General Training « Sit Means Sit Dog Training

Socializing Your New Puppy

The Social Dog

Studies show the best time to wean a puppy is at 7 weeks. This is considered the most optimum time for the bond to form with humans and yet, still be capable of healthy bonding with others of his kind.

Even though your pup may be eating solid food as early as 4-5 weeks, to remove him from his litter too early can create an imbalance of how well he can relate to others of his kind. Also, if he is left too long with his litter or mom the pup can have a difficult time dealing with human interaction. Usually this won’t be obvious with his actual owner, but is evident when friends come to visit; he may act fearful or shy and even aggressive in place of being over the moon with enthusiasm to greet guests.

At 5-7 weeks it will become obvious that mom is beginning to spend less and less time with her pups as they need her less; it is a very important time for your puppy to learn how to act like a dog in a family environment as he interacts with his littermates. He will be exposed to all of the body language postures of adult dogs; this is a learning experience for your puppy where his hunting and prey drive is displayed as is dominance and submission as he and his littermates “play act” out their roles with each other.

A well balanced dog is a social dog. This means your dog is comfortable in social environments that our society presents. This will allow your pooch to be the best companion possible because he is able to adjust to the things in a busy, active and normal environment.

Things to do to help socialize your puppy or dog:

Your dog is a social animal. He wants and needs to be with others of his kind. When you remove him from his litter, you become the surrogate and now his greatest need is to be with you and part of your social structure. This social structure in the dog world is referred to as the “pack”.

Your dog now looks to you to fulfill his social needs. He needs time to be with you and the family, but he will also need to learn to be comfortable being without you. You can’t babysit your dog 24-7 yet he would prefer that you do. The remarkable thing about our dog is that he is so adaptable and incredibly trainable. Once we understand how the dog naturally responds, we can utilize this understanding to help us build a balanced and healthy relationship that meets both his needs and ours at the same time.

It will be important that you establish yourself as the social leader in your dog’s world or you will see your dog confused and stressed by feeling the need to fill the empty role of leadership that all packs naturally have. Your training should provide these needed boundaries for your dog.

New experiences for your puppy should happen early so that he learns to adjust and thinks these occurrences are normal and standard in his world.

Learning to stand on a surfboard for the 1st time!

How early should these new experiences begin? At 8-12 weeks of age studies show that the ability to accept new things is optimal. Show your puppy all the things at this early age that you will want him to be comfortable around when he is an adult. This includes people, children (very important), noises, animals, car rides, objects and different footing. The more stimuli your young friend is exposed to the more he will be relaxed when exposed later in life to new things.

Ask for help from your friends.

Take your puppy as many places as you can early on so that he begins to get exposure to the world you will want him to be a part of. Give him the opportunity to meet as many friends as possible and try to expose him daily to small children if possible.

Some veterinarians encourage that your puppy go places early to get healthy exposure and other veterinarians are very cautious about taking your pup out until all vaccinations have been given, which is generally at about 4 months of age.

Rover on his cot at an outside cafe

The problem with the latter is that a 4 month old puppy that has never been out of your home or back yard could be compared to a 13 year old teenager who has never left the house. The pup grows up much more quickly than a human child does and early socialization is very important to healthy development for him. If your veterinarian does not encourage your puppy to be out in public until fully vaccinated try to find alternatives to giving him good healthy exposure to the world. It is a good idea to stay away from the dog park, pet stores like Petsmart, and active parks that dogs frequent in large numbers. Getting in the car and going places with you daily will help your pup with one type of good socialization; learning to be comfortable in the car and with the sounds of traffic and other everyday noises. Taking your pup places like Home Depot and letting him ride in the cart should be good exposure. Also, going places like coffee shops is a good idea but keep your pup on your lap to eliminate contact with germs on the ground from other dogs.

Other dogs, noises, obstacles and ground exposure.

Puppy socialization classes are one way to expose your puppy to new experiences, but be careful that the exposure is the right kind of exposure for your puppy. For instance, if your pup thinks it’s social hour every time he encounters another of his kind, but the other dog he is encountering is not as keen about playing, your dog could be an overly social dog that creates problems around other dogs instead of dealing well with the exposure. This could cause him to create a conflict or aggressive move by another dog if they don’t like the way your dog is acting. In other words your dog should be able to handle being around other dogs, but not so wild or excited that he loses self control and gets himself into trouble.

Handle your puppy everywhere.

