WORKING WITH PUPPIES

TEACHING THE RIGHT BEHAVIOURS FROM THE START

"I'm top dog around here!"

"No I am!" "Nope, I am"

"NO WAY - I AM!"

However, what it should look like is this:

CALM, ASSERTIVE LEADERS:

A clear line that separates the leadership role between owners and dogs - just like a wolves pack structure

CALM & BALANCED DOGS:

PUPPY BEHAVIOURS WE DEAL WITH:

You’re probably on this page of our website for one of three reasons... maybe you might be thinking about getting a puppy; or perhaps you’ve just bought a pup home, or lastly, maybe you have a puppy who has already developed unwanted behaviours.

Regardless of what stage you are at right now with your puppy, the good news is that we can help you! At Calm Down Dawg, we work with puppies all the time, from any age, ranging from 7 weeks through to over 12 months. Ideally our clients get us onboard before they have even picked up their puppy so we can ensure they do things right from day one... although sometimes this isn't always possible!

DEALING WITH PUPPIES: LEADERSHIP BEFORE LOVE

One bit of free advice that we’ll give you is this; if you want to shape a calm and balanced dog then live by this rule ‘leadership before love’. Most dog owners give ‘love before leadership’ and often end up with an adult dog with behavioural problems. However, the kindest gift you can teach a puppy from day one is distance.

This means you don’t shower them with cuddles 24/7 (although cuddles can come later).

Navigating the journey of buying a puppy, and then instilling the right behaviours from the outset can be a challenging task... particularly with all the confusing information you read online. However, our principles are simple - dogs are indeed pack animals. This means both dogs and puppies need clearly defined, yet simple, limitations and boundaries set by you, and the rest of the family to ensure they know that you are the pack leader(s), and that you will protect them, so they don’t need to get stressed, anxious, hyperactive or aggressive at any stage of their life.

When we work with puppies or dogs with behavioural problems this is a common observation:

We often get called in when a puppy has already developed unwanted behaviours. This can be stressful for both the pup/dog and the owners. The most common unwanted behaviours we have to recondition are the following: -

"I was a problem pup"

· Separation anxiety: Defined as disruptive or destructive behaviour, most puppies who have separation anxiety will whine or cry when left alone.

· Crate training: Crate training can be a great aid for toilet training as well as keeping your puppy safe.

· Puppy socialisation: Puppy socialisation ensures that your dog interacts appropriately with other humans or animals

· Jumping up: We've all met those boisterous puppies whose owners struggle to get them down!

as well as excessive barking at night, nipping / puppy biting; destructive behaviour; hyperactivity, aggression towards humans or dogs, fears and phobias, pulling on the lead, poor recall and resource guarding (aggression).

Investing in our puppy training packages means all these behaviours can be avoided and you’ll live a peaceful life (well, you do still own a puppy..). Our puppy training is run both in and out of the home, depending on your puppys personalised needs - for example this could be puppy lead training (loose lead walking), puppy obedience training, puppy recall training, breed specific mental stimulation exercises or whatever your puppy needs to be ‘normal’ and much more.

Prevention is always better than cure. However, If your pup has already developed unwanted behaviours, then relax and don’t worry because we can still help you. We work with owners and their beloved puppy on a one to one basis to ensure they get the right balance, especially breed specific balance, in the following 5 foundations of dog behaviour:

1. Owners influence

2. Diet

3. Exercise

4. Mental stimulation

5. Environment

When you have the right balance in these 5 foundations it’s rare that you have a dog with behavioural problems. A lot of clients come to us because their puppy didn’t get on in group puppy training classes and feel they need a 1-1 approach which is something we whole-heartedly believe in.

We’re passionate about ensuring dogs live a calm, balanced and happy life so please don’t hesitate to contact us so we can help you.

Find out how we can help you