Читать книгу The Ultimate Guide to Puppy Care and Training - Tracy J. Libby - Страница 8
ОглавлениеChapter 5: First Lessons for the New Puppy
In dog training, as with anything else in life, you can't expect something for nothing. Raising a puppy is a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Your puppy will grow into an adult dog who is a reflection of what you put into him. Will he be thoughtful? Well behaved? A loverboy? Or will he be an unruly ruffian running roughshod over the family? The time and effort you invest today in bonding and instilling life skills, as well as in teaching basic obedience, will reap plenty of rewards down the road as your puppy grows into a well-mannered adult dog that is fun to be with.
Socialization includes growing your puppy’s confidence and teaching him to be handled, which are big parts of the many life lessons he will learn. But your puppy must also learn how to learn, listen, and be calm and not zoom around like a four-legged monster. He needs to learn how to make the right choices, such as not whining, pestering you, demanding your attention, snatching food or toys from your hand, and fighting with other animals. He needs to learn how to handle stress and to figure out some things out on his own. He needs to learn patience and that it’s OK to be left alone for short periods of time.
As you can see, there is a lot that your puppy needs to learn in a short period of time. While dogs continue to learn throughout their lives, their first experiences are very powerful. If your puppy is on the shy or timid side, you will need to work on bolstering his confidence while providing comfortable learning situations.
Bonding Games
Developing a strong bond with your puppy makes sense. Simple everyday tasks and positive interactions with your dog—feeding, walking, bathing, brushing, playing, exercising, snuggling, and whispering sweet nothings in his ear—are great ways to facilitate and strengthen the bonding process; so are fun games that help to instill basic obedience behaviors while building a bond.
How much time is required for bonding? Much depends on you and your puppy, and how much time and energy you are willing to invest. Each puppy is unique and must be treated as such. For instance, herding, working, and sporting (or gundog) breeds were originally bred to work closely with man and therefore bond with their owners quite quickly. Hounds and terriers, on the other hand, are very independent; making yourself the center of their universe may take some doing, but the time invested is well worth the rewards.
There are no hidden secrets to training a puppy, though this young pup has a few funny ones to share.
Leash Training Your Puppy
Teaching your puppy to walk nicely on leash isn’t terribly difficult if you start while he is young and impressionable, and you have a clear picture of the behaviors that you will and will not accept. To begin, you will want to accustom your puppy to wearing a buckle collar. (Never teach these exercises on a prong or choke chain.) Attach a 6-foot leash or long line to his collar and allow him to drag it around the house or yard. (Never allow him to drag his leash or long line while unattended because he may catch it on a table leg, tree, post, or the like and may panic or injure himself.)
Dragging his leash or long line serves two purposes. First, if your puppy begins to wander off, you can step on the leash and reel him in, thus eliminating the counterproductive need for grabbing at or chasing your puppy. Second, dragging a leash accustoms the puppy to following you and being close to you, thus providing a foundation for walking on a leash.
It won't take more than a few sessions to teach the puppy to stay close to you while he is attached to his leash. Eventually, that behavior morphs into walking nicely on leash at your side. Your puppy learns from day one that being close to you is fun and highly rewarding.
Follow Me!
Most young puppies between eight and twelve weeks of age will follow you pretty much everywhere, which makes teaching the Follow Me exercise rather easy. Your puppy’s mother and siblings are gone, and you are now his security. Teach your puppy to follow you everywhere you go by rewarding him for staying close to your side.
To start, your puppy should be dragging his leash attached to his buckle collar. Get your puppy’s attention by using tasty tidbits of chicken, steak, or cheese. In the beginning, lure and reward your puppy by holding the treat near your side. Be generous with your treats and your verbal praise so that he learns that being close to you is rewarding and a fun place to be. Use a cue such as “Stay close” and praise him with “Good boy!” or whatever words you choose to use.
If your puppy is toy crazy, you can use a toy and reward him with a fun game of tug while he is close to you. Do this multiple times throughout the day in as many different places as possible, such as your kitchen, living room, backyard, and so forth. It won’t be long before your puppy wants to be by your side all the time, which makes it much easier for you to teach him how to walk nicely on leash.
