The dog really is man’s best friend. Raising a puppy can be one of the most rewarding times in your life. Not only are puppies super cute, they can be very loving and loyal, if you give them the opportunity. Of course, puppyhood are not all cute and tug-o-war pictures. Puppyhood can be incredibly challenging. Not only do you have to be patient, but you have to provide everything for this animal. You should consider any risk to it, you should plan vet visits and get dog food.

You need to be accompanied, the little train, and connect with this little animal that can not talk alone and show you how to help. Puppyhood is unique, but there are some areas of life that you will continue to work beyond small dogs.

We have a wonderfully sweet Boxer / Lab mix called Zoey. She likes everyone when she was introduced to them properly. This does not mean that she will bite someone or even shake or cry, but she can be very careful about young people appearing only in her world. The reason I am saying is that this is its limitation in this situation. Because I have spent a lot of time putting her in situations, taking her new places and introducing her to new people and things, I know where she is most likely to have an issue.

Food and treats

Being a mix of boxers, we have a constant concern for Zoey’s long-term health and prevent any unnecessary health risks, so we don’t give her anyone’s food.

Occasionally she will get a baby carrot or a piece of popcorn, but she does not eat any food that is prepared for ourselves. There is no table waste, no waste, nothing. She eats a very high quality dog ​​food that is free like wheat. The same goes for the 15-year-old Golden Youth who just passed away.

I want them all to have the longest and best life possible by giving junk food just is not something we do.

So when we have party, I go on standby for the people who give her food. I always mention it to everyone, especially new people and friends of friends who have come. But man Zoey can equip in the eyes of dog dogs when someone is sitting there with a snack on their lap, doing their best to convince those she may have. So we are very careful about this and make sure we are good parents of dogs in caring for our dog.

And seriously, chocolate kills dogs. A bag of Hershey kisses may not do it, but these days with more and more dark and accessible dark craft chocolates on the market, they will. We have a candy cauldron in our lobby at work all year round, and we have a strong “no chocolate in the bowl” rule. This can be difficult because, you know, chocolate! But this is what is best for dogs and we want to set the best example.

Comfort & Safety

My goal for Zoey was for her to sit quietly when she is not worried about someone or a new situation and wait until she is notified to go visit. Moving just downtown, which you can read about here, we’ve had plenty of opportunities lately to practice this.

What I have done consistently is while we are walking, I keep a close eye on him and, if he announces something and starts pulling, removing his ears, or inserting his tail under it, I will just I order the Heel (which turns it to my side) and keep it to sit quietly until the situation passes.

That does me a few things. First giving it a command helps to get it out of the car protection and back to the drive package where it is much smoother. The second thing this has is conditioning her to move towards me and stay calm when she is scared. The key here is to constantly and gently move him into position as soon as he begins to feel anxious about a situation. One of my biggest fears is that she gets scared of something, gets away from it and eventually me, getting away from her collar and running to find coverage, to never be seen again.

It makes the work for this very close and dear to my heart.

Now that we’ve been working with Zoey for a long time on achieving our goal she usually responds to things that scare her or take her out of the guard by getting closer to one of us and sitting quietly. She also responds similarly when we are at home and friends walk in the door. She stays quieter and waits until they come in to say hi before she goes for the visit (which is a big improvement on her first reaction when she heard the open one which was supposed to suffocate.) We worked hard to take a constraint that Zoey had and help her be more comfortable with everything so that she reacts better unconsciously.

Walking together

In the same rows when we are in controlled areas we practice crawling to slip or, as we are walking, I will remove her chain and go with her so that she gets used to the fact that even if the chain does not come out it is not just in one free for the whole state. In our line of work, we see a lot. Dogs that are conditioned to think that once the chain comes on, they no longer need to listen and can play wild.

One of the best ways to teach your dog that going out of the leash does not mean “the listening time is over” is every time you remove the rage, you sit down and wait. You pulled their belt from them. If they get up to leave you, use their collar to redirect them to the sitting position and tell them to wait again so you can remove their belt. And once you’re ready, release them gently “It’s okay” to let them know they’re free to go, but that’s quiet time. Other times, you can put the chain back on and remove it again, so you’re changing the pattern, as well as using a larger “It’s okay” elbow to indicate it’s time to play and have fun. !

Clothes and suits

As with everything else, dogs can easily be taught to at least agree to dress in clothes.

With Zoey, this started very early in her life. Being a super short haired dog she gets cold very easily! So her first entry to be wrapped in something was usually a blanket she welcomed because it kept her warm! So from there it was easy to move on to putting on sweaters that would keep her warm as she moved around. Then a casual hat or scarf will be put on it for a minute for our amusement. Then ultimately put on multiple pieces of a Halloween costume.

This progress has taken some time and LOTS treats, praises and physically draws attention when she went to take off a hat or chew on her new sweater. But in the end, she now LOVES getting dressed in a clothing item. Honestly, if you sit down and think, dressing a dog in a suit is a little weird for them. They are already wearing a fur coat covering them, why are you adding another layer, and you are bringing a hat on their head, which fluctuates or moves and moves in their peripheral vision.

This is another thing that is so important, teaching your dog not only to accept the dress, but to help with your dress. This is definitely a next level exercise in confidence and training with your dog, but it is so rewarding for you. The first step in getting your dog to help you get dressed is to teach them to stand. Check out our podcast for gentle treatment and keep more tips on the subject. But once you can get your dog to still stand for you, it’s time to start picking up their paws one at a time. Just how nice it would be for you to be able to put the sweater on your back and just lift a handwriting to put it in the hole when you catch it instead of beating them like an MMA fighter every time.

Once they will stand and let you take each foot regardless of its time to actually catch a garment item of concern to slide over them. Choose something loose that fits the first time, so you do not have to shoot for arm holes or tighten them unnecessarily. Then use their newly found skills to collect paws to help you get them where they need to go.

Always remember …

Be patient, use LOTS to treat and praise, and do not push your dog if they drown. This is meant to be fun for everyone, not just us as dog owners. The dog should enjoy it too. And the more time you learn to enjoy life, the better everyone’s life will be.