When Puppies Growl – Recognizing Distress
Augie’s Story: A few months ago one of our puppy parents took Augie, their 13 week old doodle puppy to meet a neighbor’s six month old lab puppy. Augie was in the Jumpstart Program at the time and was doing well. He learned quickly, was gregarious, and enjoyed interacting with all the puppies. So far …
Puppy Whisperer – Marin IJ Interview
What family wouldn’t want help potty training and socializing a new puppy? Hillary’s Hound House offers that and much more, especially for families with young children. Owner Hillary Alexander explained, “Parents often get a puppy after their children plead for one. The idea of a puppy sounds lovely, but parents know it can be like …
Roughhousing vs Play – When Puppies Learn How to Fight
When we allow puppies to roughhouse with each other, especially with larger puppies they quickly move from lighthearted play to sparring and mock battle. What they are doing is reverting/regressing to sibling behaviors that encourage competition and bringing down one’s opponent. What’s Love Got to Do with It? If you’ve ever seen sibling puppies interact …
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Socializing Your Puppy Safely
Socialization is a bit more complicated than most people think. Rather, socializing a puppy means teaching him social skills, impulse control, and lessons in how to play with, greet, and interact with other puppies, dogs, and people. It’s a multi layered process. Sibling Rivalry and Early Play If your puppy is eight, nine, or 10 …
Dog Parks – The Danger of Unsupervised Play for Puppies
Imagine for a moment you have a four-year-old she wanted to go into a playground nearby. In that playground are 13 and 14-year-old kids and they’re playing with no supervision. Are you going to send her in? Throughout many years of asking this question I have yet to hear anyone say, “Yes.” This is the …
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Letting Dogs “Work It Out”
In the old days when I was growing up socializing puppies wasn’t something anyone planned. People turned their puppies and dogs out together and hoped for the best. The larger, more affable puppies tended to have an easy time and we chalked that up to their personality. But the more sensitive, perhaps anxious puppies had …