Many puppies will try to pick up their leashes and carry them around. Don’t worry about this. In fact, put a command to the behavior. “Have you got your leash?” eventually becomes “Get your leash!”
It is worth mentioning that by fourteen or fifteen weeks of age, most puppies have been out and about, socializing and exploring new surroundings. They are more confident and secure and don't need you quite as much as they did when they were eight to twelve weeks old. Around this time, most puppies will begin testing to see if their owners are really going to enforce the rules. You may need to work extra hard to keep your puppy’s attention, but by continuing to reinforce the behavior of following you and staying close, you continue to build and reinforce a strong bond. Also, you establish in your puppy’s mind—in a fun and humane manner—that you are the boss. If your puppy thinks he can ignore you today, he will think he can ignore you when he is older, too. Then, when you encounter a critical situation, such as when you need him to come to you or lie down, he will ignore you because he has been allowed to ignore you in the past.
Walk Nicely on Leash
Once your puppy is used to dragging his leash around and being close to you, teaching the Walk Nicely on Leash exercise is pretty simple. While your puppy is dragging his leash and following you around, simply pick up the leash and start walking. Depending on your puppy, you may be able to walk two steps or ten steps or more. Only keep walking if your puppy is walking with you; if he refused to walk or starts to pull or walk off in another direction, stop in your tracks and try again.
Avoid pulling or jerking the leash to get him to follow, which is counterproductive. A puppy should never associate his leash and collar with a barrage of corrections or nagging. You want him to view walking on leash as something fun that the two of you do together. Remember that his reward for doing his job (i.e., following closely and staying by your side) is yummy treats or his favorite toy. Praise ) and reward only polite walking. Remember: the behavior you reward is the behavior you want. By rewarding your puppy while he is jumping, lunging, or bucking, he will think that those behaviors are what you expect. In his mind, he is thinking, “I get cookies when I jump and thrash around, so that’s what I’m supposed to do.”
Progress a few steps at a time, gradually increasing the distance that your puppy can walk nicely on leash by your side. Practice four or five times a day, first around the house and yard and then eventually on safe, quiet sidewalks in areas with few distractions .
Teaching this exercise is much easier if you keep the puppy on your left side until he understands the exercise. Once your puppy masters walking on leash, there will be times when you won’t care whether he is on your left or your right.
This exercise differs from the more formal Heel command, which is used by obedience competitors, who are looking for perfection. The goal of a formal Heel is to have the dog walking on the owner’s left side (traditional Heel position) with the dog’s head and body in specific positions. Chances are you will not be looking for precision while walking your dog but would nonetheless like control. Having your puppy constantly pull and lunge while on leash is no fun.
And away we go...
Handling Games
Handling your puppy at every opportunity is a great way to build a strong bond. Handling is a fun way for a puppy to learn that being picked up or held is safe. We know that not all puppies or adult dogs enjoy handling. Some puppies have trust issues. Teaching them to accept being touched and handled can take a long time and may require intervention by an experienced trainer or behaviorist. Some dogs dislike handling but learn to tolerate it without much of a fuss.
Teaching your puppy to accept handling is well worth it. Think of all of the times that safe handling is necessary—a trip to the veterinarian, grooming, putting on a collar, checking a paw for thorns, and so forth. Gently handle your puppy multiple times daily. Count his toes and teeth, check his ears, and rub his tummy. This type of handling increases the odds that your puppy will grow into an adult dog that enjoys human contact.
Umbilical Cord
Another technique that works with some puppies is to tether your puppy to you. This method is referred to as the umbilical cord method because the puppy is attached to you with his leash (or a 6-foot cord). You praise and reward your puppy when he is close to you, but not when he is straining at the end of the leash. When carried out properly, this method can produce excellent results. One drawback is that some toy-breed puppies may be in danger of getting trampled underfoot, and some particularly unruly puppies may pull you around.
Hand in the Collar
Think of how many times you might need to put your hand in your puppy’s collar: snatching him out of danger, during grooming, when attaching his leash, and, of course, for simply putting on or taking off his collar. Your puppy should learn that your hand in his collar means that good things will happen. A puppy should never think that a hand in his collar means he is bad or in trouble.
