Vermilion Kennels

This section will cover:

PUPPY BITING
THE DOMINANCE HOLD
POTTY TRAINING 101
JUMPING
KINDERGARTEN THROUGH COLLEGE…….AKA: TRAINING

HELP!!!! OUR PUPPY IS EATING US!!!

With each new litter going home I get calls back yelling, “Help. My puppy is eating us alive!!!”

This is normal puppy behavior. This is how they play in the litter! But, just as throwing food across the room is normal for a toddler, neither action should be tolerated!

To grab the pup’s nose and tell them “NO” isn’t going to help a lot. It will actually serve as return play for your pup.

Squealing in a high pitched voice may get the pup’s attention and cause them to stop momentarily, but in most cases dogs see high pitched, loud, and rapid speech as reward and LOW… slow …..soft tones as punishment.

Pups seldom bite at me! It took a while for me to understand this but the reason they don’t is that when we pick them up, if they try biting, we put them down and take another less mouthy pup. This just rejected that original pup and they get that message fast!

You will need to constantly asses your communications with your pup! Hear commands and see reactions as DOGS hear and see them…not as humans do. And if having a problem don’t hesitate to email or call me or seek the help of a trainer!

THE most affective way to teach your pup that this biting is not appreciated is to put the pup down and physically turn your back on that pup. Children will need direct help with this and should be supervised closely with pups until they BOTH exhibit the right behaviors and communications skills. A child left with a pup and allowed to scream and run when the pup acts like a pup will reinforce the dog’s poor behavior !! DON’T let it happen! This is how accidents happen. Dogs are dogs….not little people with morals like people!!!

Biting at the ankles or jumping at hems…..pick them up but don’t play with them. Hold them with their face away from you and ignore their pleas to play or for attention. If it persists, put them in the crate and walk away! I promise that a few of these put downs and the pup will stop!

But, it is essential to NOT intermittently reward your pup and other times punish them!!! This will really reinforce the bad behavior so try to be as consistent as possible. Remember that your pup wants your attention and denying the attention when they are not behaving and rewarding them with YOU when they are is the best way to train anything.

I have often demonstrated this to young children and adults alike by suddenly turning my back to them during a conversation. Try it….they feel like they have done something to displease you! Well, dogs feel the same way with rejection of their attention. So go with it and use it!

PUPPY DOMINANCE HOLD

Control of the pup/dog is something that each individual member of the family needs to do. If you as the parent have control that control doesn’t extend to the kids! So you will have to help the children gain control of the pup. Kids can do this on their own, however, some times they don’t get the idea. Frankly, sometimes adults don’t either….so listen up!

The dominance hold is a great place to start. You aren’t going to be hurting your pup or a dog, just maintaining control and communicating to the dog that you are in charge.

Every member of the family needs to do this some time during the day! No dog is too big for this…..even little arms of children can be helped along to accomplish this.

Pick up your pup and hold him/her firmly under your arm while sitting on the couch, a lounge chair, or on the floor. The point is you are controlling the dog.

Eventually, the pup will stop squirming and relax. When you feel that relaxation, praise the pups using his/her name and your praising voice ( high pitched rather than low for scolding). I usually say, “Good puppy, good girl” and might talk gently and sweetly to him/her.

Hold the pup there for a minute or two ( 10 seconds might be all at first) but increase the time and do NOT let go for any reason that the dog creates! Make it a successful exercise through the use of physical force if necessary.

This hold helps the pup/dog learn who is in charge! And it works. It also lays the ground work for all other training!

POTTY TRAINING 101

Start with the first thing in the morning. Pick your pup up from the crate ( don’t let him walk) and carry him out to the spot you wish them to use for the potty

Give him the command one time, “Puppy, go potty” and if he goes praise him profusely. If he doesn’t go after 3-5 minutes, put him in his crate for half an hour. If he does go, play with him a little in a different place. Potty is in one spot, play another. Another spot is 5 feet away in the yard or in the house.

I would then feed him in his crate. 15 minutes later take him out again and repeat the potty stuff. Don’t give him more than 3-5 minutes outside in the potty spot and don’t talk to him or play with him while in the potty spot. This is business.

When your pup gets to the point of going right away when you go out and give the command, shorten that 3-5 minutes to 2 or 3! Mine all go if they have to within that time limit IF I am standing there watching. If I leave it is the clue that they can play all they want and go when they wish!

In the house, use shredded newspapers for the cleanest crate and pup! Shred them lengthwise, and a gloved hand in the crate and swoosh around will clean it all up. The pup also stays cleaner with this as the pieces cover the solids and it really absorbs the liquid. Towels or blankest really don’t work as well, in my humble opinion.

Play time should always be separated from potty time in space and time!

Very young pups should not be expected to make it through the night ( 10 hours at my house) but they don’t need to be taken out in the middle of the night either! But, that is your choice! I never take them out in the middle of the night unless they are sick or whelping pups.

During the day if you let your pup run free in the house you are going to increase the lack of potty training later on. Pups find places to go potty when you aren’t looking, so keep them contained and with you OR in their crate.

If you see them go in the house or find it later, don’t scold the puppy!!!! They won’t have a clue and/or they will see your scolding as praise for a job well done. Strange how dog minds work, but scolding can be seen as praise!

And don’t nag! Tell them one time only to go potty, then when they go say the command again as they start going to reinforce what they are doing correctly …..and then praise the day lights out of them.

Dogs see low voices as negative and high excited voices as being praise….so pay attention to the messages you are sending.

When your pup is out of the crate he/she should be directly supervised. You will notice patterns of behavior when they need to potty. Pay attention to those and react. Soon you will both get the message! If you can’t supervise….crate the dog!!!

The more people in the household, the harder the potty training task! The dog needs to learn to tell everyone and what works for you won’t work for other household members!!! So the dog gets confused messages.

A bell on a string by the door can work too. YOU ring the bell when you take the pup out…soon your pup will ring the bell to let you know she wants out. Of course, you run the risk of them ringing the bell for attention too…..;-)

JUMPING

Jumping up on you is something the Wheatens are going to do much more than the Cardigans!!!

We call it the Wheaten greeting disorder but any breed can be a problem! Wheatens tend to jump up but not buckle your knees, while a full grown Cardigan will take you to the ground hitting your knee from behind! So this applies to any dog!

For years I tried the old tricks of making it not very pleasant for the dog….stepping on the hind toes, knee in the chest, telling them down…..and NONE of it worked.

Finally, I heard the advice to praise the dog. Well, it worked like a charm but it is all in the timing!

When their feet hit the ground, praise the dog. It sounds like you are telling them they were good for jumping up on you, but this is NOT the message the dog gets!

It works!

KINDERGARTEN THROUGH COLLEGE!

When your pup is three months old it is necessary to get them out to a Puppy Kindergarten as a pre-school and after that into the basic obedience classes.

Many people try to take a short cut on this but I promise that you and your dog will be much happier if you complete the basic obedience class!

Going on into competition is not necessary, but learning the basics of training is necessary for both of you, plus, this gives you the opportunity to work out problems you are having ( that you might not even see) with a qualified dog trainer and avoid bigger problems later on.

Ask your friends with dogs or your vet for a good school in your area!