Caring with clear leadership
Settling InUntil Wilbur had all his vaccinations for Parvo, Distemper and Kennel Cough we had to restrict his meeting other dogs and visits to the park.
Parvo is a particularly nasty disease that no pup should get. It is primarily passed on through faeces from an infected dog and can remain active in an area for many months. My vet Ian told me that it can also be hereditary, passed on through the mother. Talk to your vet to find out what the risks of Parvo are in your area and the precautions you need to take.
When visiting a park with a young dog, I make it a rule to walk straight past the entrance, away from any posts and trees where other dogs are likely to have going to the toilet or done their ‘Pee-mails’. Open areas are less likely to have dog poo littering the area and also they are easier to spot than around trees and posts.
While the pup can’t meet other dogs there are many other things to learn.
Continue Sit, Drop and Stay. The more you reinforce these good behaviours the stronger they become. Plenty of quick 2 minute sessions throughout the day are best.
Turn your Drop/ Stay into a settle by lengthening the duration of the Drop and then praising very calmly and evenly “Settle... Good Dog”
Wilbur was starting to pick things up and exploring the house so we need to teach him:
Leave it-
Get a tasty treat and hold it in your fist. Let the pup snuffle and try and get the treat from your closed fist. It may take a couple of minutes at first, but as soon as the pup stops trying to get the treat from your fist say “ Leave It” and open your hand and let the pup take it from the palm of you hand “Good Dog”. Practice this so when the pup picks up something you don’t want, it is easy to retrieve the item from their mouth.
Meeting people
Most people love to greet a pup and give them a cuddle. Wilbur had many people come to visit on his second day. This is when we made a huge mistake and the only time that he urinated in the house. Because he got so much attention and everybody was doting over him he was very pleased with himself, when his new friends left he went straight to the front door where he met his guests and marked his territory by peeing.
From this point we made certain everybody who came to the house said hello to the people first and when Wilbur and everybody had settled down, then they met and talked to Wilbur. Not being the centre of attention is much less stressful for the pup where they can be in a less responsible position down the pack order. The top dog is normally greeted first and so by talking to the pup first their status is elevated and often they will start to demand the attention of the new person in the house by pestering or even at its most extreme by humping the visitor. Very embarasing for all involved.
Meet a wide range of people- Adults, Children, Men (Scariest), Crowds. Don’t rush the pup to meet strangers but let them take their time to investigate and approach the new person.
We had groups of people over because we like entertaining and Wilbur would simply take himself to bed when he had enough attention.
If you like music, play a wide selection at different volume levels to get the pup used to the sound.
Walk On Lead
Wilbur comes with us to the shops and visiting cafes so we needed to get him use to walking on a lead. Being a working dog he is veery reactive to new sounds and experiences. New smells, birds, barking dogs, cars, bicycles and skateboards were all very distracting and so we found that he would start pulling slightly to get to the item of interest. Whenever, any pressure went onto the lead I would simply stop, make him sit and when he had stopped straining we would start walking again. When the lead was loose we would walk along briskly.
Sue found it easier to Walk Wilbur in a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness. It clips to the lead at the dogs chest so if they try and pull forward it turns the pup around gently like a horses bridle. It is a very useful aid if you have a strong or large puppy. Wilbur was very happy wearing it and it is easy to take on and off.
Wilbur is ready to join other dogs in Week 13-18...