Again, depending on your puppy’s personality and temperament, teaching this game may take some time and patience. You may need to employ the help of a trainer or behaviorist to help your puppy if he seriously objects to handling and touching.
Ideally, you should start handling your puppy’s collar from day one. At every opportunity, nonchalantly slip your hand in your puppy’s buckle collar and then praise, reward with a tasty tidbit, and release. It is that simple! Think of all the times you can practice this behavior—when you are brushing him, placing down his feeding bowl, petting him, talking to him, and on and on.
If your puppy panics or objects, you will need to progress in small steps. Start with just touching the collar, followed by plenty of yummy tidbits and verbal praise. Gradually advance to putting your hand in the collar. Always praise and reward him for small increments of progress. Let your puppy come to you. Never grab your puppy or his collar because this will exacerbate the problem and make him hand-shy.
Kissing, Snuggling, and (Maybe) Hugging
Ahhh...the sweet smell of puppy breath! If your puppy is young, well socialized, and trustworthy, kiss him all over his face and body and encourage him to kiss you back. Kiss his tummy, feet, and ears, and tell him he's perfect. If your puppy is timid or shy—and small enough—lie on your back, which is a submissive and nonthreatening position, and let him crawl on you and smother you with a potpourri of kisses. Or try sitting on the floor and letting him crawl around in your lap as you encourage him to snuggle or kiss you back.
Interestingly, not all puppies or adult dogs like to be hugged. Hugging is a human action. It is a natural hard-wired behavior for many people, and it makes them feel good. Hugging puppies makes these people feel even better! Well-socialized puppies who are handled early on and every day by their breeders and who become accustomed to being hugged usually learn to tolerate our quirky human hugging behavior.
Hugging can be a positive experience for many puppies, and they then grow into adult dogs who don’t seem to mind quick hugs on occasion, such as when their owners arrive home. They wag their tails, wiggle their bodies, and lean into their owners—as if hugging their owners back.
Gently handle your puppy multiple times daily. Count his toes and teeth, check his ears, and rub his tummy. This type of handling increases the odds that your puppy will grow into an adult dog that enjoys human contact.
Puppies who are not well socialized or accustomed to handling (including some rescue dogs) may feel threatened by hugging, kissing, or snuggling. Also, some breeds may not be as huggable as others. A dog that does not like being hugged will display warning signals. Sadly, an owner’s lack of understanding of canine body language can get a dog into trouble through no fault of his own when he snaps or bites. Understanding canine body language will go a long way in helping you decode whether or not your puppy likes hugging. Some experts advise to never hug a dog. This is sound advice if you don't know the dog or if the dog has learning, temperament, or space issues. Hugging a strange dog is never a good idea. Hand in the Collar
Think of how many times you might need to put your hand in your puppy’s collar: snatching him out of danger, during grooming, when attaching his leash, and, of course, for simply putting on or taking off his collar. Your puppy should learn that your hand in his collar means that good things will happen. A puppy should never think that a hand in his collar means he is bad or in trouble.
Again, depending on your puppy’s personality and temperament, teaching this game may take some time and patience. You may need to employ the help of a trainer or behaviorist to help your puppy if he seriously objects to handling and touching.
Ideally, you should start handling your puppy’s collar from day one. At every opportunity, nonchalantly slip your hand in your puppy’s buckle collar and then praise, reward with a tasty tidbit, and release. It is that simple! Think of all the times you can practice this behavior—when you are brushing him, placing down his feeding bowl, petting him, talking to him, and on and on.
If your puppy panics or objects, you will need to progress in small steps. Start with just touching the collar, followed by plenty of yummy tidbits and verbal praise. Gradually advance to putting your hand in the collar. Always praise and reward him for small increments of progress. Let your puppy come to you. Never grab your puppy or his collar because this will exacerbate the problem and make him hand-shy.
The No-Wiggle Game
Just as your puppy should accept handling and touching, he should learn to sit and accept verbal and physical praise while you check his ears, teeth, and feet. Ideally, your puppy should be wearing his buckle collar and his leash. With your puppy sitting, kneel on the ground with the leash tucked under your knee to prevent him from wandering off. Have a handful of tidbits nearby.
