure out a way to eliminate this 3ish am potty break.

Woke up at 8 am and was fed then taken out to potty he peed and pooped and now a play session!

Nap at 9:45am for 40 mins then I had to drop him off at Grammy’s so Blaze and I could go to work!

At Grammy’s he went potty at 11:15am then went down for a nap at 11:45 and woke up at 1:15. Ate lunch and went potty at 1:40 he peed and did a big poop.

Play session with Grammy and Barney then potty again at 2 he peed.

Nap from 2-3:30 when I got home from work and we played again!

Lots and Lots of nipping today. Feels like he might be going through a growth spurt and gets extra nippy when that happens. He also needs to sleep and is getting so good at going right into his crate and immediately lays down.

I did laundry and had dinner at mom’s and got back home around 10:30pm.

We had a short play session then potty around 10:45-10:50 he peed and pooped.

Bedtime 10:57pm.

Aug 4

Wake up 6:45 am peed and pooped

Back to bed at 6:53 am.

Wake up at 8 ate play session then

Potty at 8:30 pooped and peed.

Play session chew toys, antlers, squeaky’s and Blaze!!

Play session with Blaze and Blaze was awesome he gave a good correction and Koro choose to do something else!!

Potty at 9:30am peed

Down for nap at 9:45am

Wake up at 11

We ran errands and went house hunting

Lunch at 1

Potty at 1:30 peed

Nap at 2-3:30

3:40 Potty break peed

5 pm dinner

Crate time while we eat he settles quickly and rests. He doesn’t always sleep but remains quiet till we are finished eating. Once he is old enough and learns the Place command he will be able to stay in the room on his bed while we eat!!

Went home and had a play session with Addie from 7:15-7:45. Then a neighborhood walk and back home at 8:30.

Played tug with Blaze and Blaze did awesome until Koro bit his ear then Blaze gave a good correction and would not let Koro have the toy. He has been very appropriate with his corrections.

Potty at 9:45 pooped and peed

Bedtime 10pm

Koro’s Training Notes

Aug 25

Wake up 7:45 peed pooped

Back to bed

Wake up 8:30 peed

Breakfast training session 8:45

Peed pooped

Moved into pet sitting house. Koro was out of sorts because his routine was disturbed. He would not nap and was tough most of the day.

Finally after a dinner training session he settled in and accepted everything. He was just overwhelmed!

Went down for bed at 9 cried for a little while then I woke him up at 10:30 he peed and pooped and back to bed.

Aug 26

Wake up 6:45 peed pooped

Back to bed

Wake up 8 peed pooped

Ate breakfast training session 8:30

Played and had a great day with Molly and Blaze

Lunch training at park 12:15

Went to mom’s to take to DR

Koro was in the crate from 1:45-5:25 and had Zero accidents. He did excellent!!

Came home and fed dinner as a training session at 6

8:30 peed pooped

Went to bed at 9

Woke up at 10:15 peed a lot

Back to bed at 10:30