Puppy Care | 8 Week Visit | Dog Training

Puppy Care and Training

8 Week Visit

During the first two-to-four months of life, your puppy will form impressions of you and the world in which he lives. He will decide if the world is a good or bad place and if he can be the “leader of the pack.” Socialization and dominating your puppy during this formative age will enable him to grow into a nice, well-trained, well-adjusted dog.

Now is the perfect time to get your puppy a bordatella vaccine. It helps prevent your puppy from getting kennel cough. Your puppy needs this vaccine if he will be going to the groomer, doggie day care, the dog park, a kennel facility, or is around other dogs.

Puppy Socialization
Socializing a puppy consists of pleasantly introducing him to people, places, noises and other facets of his work so that he’ll become comfortable with them. The following are suggested activities:

Introduce your puppy to the mail and newspaper carriers, friends, children and strangers.
Take him for rides in the car.
While he is eating, gently clang some pans together to accustom him to unexpected noises.
Introduce him to other nice, healthy dogs.
If you have a hunting dog, show him your shotgun, work the action and get him used to the sound of a cap gun.
In short, show him the world.

If these things are done with enjoyment, your puppy will most likely think that the world is a good and interesting place. An absence of early social interaction can lead to a dog that is aggressive, antisocial and generally undesirable as a pet.

Dominance
Originally, dogs were pack animals. The toughest dog would become the leader of the pack. Dogs use body language to communicate their desire to be dominant by raising hackles, snarling, baring their teeth, holding their ears erect and also staring and fighting. Submissive behavior, the opposite of dominance, includes lowering their head and ears, lying down and avoiding eye contact.

Owners may also use body language to teach their dog to be subordinate to them. The following exercises all exert dominance over the pet. Practice them several times a day for a couple of minutes with your puppy. If your dog considers people to be dominant, he will be easier to train.

Recommended Exercises

Cradle your puppy on his back in your arms.
Hold him on the floor on his back.
Hold him at arms length under his front legs and stare at him.
Handle his feet and ears, open his mouth, lift his tail and brush him all over.
While he is eating, take his dish away and give it back.

If your puppy is submissive and allows himself to be dominated, be sure to praise him lavishly. Dogs will do almost anything for praise. Praise will have far more effective results then discipline.

If your dog fights and will not be submissive, you must be dominant. Follow these steps until your dog allows you to dominate and then praise him immediately.

Firmly say “no.”
Next, if necessary, yell “no!”
If your pet is still not submissive, lift him by the scuff of the neck and gently shake him and say “no!”

Be sure to follow any discipline with immediate praise and rewards once the puppy is behaving as he should. It is much better to be severe once or twice with your dog then to continually be nagging. It is considered to be nagging if one says “no” to their pet more than twice without getting any results. Immediate praise will help offset any fear resulting from discipline.

The Basics of Dog Training … TREATS!
Dog training was previously based upon ideas developed by military dog trainers. This method employed a strict command, verbal positive reward, or physical negative feedback technique. This “obey or else” type of training resulted in obedient, but often browbeaten, low-spirited dogs. Luckily, times have changed. The current method employs treats, more treats, praise, more treats and far less discipline. It still requires consistency, puppy kindergarten, obedience school, plus time and effort. As the owner, you need to establish the rules and consistently demand adherence to these rules. With an emphasis on the positive and the use of goodies, your pet will learn and continue to enjoy learning. He’ll behave for the fun of it in understanding that proper behavior brings treats.

It is not necessary to carry a pocket of tidbits forever in order to make your dog behave. The treats are gradually given less often, verbal praise is always used and the dogs are still happy. As it turns out, an occasional treat is all it takes to maintain the desired behavior. When trying to train your dog, figure out a way to do it with praise and treats and limit the negative. The end result will be happy dogs with happy owners.

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