With your puppy sitting, use your right hand to gently hold his collar while you use your left hand to gently pet his back for three or four seconds. Praise with a calm “Good boy.” Be sure to praise him only while he is sitting and not wiggling. The praise reinforces the behavior you want, which is sitting still. If you praise while he is wiggling, you are telling your puppy that wiggling is what you want. If your praise is too wild, excited, or animated, it will cause the puppy to become excited—and thus wiggle—thereby defeating the purpose of the exercise. Switch hands: place your left hand in the collar and gently stroke him with your right hand. Praise, reward, and then switch hands again.
Teach your puppy to accept physical and verbal praise while he is standing and lying down, too. Some puppies find the mere anticipation of physical praise too stimulating; therefore, always progress at a speed that is within your puppy’s physical and mental capabilities.
Leash On/Leash Off
What happens when you try to attach your puppy’s leash to his collar? If he is like many puppies, he probably goes over-the-top crazy because he has learned to associate his leash with something fun, such as going for a walk or a ride in the car.
On the flip side, what happens when you unclip his leash? Does he stare at you adoringly as if to ask, “What are we going to do now?” Does he wander around, sniffing, or immediately bolt away to chase squirrels or rabbits or leaves blowing in the wind? Does he tear off around the yard, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake?
Ideally, your puppy should not assume that unclipping his leash means that he can run away and do his own thing. By encouraging a fun, respectful, and mutually loving human–canine relationship from day one, the leash becomes inconsequential. Your puppy should want to be with you because you are zany and fun, and he never knows which exciting game will happen next—not because he is tethered to you by a 6-foot leash. Your puppy should care less about the leash either way. A leash should never differentiate between training and not training, working and not working, or being with you and running away. The release cue, be it “Free” or “OK” or whatever word you choose, should be your puppy’s signal that he is finished with an exercise and can run off and play.
Oftentimes, owners inadvertently go overboard and use the leash for giving corrections instead of for controlling the puppy and keeping him safe or close by. When corrections always happen on leash, it’s no wonder that a puppy grows into an adult dog who runs away as soon as he has the opportunity. Likewise, puppies (and adult dogs) who are never habituated to fun training and playing off leash with their owners are often inadvertently conditioned to get excited and run away when they are off leash. Such dogs quickly learn that all of the fun stuff happens away from their owners—when they are “set free.”
Training your puppy to focus on you (or at the very least to not bolt and run away) when you unclip the leash is not terribly difficult. Remember, everything about dog training and rearing is about the relationship you have with your dog. You begin by instilling in your puppy’s mind that taking off his leash is an everyday occurrence and no big deal. And, being off leash (just like being on leash) means that the two of you are going to engage in some fun and fabulous interactive game, be it fetching, swimming, recalling, tugging, snuggling, and so forth. By conditioning a puppy to associate you with all of his fun—teaching him that you are the center of his universe—his default behavior is looking to you to see what crazy, fun game you have in store.
To avoid the frenzied ritual that often accompanies the anticipation of attaching or unclipping a leash, teach your puppy the fun leash-on/leash-off game. With your hand in his collar, attach his leash with the cue “Leash on” (or any command you choose to use) and then praise (or click) and reward with a yummy treat. Take the leash off, using the command “Leash off,"” and then praise (or click) and reward with plenty of tidbits. This encourages him to look to you rather than run off when his leash is unclipped and teaches him that when the leash comes off, he can earn treats.
Alternatively, unclip the leash and immediately scatter some tasty tidbits on the ground. This teaches him to look to the ground for tasty tidbits rather than searching the horizon for something to run after. Either way, always have the treats ready. This exercise serves no purpose if you have to search around for treats once you’ve taken the leash off.
If your puppy is toy crazy, you can try this game: Begin by unclipping his leash and immediately having him jump for his toy and engage in a quick game of tug. Put a command to it, such as “Get it.” This teaches him to focus on you when the leash comes off. Also, when the leash comes off, the tug toy appears—and that means fun!
Remember, it’s all about conditioning your puppy to see you as the center of his world. Instill in him that if he sticks with you, he will have more fun than if he tries to chase rabbits or deer or tussle with his canine buddies.
