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Training Tips
An ongoing series of informational entries
Training Tip: Puppy Biting!
New puppy owners always ask “how do I stop him from biting?” Short answer: you don’t. Instead, we manage it. And truth be told, we are managing the human’s behavior as much as the puppy’s behavior.
There are certain situations that can increase a puppy’s biting behavior. For example, if you are playing tug with your puppy then you are teaching her to grab onto something with her teeth, hold on, and pull back. Puppies can’t really discern the difference between a tug toy, your sleeve, or your bare hand. Having sharp puppy teeth grab onto your thumb, dig in, and pull back is not a fun experience. My advice is to stop all tugging behaviors right away. An alternative would be to use a Flirt Pole. This is a fun game and it creates distance between your hands and the puppy’s teeth. You can Google it. Flirt Pole. (Note: if you bought this puppy to be on the World Team in Agility, then you know how to manage the tugging games.)
Another situation that can increase a puppy’s biting behavior is hunger. While puppies are still young, they should be fed three times a day. Similar to a human infant, puppies need frequent small meals throughout the day because their digestive system cannot process large meals. When puppies are hungry, they tend to become very bitey.
Along the same vein, as puppies grow their need for calories increases. They need to be fed more kibble at 16 weeks old than they were fed at 8 weeks. This need for more calories can also cause the puppy to bite. They are hungry!
A very effective way to teach bite inhibition is to hand feed the puppy one of their meals each day. I typically do this for their breakfast. I scoop up a handful of kibble and let them eat out of my hand until all the food is gone. Yes, it’s messy but it is very effective in teaching the puppy to respect your hand. Here is a link that demonstrates this: https://youtu.be/aE0m9Q8m-wo
In my Puppy Kindergarten classes, I’ll oftentimes have the owners give their puppy a handful of kibble just before we start training. This can satisfy any excessive hunger and reduce biting while we go through our training exercises.
One more thing. If you have small children who run around the house and excite the puppy resulting in biting, buy the children some rubber boots that cover their lower legs. Have them wear the boots anytime they are around the puppy. So, if the puppy gets excited and bites, the puppy is biting the rubber boot and not your child’s ankles.
That’s it for today’s Training Tip. Call Colorado Springs Dog Training Center to enroll your puppy into our puppy kindergarten class to put him on the right path of becoming an Exceptional Companion Dog.
Call 719-499-8294
Training Tip: Puppy Socialization.
Let’s start with an explanation of what socialization means. Think of the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. A puppy needs to be gently exposed to lots of new and novel things that can be processed by the five senses. New things to see, new sounds to hear, different smells and tastes, and different things to feel like different surfaces to walk on.
Dogs live with humans and to live confidently and peacefully they need to be well socialized. Dr. Ian Dunbar says that a puppy should meet 100 new people in 100 days.
There is a critical period in the development of a puppy when the puppy needs to get as many of these socialization experiences as possible. This critical period is typically between 6 and 12 weeks. Scientists vary on defining the age range, some say it even goes to 16 weeks.
Studies have shown that during this critical period these early experiences are actually hard wired into the brain. Memories are created that last a lifetime. If the puppy isn’t adequately socialized during this period, if often results in a dog who is fearful, aggressive, growls at people, or worse.
Breeders are very aware of this critical period and do a good job ensuring their puppies get as many socialization experiences as possible before going to their new homes. New owners are usually coached as to what they need to do with the puppy regarding continued socialization. Ignoring this coaching can have a long-term negative effect on a dog’s life and will not contribute to a peaceful homelife.
New puppies must be managed very carefully. On the one hand we need to provide a wide range of experiences for the puppy, and on the other hand we must be mindful of their safety, vaccinations, and overall well-being. So much of this socialization can be done in the safety of your home and yard. It’s important to talk to your vet and keep current on the puppy’s vaccinations.
So go have fun with your new little one and introduce them to their new world! As soon as they are eligible, enroll them in a puppy kindergarten class.
That’s it for today’s Training Tip. Call Colorado Springs Dog Training Center to enroll your puppy into our puppy kindergarten class to put him on the right path of becoming an Exceptional Companion Dog.
Call 719-499-8294
Training Tip: Loose Leash Walking
Of all the long-term behavior issues, Loose Leash Walking is near the top of the list. Every day I see people being pulled by their dog down the sidewalk or through a park.
More often than not, the dog is most likely an adolescent… somewhere between the ages of 5- 20 months old. They are young, athletic, and full of exuberance.
Let’s look a little deeper into this problem. Dogs typically pull because they want to go somewhere, greet someone, or because they see something interesting. They are paying little attention to the person on the other end of their leash. Their behavior appears to lack self-control and impulse control.
The owner is frustrated, exhausted, and dealing with a range of emotions! This dog went to puppy classes and obedience classes and he acts like he’s never been trained at all!
Well, there is some underlying truth to all of this.
What you probably don’t know is that, in general, the canine brain is not fully developed until a dog is approximately 18 months old. Hormones, the limbic system and the pre-frontal cortex are constantly changing during a dog’s adolescence. The limbic system is the part of the brain that’s responsible for behavioral and emotional responses and the pre-frontal cortex manages impulse control. So the dog is learning what you want them to do, it’s just that they are dealing with a constantly changing biological state and sometimes biology overwhelms behavior. Think of a 16 year old boy who just got his driver’s license, he knows the rules but then there’s that biology.
The dog is overwhelmed by his own biology and inability to control his impulses. This lack of self-control plays out when he is out for a walk with his owner. There is lots of pulling and lunging. He’s acting like he’s never been trained at all.
So what can you do? First and foremost, keep training. Stay enrolled in training classes, practice leash walking outdoors where there are few distractions, and learn the proper techniques to employ when your dog pulls. There is no magic solution, just time and patience.
Most importantly you need to understand that a dog’s adolescence is a very difficult time for you and the dog. Be consistent, be kind, and provide the dog with the structure he needs to be successful in the future.
That’s it for today’s Training Tip. Call Colorado Springs Dog Training Center to enroll your dog into one of our excellent training classes to help him become an Exceptional Companion Dog.
Call 719-499-8294