This is another important part of socialization. While a pup, get him used to having his ears looked at, his feet touched and his toenails messed with. Look into his mouth and overall make every part of his body a positive when you touch these areas. Use food to help your pup if he seems uncomfortable. Reward for allowing you to touch and area that is not comfortable for your pup.

Socialization plays such an important role in your dog’s life that if he misses out on it you may find some serious and unwanted behaviors are the result.

Why Crate Training?

Crate training is a safe way to contain your puppy or dog.
Some people have an adverse opinion of a crate and the general reason is usually because they believe it is not comfortable for the dog. When you think like a dog, however; and not like a human, the crate becomes a favorable place because the crate replicates a natural den environment. Despite some opinions to the contrary, the crate is really a humane way to safely contain your pup or dog.

Why does crate training work?
It works because dogs have an innate den instinct and like to sleep in a small, confined space. The crate serves as a safe place for the dog to go to when he is tired or anxious. It provides a sense of security and it is a familiar place to your pet if his environment changes during travel or a move. The crate can be transported with you and give your pet added stability to keep something familiar in his world during a confusing time for him. Crate training is also a valuable tool for house training and for helping to teach him to be calm. Crating your pet prevents him from engaging in negative behaviors like chewing or digging or other destructive behavior patterns which can occur when you are not available to supervise.

When do you teach crate training?
The answer is anytime it is a necessary tool in your tool box. Although, it is easiest to introduce a crate to a young puppy it is never too late to train your dog to use a crate.

What kind of crate do you get?
There are many styles of crates to consider for your needs. There is the plastic airline crate most commonly used for shipping but it can be used just as easily in your home; the wire open-air style is popular and this model comes in collapsible versions for easy fold up, or the soft-sided crate which is lightweight and quickly put up. Because of its ease of assembly and light weight, the soft-sided crate is popular with dog handlers who travel to competitions like agility and obedience. This is not a crate to begin training a new puppy with, however, because the soft material sides could be chewed.

What size crate do you get?
Your crate should be large enough for your dog or pup to stand up and turn around in. If you are trying to house train a young puppy, use a crate that will be large enough when your dog is full grown but has a divider to give the pup just enough room for his current size. Most dogs are clean by nature and will try not to urinate or defecate in the area that they sleep in. If the crate is too large your puppy may go to the other side of the crate to relieve himself in place of attempting to hold it.

Wire Crate Just the Right Size

What do you do when your pup is crying in his crate?
You may have to weather initial moans, cries, screams and maybe an outright temper tantrum because your pup generally will not be happy the first time he is introduced to his crate. Especially if he has just been separated from his litter he will be very unhappy and may even panic the first time. It is important however that you do not give in thereby rewarding the act of becoming hysterical. If you feel sorry for him and get him out before he settles down, he will quickly learn that the more he cries it will eventually bring him what he wants….OUT!

What do you do if you are not sure your puppy has to go potty when he is crying in his crate?
It will be important to quickly get a schedule on your new puppy so that you can get him out of his containment area in time so he can learn to relieve himself outside. The schedule should start out with short sessions with your dog in his crate for about two hours before letting him out. His feeding will be a part of the schedule. Once your puppy has eaten and you have seen him relieve himself outside, then it should be safe to put him into his crate. With a schedule in place, time and duration in the crate can quickly be extended. If he is going out every two hours and you are hoping to sleep longer during the night, let him stay crated for a longer period of time; if he begins to cry and it has been three or four hours then you must get him out and give him the chance to relieve himself. You will learn how long he can hold it and you will not be in danger of rewarding the wrong behavior of barking. Once the first few days have passed your dog’s schedule will begin to form.

Soft Sided Collapsible Crate

What kinds of things will make your puppy like his crate better?
A helpful hint for going into the crate is to give the puppy a good outlet first which will help tire him out. A short walk or playing in the yard or with the kids can be a good way to get him a bit tired before sending him to his quiet, safe place to relax. Toys that cannot be chewed up and ingested are okay to keep in the crate. Also, safe chewing bones are a good idea. A Kong stuffed with peanut butter can keep your pup happy for hours. Feeding your puppy in the crate can be helpful and giving him a treat when he goes into the crate initially are ways to help get a new dog accustomed to his new crate.

The more you use your crate for constructive confinement and training, which means that your puppy has had enough time to be out and part of the family with your supervision before being crated, the more comfortable and safe his crate will feel to him. Just like your bedroom and bed may be a welcome sight at the end of your day, your dog will view his crate in much the same way. It’s all about how you train and use your crate.

