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 […]
Dog Training
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 […]
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 […]
Formula for a Fearless Puppy
The Importance of Socializing Your Puppy Start Early – Go Everywhere There is a magic window that opens in every puppy’s life, when he is most confident and accepting of new experiences, dogs, people, places. The length of this sensitive period is short; usually within the first three months. This is the time to get […]
Ralph and The Perfect Storm
Sometimes a dog can become frightened of something he’s known his entire life. Take Ralph, an 18 month old beagle that developed a terror of grocery carts. Ralph had excelled in our Jumpstart Puppy Program as a youngster and knew the in’s and out’s of grocery carts at 14 weeks. It took a fateful combination of […]