By incorporating these games into your daily routines, you build a stronger bond and increase your puppy’s vocabulary. You also achieve your goal of watching your puppy grow into an adult dog who looks to you for all of his fun and games. No more zooming wildly around the house or yard when the leash appears or disappears!
Fetch
Fetching is a great way to tire out a puppy while simultaneously building a strong bond. Retrieve games are the foundation of many obedience skills and other games that you can play with your puppy. By capitalizing on your puppy’s natural instinct to retrieve, you can get toys back easily and stay in control of the games.
Some dogs are more eager to retrieve, even at a young age. Most, but certainly not all, retrievers and other sporting dogs, as well as many herding breeds, are natural retrievers, whether retrieving a stick, tug toy, ball, or flying disc. If your puppy is not, don’t despair. Some puppies need a bit of encouragement to flourish at retrieving. This fun game is sure to teach even the most reluctant puppy how to retrieve and, more importantly, to love retrieving.
As with nearly everything associated with puppies, you make retrieving a fun game. To generate excitement, tie a long line on your puppy’s toy and drag and wiggle it around on the ground. Most puppies love movement and will chase anything that moves; your goal is to have him chase the toy on the string.
Drag the toy around until your puppy shows excitement. Put a command to it, such as “Fetch” or “Get It” so that he begins to associate the command with running and picking up things. When he gets the toy, reward with “Good boy” or “Good fetch.” Let him strut around with the toy in his mouth as he savors his mammoth achievement.
Continue playing and dragging the toy but don’t let him get it every time. The excitement comes from the chase and capture. Make him work a little harder each time for the toy. Remember, it is a game. It should be fun and exciting. If he is reluctant to pick the toy up, drag or wiggle it some more to generate more movement to encourage him to get it. If necessary, sit on the floor and drag the toy around your legs and behind your back as you bolster his interest in the toy.
Once the puppy masters this game, you can incorporate the fun recall game by tossing the toy across the room, sending your puppy for it, and then running to the other side of the room or yard so he chases you with his toy. This begins instilling the behavior of bringing the toy back. When he gets to you, praise and reward but don’t take the toy right away. Let him savor the moment.
This game works equally well for puppies or adult dogs who naturally retrieve. It helps stimulate excitement and encourages a dog to chase you, thereby quickly bringing the toy back to you, so the game can continue.
Hunting breeds, whether gundogs, sighthounds, or scenthounds, live to chase.
Tugging
Tugging is a game that has fallen out of favor with some trainers because they consider it a test of strength. The theory is that a puppy that wins strength games often assumes that he is stronger than his owner, both physically and mentally, which leads him to naturally assume he is better suited to be the pack leader. Some dogs may see this as an opportunity to exploit the situation and take control.
Tugging does stimulate or create arousal in some dogs, especially high-drive-type dogs such as terriers and herding breeds. When a puppy gets too wound up or overly excited, his owners usually lose control of the game, and that’s when trouble happens.
That said, tugging is a great interactive game that you can play with your puppy, provided you set some ground rules from day one. First, you must win as often as your puppy wins. If you win all the time, your puppy will get bored and lose interest. If your puppy wins all the time, he may think he doesn’t need to share with you. As dog trainer Sylvia Bishop likes to say, “You win, he wins, you both win.” This gives him the right message regarding his status in the pack.
You must control all the games, including tugging. You determine when the two of you tug, how hard you tug, how long each of you will tug, when your puppy is to release the toy, and when the game is over. If your puppy becomes too stimulated or out of control or begins snatching the toy from your hand or showing any aggression (other than normal puppy play-growling), stop the game immediately. Resume the game once he has calmed down and you have regained control of the situation.
When positive play and training are used to teach your puppy’s first lessons, including games and basic obedience skills, he will grow into an adult dog that is fun to be with all of the time.
Retrieving Games
Keep in mind that retrieving games should be avoided while your puppy is teething. A teething puppy’s mouth will be tender, and vigorous games can harm his emerging teeth and developing jaw bones. During these tender-tooth times, spend time working on other games and come back to retrieving when your puppy is done teething.
