Thank you for adopting one of Momma Luna’s Amazing 8! It’s great to know Lucy has a wonderful forever home to look forward to, and your adopting her, saves a life that otherwise would not have been lived. Lucy is the perfect choice for your family! Of the eight Lucy was the most physically challenged. Her head injuries looked scary! Good thing it was mostly just bad looking and some good vetting with our partner in this project, Coastal Vet, along with great care has made her the healthy pup you see today. Welcoming a new puppy into your life is a big commitment. Raising a good dog requires just a little work on your part. Being consistent and loving are the most important, in my opinion. You CAN raise a good puppy! and your pup will give you tons of love in reward for your attention and care. Plus it’s fun Here are some tips I want to share with you, that I think work, in raising a great pup and a loving, lifelong companion. equipment I suggest ~ a dog carrier (closed is better in my opinion if you want your puppy sleeping at certain times of day/night) a dog gate. Keep your pup in the bathroom when you are not interacting. Pups need to sleep too and you can better control house training as pups usually go to the bathroom right after they wake up/eat. **below ten suggestions were found on poundwishes, I like a lot of the info this site shares with readers and subscribers #1 Punishment Probably not what you were expecting to top the list, as we have all been trained to give both positive and negative feedback as a guide to young learners. However, using negative physical or verbal actions to redirect a puppys behavior may not have the expected consequence. Not only do they come to associate displeasure with you, but they are not likely to form an association between discipline and the undesired act. Reward training, while requiring proactive effort and greater initiative, is found to be far more effective in conveying desired behavior for young dogs, and results in happier companions along with improved learning #2 Talking We all love the idea of our dog interpreting our praise and frustrations through our words; however, they are likely as confused by our ramblings as we are being spoken to in strange lands. Sure, they can develop familiarity to some verbal commands and respond to the sound of their names, but truth be told they are more responsive to voice inflection, bodily cues, and reliable conditioning than to the most devoted strings of words. The point here is to manage your expectations regarding how your pup might react to verbal communication. If you really want to see your puppy respond in an appropriate way to your direction, look to reinforcement training along with hand signals to convey your wishes #3 Expensive Puppy Food Marketers know their business: paste a few luxurious ingredients on the package, and any self-respecting dog owner will shell out the difference for expensive puppy chow. Fact is, most seemingly beneficial additives are themselves not essential for your puppys health. While it makes sense to seek out foods that are thoughtfully sourced, any extra for the latest bells and whistles will only serve to soothe your conscience rather than help your puppy in any discernible way. Do yourself, and your wallet, a favor and save those extra bucks for a trip to the dog park, or an occasional professional grooming. #4 Inconsistency This gets back to the idea of punishment and reward: There are going to be times when we respond to certain behaviors but fail to at others. This inconsistency confuses our young companion. To avoid this, use proactive training to elicit target behaviors and provide guidance as you go. In any event, be disciplined in your approach, giving consistent feedback for their actions time after time. Predictable outcomes build predictable behavior, especially during the formative years of puppyhood. #5 Leash Control We are all going to make mistakes while our dogs are on a leash. Reflex suggests we pull in response to circumstance to control our animal. Yet, these mistakes are not entirely helpful, and are especially confusing to a young pup. As it turns out, dogs have a reflex to pull away from being restrained. This rarely results in the desired behavior, and does little to train your growing puppy on how to use behave on their leash. Instead of pulling, redirect your companion away from the source of its excitement and reward his reaction. Soon, he will come to learn that his leash is part of a team effort, not simply an annoying barrier to his freedom. Have him focus on your interaction during your walks, and he will come to find you far more attractive than whatever grabs his attention along the way. #6 Impatience The early formative weeks are a golden opportunity to build a foundation for a lifetime of good behavior. Patience is required for the rearing of any dog, so be careful not to give up just because you arent making headway. It may take an inexperienced owner longer to do effective training, so give yourself and your pup due time. Frustration can easily subside once you remind yourself that you, too, were young once and really didnt know any better. Remaining calm, trying again, being compassionate, and awaiting positive outcomes are all parts of the patience required to be an effective role model to your puppy. #7 Treats Yes, weve said it time and time again: Positive reinforcement is the key to proper training of your pup; however, this doesnt end with mere treats. Emotional feedback, such as praise and esteem building, are far more effective in reinforcing ongoing behaviors in our pups. Treats are a great start, especially when introducing new concepts, but can become a crutch that loses effectiveness as Fido plays to his salivary glands rather than his humans approval. Turn to play, toys, or just genuine good vibes to build a long-term sense of fulfillment in your puppy that wont dissipate a few moments after he has swallowed #8 Being Emotional Few things cause us to lose face with our canine friends like losing our cool. Not only do anger and frustration thwart our best training efforts, but they take away from the composed demeanors to which dogs truly seem to respond. Competence is conveyed through confidence, and pack animals generally look up to someone who knows what they are doing. This selfcontrol goes for praise as well, as a calm yet encouraging response reduces the range of reactions that your pup must interpret. Maintaining control is a great show of respect for yourself, your dog, and others around you #9 Being Reactive Being reactive rather than proactive encompasses several of the mistakes mentioned here, but its easy to see why only reacting to your puppy is to be avoided. First, it suggests you arent taking the time to train your puppy, or to think out the appropriate responses to their conduct. Second, reactions are likely emotional and bring about actions that are not effective in reinforcing your puppys behavior, whether it be positive or negative. Last, reflexive reactions are generally inconsistent, which results in confusing and mixed messages. If one rule were to be invoked over all others here, it would speak to being proactive in all aspects of your pups learning phase, one that serves as your sole guiding force should you not be able to recite the other nine. #10 Repeat Commands Dont read this. I said, dont read this! See, it didnt work the first time...why would it the second? All joking aside, dont make a fool out of yourself in front of your puppy by making repeat demands based on failed instruction. Theres probably a good reason why it didnt work the first time, and is more likely operator error than any fault of the dog itself. Instead, try playing it cool and pretend you didnt mean for him to sit that time, then go on to another activity or approach. Being overly controlling or attached to a particular outcome is not helpful in teaching the puppy any new tricks, and is far from making you appear to be at your best. Patient, unemotional handlers let go quickly and search for new ways to gain their puppys compliance. Good Luck, Enjoy Lucy, and God Bless ! FAQ: How to I properly feed my new puppy? When do they need to go to the vet and for what? What if my puppy throws up? What if my puppy has diraeha?
Posted on: Tue, 12 Aug 2014 20:10:56 +0000