GETTING A NEW PUPPY
---------------------------------------------

Welcoming a new puppy into your home is a lot of fun, but it also marks the start of responsibilities for you as the owner. Not only must you feed and groom your pet, but also it’s vital to invest time and effort in training. This will ensure that your puppy will grow into a loyal, loving and obedient companion. Properly trained, your pet is more likely to obey your commands and less likely to be a nuisance, either at home or in public places.

WHERE DO I START?

The importance of socialisation

A puppy is learning from the day it is born, especially between 3-26 weeks. New experiences during this period will have a lasting impression on the puppy. Socialisation refers to the process by which puppies learn to relate to people and other animals through interaction and having pleasant encounters. The process also involves the pet becoming used to a wide range of events, environments and situations.

Ensure that your puppy meets people of varying ages and in different settings. Producing a titbit or a toy can encourage enjoyment. Your puppy should also meet other friendly dogs – joining a puppy training class is a good way to do this. Ask us for details about our nurse-run puppy parties. Puppies that are socialised properly will be friendly and happy with people and other animals, and are more likely to make successful pets.

Establishing who is ‘Boss’

All dogs are pack animals and respect the pack leader. Your puppy will regard your family and your other pets as the new pack. From day one, teach the puppy that you are the pack leader, and that it is the bottom dog in the pack. In this way the puppy should obey your commands.

If its place in the pack is well established, it will be much more contented. The puppy knows that you, as pack leader, will protect it and make decisions for it. If you don’t establish it’s position early on, then the puppy may attempt to become pack leader itself!

TEACHING YOUR PUPPY RULES AND COMMANDS

You should begin by teaching your puppy house rules such as preventing him from jumping up, begging at the table and getting on the furniture. Remember to reward good behaviour rather than punish for doing wrong.

Training to ‘sit’, ‘stay’, ‘heel’ and respond to ‘no’ can begin once the family is settled in the family home. Reward or praise correct actions and ignore wrong actions. Once you are confident your puppy knows the action, link a command word to it. The puppy will then associate the action with the command and ultimate reward. Note that dogs tend to have a small span of attention, so keep lessons short and fun, like teaching a child.

To learn the most effective and preferred procedures for training, many owners find it useful to join a training club. Be sure to choose classes which reward and encourage rather than using physical means to get the dogs to behave. Ask at reception for a list of local training classes.

PRAISE IS THE KEY

Never punish or verbally chastise after the event. It is too late. So, if your dog will not come when it is called, it’s no use telling it off when it finally turns up, as it will think it’s being told off for coming! Remember to use titbits, toys and praise to reward good results.

THE CALL OF NATURE

Training can begin as soon as you get your new puppy home. Take your puppy to a particular spot in the garden and repeat a chosen phrase – Guide Dog trainers use the word “Busy” as a command. Be patient and wait. The process should be repeated shortly after each feed, after playing and exercise, after sleeping, first thing in the morning and last thing at night.

Praise the puppy when it begins and finishes, and repeat the same phrase so that the words will become associated with the action. Train your dog to ‘go’ at home. Whether at home or in a public place, like the park, make sure you clean up afterwards and dispose of the waste properly. Many local authorities now provide dog waste bins for the easy disposal of faeces.

BEING LEFT ALONE

Dogs are sociable animals and it is unkind to leave them alone for more than a few hours a day. However, it is very important that your puppy learns to be alone to help prevent unacceptable behaviour (such as barking) when it is older and left alone.

Close the door to the kitchen, ideally when the puppy is naturally sleepy in its bed. Ignore any whining and scratching and eventually the puppy should fall asleep. Open the door so that the puppy can get out when it awakes. Gradually increase the time that your puppy spends alone until it is happy in your absence.

EXERCISE

Regular exercise is vital once the puppy is 4-5 months old. Introduce a collar gradually in the early stages, and preferably during play or eating.

If reluctant, you should try to encourage, by bending down and patting your leg and calling, rather than dragging the puppy. If you have another dog, ensure that your puppy spends twice as much time playing with you so that it learns to relate well with humans. It’s also a good idea to occasionally take the puppy for walks without your other dog to encourage the puppy’s independence.

THE GOOD TRAVELLER

Make the first journey very short, and then gradually increase the length of time spent travelling in the car. If the puppy gets used to car travel at an early age, it will grow up to enjoy the experience. If you have to break a journey, remember that you should never leave a dog in a car without adequate ventilation, and unless you can ensure that the temperature will remain moderate.

For further recommended reading on this topic:

‘The Perfect Puppy – How to raise a problem-free dog’
By Gwen Bailey
Hamlyn – ISDN 0600 585 816