Puppy Prep!

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Teenmum
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Puppy Prep!

Postby Teenmum » Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:50 am

We are about to get a puppy! We are not used to dogs and so, we are looking for recommendations for puppy trainers. I had spoken to the Dogfather, who come very highly recommended. Unfortunately their puppy person is not available when we need them. We will be picking up our new addition mid March
Any recommendations would be gratefully received!
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ejacks71
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Re: Puppy Prep!

Postby ejacks71 » Thu Feb 11, 2021 7:59 pm

No replies??

Here's a quick brain dump - hope it helps:
  • Buy a crate and cover it with a blanket- crates are safe places for dogs and they need a place they can relax and sleep
  • Be consistent with your training, the whole family needs to be on board
  • Don't over handle the pup - e.g especially if you have small children - e.g don't let your kids grab at the puppy roughly.. 
  • Respect that it is a puppy and needs rest - let it sleep when it needs to sleep
  • Don't over-walk your puppy, their legs and joints are still growing - they don't need as much walking as you may think - play, yes! Lots of stimulation - chew toys, kongs, soft toys, frozen wet rope toys for when they are teething
  • Teach them to: leave (drop), come, wait, sit, stay, lie down, use a word for their toileting, e.g "wee wees" - it'll come in really handy!
  • Teach them to sit at any road or crossing
  • Teach them to get out of a car safely, or leave your home safely (e.g make them wait always and only let them walk when you are ready)
  • You can use a harness, but you can also clip the lead to the their collar to have a bit more control
  • Try to make them sit for their meals, and before you leave home.. e.g make them sit calmly for their food and exercise
  • Use a good dog food brand
  • Wash their bowls at each meal time, and freshen their water twice a day- they must always have water on hand
  • Use a long training lead for recall and use a toy or treats in training 
  • Give them lots of praise
  • Never shout at them using their name
  • Don't watch Ceasar Milan.. he is so overrated!
  • Don't allow them to bark at noises... an important one, you must nip this in the bud as fast as you can...and don't allow them to boss you into throwing a ball when they bark..Only throw a ball when they are calm. 
  • Slowly build up the time you leave them, remembering puppies have small bladders and will pee around the house - try to block off an area for them - use a crate or a children's pen scattered with newspaper or training pads . They must get used to you not being in the house to avoid separation anxiety... 
A lot of it is common sense, and consistency, but you must put in the work else you will have a difficult, tricky dog.. It can take months to train them...you need to persevere.... don't give up.. Balanced dogs comes from training and they need to be very well socialised, and have a lot of exercise (when they are past their puppy age) I am not a professional but I have owned dogs for 12 years.. I am Battersea based if you want to ask more questions, feel free.. It is better for you to train your own dog.. although I appreciate a professional can help you do that ;o) Good luck! Jacqueline x 
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Teenmum
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Re: Puppy Prep!

Postby Teenmum » Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:18 pm

Thanks for all of this Jacqueline, it’s really
helpful!
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JustT
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Re: Puppy Prep!

Postby JustT » Mon Feb 15, 2021 8:27 am

Hi there,

Jacqueline did give you a great brain dump. What sort of dog are you getting? I am a dog walker/daycare/boarding/trainer in the area. I can definitely get you started and it's great the more you know before puppy comes home.

My other top tips to add to Jacqueline's would be to

(a) start as you mean to go on (in other words, letting it jump up or sleep on the couch now when it's cute and small may not be what you want when it's bigger and muddy!)
(b) for housebreaking, take puppy out (armed with a small treat) every 20-30 minutes the first week and reward the moment business is finished. They are most likely to need to wee after a nap, before and after meals, and after playing. Do not punish accidents. Blame yourself.
(c) do not waste your recall word calling the dog if he/she is highly distracted and unlikely to listen (e.g. playing with another dog). Practise using your word ("come" or "here") after your dog is already running towards you that way building an association with the word. Then use a big reward that is reserved for recall training as it's the most important thing you'll teach, in my opinion.
(d) And finally, leadership is really important. Dogs are pack animals and need a leader. That leader cannot be the dog. It must be all of you. The dog must understand that it is the lowest in the pecking order (which is not disrespectful because they are not human). They feel more secure when they know you are the leader. This is not domination. There are a myriad of ways to develop this leadership role but it includes not rushing to the puppy first thing in the morning or when you come home, making puppy sit before - well - everything. This area is least well talked about when people are busy teaching commands but I've seen it as the biggest problem amongst anxious 'lockdown' puppies in particular.

Anyway, only little tidbits. It's overwhelming if you try to consider too much right from the start. Take a look at The Happy Puppy book if you haven't already. And for food, check out All About Dog Food (loads of people come home from the breeder with innutritious food....if the number one ingredient is maize, it's really bad!).

Good luck,

Billi Street
The Common Canine
07973 156003
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Dom@TheDogfather
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Re: Puppy Prep!

Postby Dom@TheDogfather » Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:34 am

Good morning.
We have another dog trainer at The Dogfather who can help you with one to one lessons and she can also do a pre puppy telephone consultancy if you need?
Please fill out the contact form on The Dogfather UK website and we will send you all the info and arrange the puppy training sessions.
Many thanks.
Dom @ The Dogfather 
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MagnoliaMum
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Re: Puppy Prep!

Postby MagnoliaMum » Mon Feb 15, 2021 10:50 am

All very good advice above! Definitely worth buying that book if you haven't already.

It can also be helpful to register for puppy socialisation classes as these can get booked up in advance; they are useful sessions to get your puppy used to playing nicely with other dogs in a controlled environment and they give you some tips on training etc when you are there. They are quite fun and social for the owners too! I'm not sure what's happening now in lockdown but it would be worth investigating and getting your name on a list as it may be different by March - Winkie Spears and Perfect Dog are two locally that I've experienced personally and can recommend.
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Teenmum
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Re: Puppy Prep!

Postby Teenmum » Mon Feb 15, 2021 11:01 am

Thank you all!
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