Caring with clear leadership
He is not a puppy… he is a little dog!My wife sue got sick of me repeating this mantra but I wanted Wilbur to be treated like an adult right from day 1. This way his role was clear and he wouldn’t get stressed because the rules changed as he got bigger.
Puppy arrives home-
We had a 10 hour drive home when we picked Wilbur up from Debbie in Yamba. This seemed like a huge trip but was an absolute blessing because it allowed Wilbur to fall asleep and wake up with us many times throughout the day.
We stopped every couple of hours had a toilet stop, play and training with treats. We also met several new people.
By the time we arrived at home we were old mates.
Toilet Training - Number 1 Priority
The absolutely first thing to do when the puppy arrives is take him to his toilet spot. I guarantee the pup will relieve itself immediately. Praise for this good behaviour and give a tasty reward. Congratulations, you have just completed your first training session and the dog hasn’t even entered the house.
Now you can take the puppy to meet the new family and explore the home.
Puppies have small bladder’s and so will need to relieve themselves every hour or so and after sleep. Take them to the designated toilet spot regularly, praise and reward when the pup eliminates. Wilbur now eliminates on command because Debbie and us instilled this behaviour pattern clearly on him.
If you see your pup about to go to the toilet in the wrong place, pick them up straight away and run them straight to your toilet spot. Praise and Reward on success.
Mistakes do happen and if it happens blame yourself for not paying attention and clean up the mess. Do not use cleansers with strong scents or ammonia, it can smell like another dog and could lead to further marking behaviour.
Try and avoid that area till the odour has dissipated.
Meeting the family
Everybody will be excited to meet the new puppy because they are so soft and cuddly. Be careful not to overwhelm the pup on day one. Meet all the family one by one and keep the excitement levels contained.
Generally, a new puppy arrives on a weekend. A day when the family routine is different to a week day. If you can try and think of what the puppy’s day will be like during the main part of the week and get the puppy used to that routine.
If the puppy will be alone, give him a few time outs over the weekend and come and go several times even for just a couple of minutes at a time.
The puppy will also sleep many times a day.
Sometimes puppies go from centre of attention on the weekend to nobody during the week and this initial contrast can be quite distressing. Again think of your household and try and help the puppy fit into his new pack. Try and keep your home as regular as possible.
Fun and Games
The puppy can learn and play at the same time. Teach the puppy to sit, drop and come in a couple of hours and the puppy will have those skills for the rest of their life. Training sessions should be short ( 2 -3 minutes) where the puppy responds correctly to the same command 5-6 times. If the puppy looses attention don’t worry give him a break and try again a little later. Five 2 minute sessions are better than one 10 minute lesson. Repetition is the key. You will notice in the roll over video Scarlet misses the last attempt but is praised any way.
Sit-
Take a treat and hold firmly in your hand. Hold the treat next to your pup’s nose and move it back over the head. The Puppy will naturally sit as they follow your hand. When the puppy sits, name it (say Sit), praise and reward. The video shows both the Sit and Drop commands because they naturally work together.
Drop-
Take a treat and hold firmly in your hand. Hold the treat next to your pup’s nose and drag it down the front of his chest between his legs and allow the puppy to slide down. Tip: Shiny surfaces like polished floors help the pup to slide down easily.
Come-
Play Doggie Yo Yo. Have two people a short distance apart and each end takes turns calling the puppy by name and come. Make fun noises to encourage the puppy and praise and reward when the puppy comes.
Walk to Heel
The video shows Sue starting to teach Scarlet walking to heel.
With a treat in her hand Sue makes Scarlet sit before she walks ahead and then calls the pup. After a few steps she stops and makes her sit.
Repetition will improve the strength of this behaviour. Practice at home before you get to a more distracting location like the street or a park.
Leave It-
Hold a tasty treat in a clenched fist. Let the puppy sniff and say "Leave It". Immediately the pup draws away from your hand open the palm of your hand, reveal the treat and say "Take It". Let the puppy have their tasty reward. Try again several times in quick succession to reinforce the behaviour.
Introducing Crate or Puppy Pen
Encourage the puppy to go into the crate or puppy pen by placing toys (lots of chew toys), water and food inside. The puppy will develop a pleasant association with being in this safe area.
Being able to limit the puppies wanderings when you don’t have time to watch will help save the puppy from making a mistake. During Wilbur’s first couple of days he wanted to chew the Persian Rugs, being in the pen saved these valued items.
Remember to take the puppy out every hour to go to the toilet and reward with a treat and a play session. If pup doesn’t go to the toilet put them back in the crate for 15- 30 minutes and take back out to the toilet spot.
The First Night
Being away from the litter can initially be a strange experience. Wilbur had been exposed to being away from his sister and mum by Debbie and by our 10 hour journey in the car where he went to sleep and woke up with us several times. The puppy will sleep several times during the first day.
Have a good game with the puppy before retiring at night so the puppy will be tired and sleepy. A clock in the pup’s bed and some gentle music quietly playing in the background can be reassuring.
I chose to spend the first couple of nights on the sofa next to Wilbur. My presence reassured him that he wasn’t alone and if there was any stirring I could very quietly say good dog to settle him back down. I wanted to anticipate any activity so he didn’t get worked up crying or barking. He might have just needed to go to the toilet and I could take him out every 3 or 4 hours.
Once a puppy is crying and barking the behaviour can reinforce itself. You don’t want to reward the crying, so you need to wait for a break in the activity and when he is quiet then appear praise the dog for being quiet and take out to the toilet spot.
Wilbur will sleep outside eventually but we didn’t want to throw him in the deep end where there are night time distractions like possums and noises which could tempt him to bark.
Lets see how Wilbur goes on Week 9-12...