Pack Theory and Leadership/Home Manners

Hiking with Trained Dogs is a Breeze

Dogs are social animals they need to be with others of their kind. They relate to their kind similarly to our social requirements as humans, thus making dogs ideal companions in many ways. If we understand some basic things about nature and what the dog does without our intervention, we can understand how to help train our dogs to have a mutually beneficial relationship that is satisfying and meeting his needs as well as our own.

Order and Boundaries

Important to note is that the dog’s survival of his family or pack members weighs solely on the ability to maintain order and have clear boundaries in place. We will meet those intrinsic canine needs through training and providing clear boundaries and structure. This will allow your dog to feel safe and secure and help him adjust to the best of his abilities into our social human society. After all, your dog can’t know if he runs into the street it is dangerous for him if you don’t teach him. He simply can’t understand the words without instruction from you.

Whatever your goals might be, training can be a wonderful companion to exercise. Training helps reduce anxieties such as separation destructive behavior. We are going to start our education with our dog in a format that follows his basic needs for order and structure to help create a long and balanced bond between you and your dog.

Your dog is learning from you all the time. Will your dog learn good things or bad things?

Training Equipment: Your training starts the moment you get up and greet your dog. Attach his training equipment: A leash, line, remote collar or slip snap style collar first thing in the morning. Take all training equipment off when you leave the house or are unable to supervise his actions.

Supervise your dog at all times

If you are unable to supervise your dog’s actions, then put him safely away into a containment or management system. A crate, dog run, exercise pen are examples. Ask if you need suggestions on what is best to help your needs.

Do not hold your dog responsible if he is not being supervised and gets in to trouble. It’s not his fault.

The Long Line- it is an important tool in the beginning of your training and will help you reinforce and guide the dog to or away from what you are teaching him. Your dog should be wearing a long line whenever you are home with him in the beginning stages of training.

Never Give Your Dog the Opportunity to Disobey Unless You Can Enforce or Reinforce What You Ask of Him.

Never Give a Command You Cannot Enforce.

Although it is fair to say nothing is absolute, the above are good rules to follow to the best of your abilities, trying to be a consistent and fair as possible with your dog. Remember, if you can’t supervise his actions then put him away where he cannot be successful at doing the wrong behavior.

: Well Behaved Dogs and Well Behaved Children!

A Case For Dog Training

by Toni Drugmand and Fred Hassen

WELL-TRAINED — Toni Drugmand's Belgian Malinois Talon jumps the bar held by Dot Com, the little Jack Russell Terrier, and Astra, the Swedish Valhund. All three of these dogs were trained from puppies with a remote collar.

Editor’s Note: We had the pleasure of watching Toni Drugmand and her group of happy, well-trained dogs at the Arizona’s recent RV show at the Civic Plaza. It occurred to us how much more pleasurable it is for boaters, RVers, and anglers to have well-mannered dogs as their “Good Company” on outings around the state. Consequently, we at AZBW decided to share a bit about Sit Means Sit with our readers.

Dogs give so much to us and touch us so deeply. They bring us such comfort and joy; they deserve to have the best we can give them in terms of happiness and freedom and safety and security.

Dogs show happiness when we come home, when we say nice things to them, and especially when we spend time with them. They seem to express sadness when we are gone or get upset, and they even seem to sense when we are not feeling well.

It is hard to imagine that they really don’t know how to behave in our world of circumstances. Nevertheless, their world. of communication, though it shares similar virtues, is very different from ours.

The training decisions you make of course are your personal choice, and you have the freedom to select what makes the most sense to you. The outdoor recreational lifestyle that hikers, campers, horseback riders, boaters, anglers, and RVers love to enjoy are only enhanced when the family pet is able to be a part of the experience.

Having a well-mannered pet ensures the pleasure and enjoyment that both dog and owner get to experience together.

Dogs Are Social Critters

Because dogs are naturally social beings, they want to be with us. Often referred to as pack animals, dogs have an instinctive need to be part of a pack or group of other dogs.

To ensure survival, dogs in the wild have a very strong need to have order and boundaries. If they don’t, their ability to survive is weakened.

This innate ingredient makes them easily trainable. It also provides us with a strong case for training because having order and structure is something the dog naturally needs.

