Puppy Love

     What do you envision when you hear the word "Puppies"? Cute little balls of fluff? Adorable yawns? Endless energy? Possibly all these things and more!

     Nothing seems to hit the "Awww" button, or make us want to reach out and touch more than a cute puppy. The first potty outside, "Sit", come when called, and "Lay Down" make us cheer and bubble over with treats and good humor!

     So why is it that in just a few weeks, most people forget to cheer at the perfect "Sit"? We get flustered at the steaming pile of poo by the back door, we even forget to give a treat or a pat for "Lay Down". Apparently our attention spans may be shorter than that of our pups!

     Riley has been staying with me routinely for a few days at a time since her Mommy and Daddy brought her home. Even though she already has demonstrated a firm grasp of some basic commands (Sit, Down, Come, Shake, Roll-over, and Play Dead) we still review each one daily before applying it to a distracting situation (I often use Brutus and Grace as distractions). This can greatly reduce the stress in Riley as she learns to apply the commands to new situations. It also makes it more fair to the dog, by setting her up for success, not only challenging her.

     Does anyone remember how long it took to learn how to tie your shoes perfectly? (That attractive, symmetrical bow made with pink sparkly laces made me so proud!) How about learning to brush your teeth? Driving? The simpler tasks can be taught and retained within days. The last one, if I recall correctly, one must be chaperoned when driving for an entire year before driving solo.

     It is much easier to perform tasks in a structured setting with guidance. Tying a shoe quickly to catch the bus adds more difficulty to the task, like when you ask your puppy to do all those new tricks in front of all your friends, around other dogs, or in a new place. New surroundings can be distracting, even intimidating!

     Slow and steady wins the race. It also makes training more reliable and consistent. Reviewing simple commands and praising can boost confidence and performance in a dog. In brand new busy places I will often stand to the side and have my dogs Sit for a moment to take in everything calmly, this helps avoid leash pulling once we begin to walk.

     At the age of 13 weeks, Riley can now consistently down and stay for about 20 minutes with both Brutus and Grace. It is how she earns her play time.

     But in order for her to keep this skill, it must be practiced! Puberty is just around the corner, and that means more adaptive trials from Riley to see if my rules change!

     I'm looking forward to it!