In honor of Koro my new pup I thought I’d do a post on the life of a puppy for that first year.
Socialization:
The first 2 weeks I spend getting the pup use to different people. I start with bringing the pup to my families homes without dogs or have any adult dog put away during our visit. I do this because not all adult dogs appreciate puppies so this helps avoid any potential conflict.
I drive around the neighborhood and do short walks 10-15 mins at first keeping in mind temperature of sidewalks and doing walks at random times during the day/early evening. I do not let the pup say Hi to everyone. I pay attention to the pups body language and judge accordingly. If the pup is feeling a little unsure I just move on and say something like ‘ He’s in training and not ready to say hi’ and walk on. I also don’t let him greet everyone because he has to learn at a very young age impulse control so as an adult he knows his walk is a mix between business and fun. I NEVER EVER allow a pup to greet dogs on leash unless it is a specific way. Where I hold the pup against my leg and let the dog sniff his butt then do the same with the other dog. I do this with any age dog because frontal greetings are not natural. Most dogs that come together off leash do a Ying Yang and sniff each other it is very rare for a dog to sniff the face first.
I drive the pup to get the pup use to riding in the car. I will use a crate until the pup is old enough and confident enough to ride in the back with a hammock loose.
Don’t go to any parks that are heavily frequented by dogs you’ll want to wait till the pup is fully vaccinated before that and Never go to a dog park until the pup is over a year. DOG PARKS DO NOT SOCIALIZE PUPPIES OR YOUNG DOGS. They only set a pup up for failure and willl most likely cause the pup to build frustration and possibly reactivity (the ‘I’m gonna stop you before you do anything mentality). They have not gained the confidence or dog language to be in places like dog parks or daycare. It would be much better to hire a dog walker to come in a couple times a day while you are at work. Some dog walkers also hold mini play sessions and that would be a better option for a pup or young dog.
Feeding:
Feed all meals by hand and with a treat ball/ wobbler. This builds a strong bond and prevents the pup from eating too fast also really helps prevent any type of possession or resource guarding. The muffin tin is another option to feed the pup without a slow feeder bowl. The orange treat/food ball pictured above is a great way to teach the pup to problem solve and figure how to get the food out of the ball. This slows down their eating and provides a mental challenge!
Training:
The first two weeks really teach the pup its name and some body awareness positions. I will video and show what I mean when I finally get Koro! I do different games to build curiosity like 101 ways to play with a box. I mark and reward anything the pup does EXCEPT chew on it.
I introduce fun easy puzzles ( see pic above) to get the pup thinking. This can be with treats or even feeding you can get a mini muffin tin and place treats in several of the muffin cups and let pup sniff and find the treats! The slide puzzle above is what I use when I am evaluating a pup for service work. I time how long it takes the pup to find and eat the food. I make it a little easy by not covering the opening all the way. This also shows what pups will easily give up or what pups may be uncomfortable even trying. If your pup is just a little nervous but showing interest then do not cover over the opening just let the treat be exposed and allow the pup to gain confidence by getting a couple of freebies!! The the next time you take it out give one freebie then have one opening partially covered and see if the pup tries to get the treat! When they try praise like crazy!!!
The second two weeks and on I begin basic obedience. Teaching sit and come. Then down and place. I do not train puppy push ups where you have the pup go from sit then down then sit again UNTIL the pup has a solid idea what each command is called. Otherwise you get a pup that will go into a down when you say sit or slid into a down when asked to sit. I now introduce loose leash walking and body awareness exercises. Pups and dogs aren’t aware of their rear end so these little games help the pup to learn it has a rear end and unlocks the brain to recognize it. This is especially helpful when doing some fun trick training or if you ever ha e to walk over a abondoned train trestle. Blaze and I were on a hike and he was about 1.5 yrs old. At one point we had to walk over a train trestle that looked down on a river. Because Blaze has such control and awareness of his rear end he was able to look down and walk each foot on the wooden planks that covered the track.
I continue to build the pups confidence through the puzzles and now I introduce balance boards that are slightly off balance and encourage the pup to walk over it or stand on it or even just sniff it. I introduce different textures I get remnants from the local flooring store and patch them together (on a large square of cardboard) and have the pup just play around on it. Some pieces are linoleum , wood, carpet (plush and flat). I use a mat that is usually used in front of a cats litter box because it has little nubs all over it. It’s important to provide variety to the pup and do not do more than 2 mental challenges a day and intersperse with a fun easy free wheeling walk/explore or a long line play session. After a mental challenge game take to potty then place in their crate or quiet room. This is done to help the pup remember what was taught n drives the pup a chance to relax and nap.
Keep working on their obedience commands and start making their walks interspersed with obedience commands. Sit at a corner or down on a lawn or stand and wait to cross the street.
POTTY TRAINING:
Pick a Designated Potty Spot whether you have a yard or not. And take pup ON LEASH to this potty spot every single time. Even before a walk take to this potty spot.
Stand like a statue and let pup walk around in circles until it relieves itself. If you have a fenced in yard allow pup off leash for a play session then before you go back in the house take back to potty spot.
When pup is going in position to go potty call it something. I say Go Potty or Hurry Up. This teaches the pup to go On Command.
If you don’t have a fenced in yard and want to give the pup some running room get a long line and allow the pup to run and play dragging it behind them. Find a little league field and let run with the long line there.
On Walks don’t let the pup pee anywhere and every where make a mental note and allow pup to go potty 3 times on the walk and when you get home take to potty spot before taking in the house. The pup is gonna drink after exercise so as soon as it is drinking it’s full take out to potty spot to relieve itself.
Any evening potty breaks will be at that same spot.
When doing middle of the night potty breaks absolutely do not talk( except for go potty command) to the pup just be as boring as possible and take to the potty spot. Same when putting back in crate absolutely no talking just place in crate and go back to bed.
Naps:
The pup will need naps throughout the day! A good indicator that the pup is overly tired is it will become very mouthy and may even hyper and do zoomies. Try to avoid that happening by planning some down time for the pup. Place pup in crate or xpen so it knows it’s quiet time. If pup cries and carries on for over 5 mins take out ( only when quiet) and take to go potty, then either engage with play or something. If pup begins to amp up and mouth a lot or get crazy zoomies place back in crate for a nap and leave there. Check on pup after 10 mins and if pup is asleep leave be, if pup is awake and calm you can let it out to play and hang out again. I do not place any toys or Kong’s in the crate with the pup. I’m at the mindset the crate or x pen is for sleeping not playing. I simply place a cloth hospital type pad in the crate because it is soft and highly absorbable and super easy to clean. After about 6 weeks I will switch to a plush bed.
Puppies when teething do a lot of mouthing this is NOT aggression of any kind it is just growing pains, if you will, and pressure when there is pain helps relieve it. I buy a canvas dog bone and wet it and freeze it for this purpose. If pup is especially mouthy I will give that bone! Pups will need age approrpriate chew toys and soft squeaker toys. I tend to get the stuffing free ones.