The dog we are talking about is a canine wonder, but no one told him the mail carrier shouldn’t be chased down the block, or Granny should be treated with gentleness and not jumped upon with love, the lovely garden that mother just planted needs to stay earthed, and the sprinklers are not something to be killed.

So there you are with your dog at your side. To get anywhere, you have to step past the plethora of theories and methods, each of which claim to be the Holy Grail.

Your dog, with all his/her creative exploration of behavior options like the counter surfing, chasing cars, chewing your favorite leather shoes and so on, is really just looking for a job, and if he/she doesn’t find one is sure to create one.

He is looking for someone to show him about how things are, to keep him safe, to prepare his meals and most importantly, someone to spend time with. All he really wants to know is what the boundaries and rules are.

If he can’t find them from your direction, then he might just have to invent them! Dogs of all types, temperaments, and breeds fall into this category.

Training your dog gives your canine friend a job and helps him understand what his boundaries are. It provides him with a sense of safety and security, and it allows both of you freedom and the enjoyment of your companionship because of it.

Our Training here at DOG-ON-IT Training! uses the No Limitations system of dog training developed by Fred Hassen. This dog-training approach utilizes a remote-training collar (www.sitmeanssit.com).

This allows us to train our dogs in a very effective, quick, and gentle manner because of the instant communication we are able to share with our dog. Our clients all receive a free training demonstration so they can see the initial response of their dogs first hand in the face of distractions and make their decisions based on what they see first hand. We call this real world training.

We ask our clients to feel the collar. Many clients express that the pulse feels like a Tens Unit they have experienced or like other electronic pulse treatments used by physical therapists, chiropractors, and other medical professionals. In fact, recently in a conversation with a Tens Unit Sales representative, I was told that our remote dog training collars were not as strong as the feel of the portable Tens Unit he was selling.

Innovation has always brought about controversy, and the idea of using a collar that promotes an electronic pulse can be an emotionally loaded and controversial subject for some. The controversy however, should pale, in comparison, to the results our training is known for.

Much of the opposition to this method is based on a genuine lack of education and the assumption that the training collar is harsh punishment. Innovation usually faces unfounded criticism.

After all, the bicycle was deemed an instrument of the devil, for example. The airplane was thought to surely stop your heart, and the automobile had as many concerns as well. Today we all know those criticisms are absurd.

Making the Right Training Decision

One of the first questions a person new to dog training asks is “Where do I start?” It can be overwhelming.

There are as many “experts” in the field as there are breeds of dogs. All you have to do is pick up one of the dozens of dog-training books.

If you really do some homework, you will check out the Internet and all other obvious sources for information. It can be overwhelming, a bit confusing, and full of contradictions.

When someone represents themselves to you as an “expert” in the field, it can mean that they have years of quality training experience, or they might have recently put up a sign that reads “dog trainer,” or “animal behavior specialist,” without much experience at all.

Titles and certifications for trainers are not standardized. You may also find that everyone you know, friend or acquaintance, has an “expert” opinion.

Equipment, more varied than ever, has also become the subject of heated controversy. Some people love head halters others think they are crutches. Some swear by clickers; some swear against them. Some people hate pinch collars, or any collar at all, and insist on a harness.

There are “no- pull” harnesses, pulling harnesses, soft muzzles, basket muzzles, martingales, British slip leashes, Flexis, leashes that emit a noise when the dog pulls, leashes made of Bungee cord, and the,list goes on and on. If you use food in training, you might be told that you must have the right treats, and be vigilant in your quest to find them.

Your toy better be motivating, or you need to buy another one and try again. You could also be told that in order to motivate your dog to do what you need of him, you must withhold food from him until he gets hungry enough to listen.

Eventually if he wants to eat he will work for his food. Someone else might tell you this is a mean thing to do to your dog.

The language that defines exactly what dog training is can be as slippery as it is emotionally loaded. Moreover, it still does not define the art of talking to your dog in a way that he learns what you want him to know.

Not surprisingly, the multitude of approaches and of tools has led to as many cautionary tales as success stories. How can a beginner get anything done when so many people are telling you so many contrary things?

Remember the safety and security of training your dog will go along way to help ensure a memorable and relaxing time on your outdoor adventures. If you are interested in a free training demonstration at DOG-ON-IT Training! or in simply receiving more information, call (602) 992-8743 or visit either www.nomoreleash.com or www.sitmeanssit.com.

Reprinted from AZ Boating & Watersports, April 2006

Sit Means Sit, Phoenix

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