Importance Of Teaching Recall

by | Mar 8, 2019 | Puppy Training

Teaching your dog to come when you call is probably one of the most important things you can teach your dog and should be one of the first things you work on. Many families that have a fenced in yard and walk on leash all the time rarely have their dog somewhere they can get away, so they don’t learn to come back when called.

Knowing your dog is going to come back when you call is a life saving thing for them to learn though. Whether you have your dog off leash and encounter another dog and need to recall them to avoid a confrontation or your dog gets out of your fence or vehicle by accident and runs to a roadway.

This skill can be hard to teach when a dog is in an environment where there is a lot of stimulation.  It is best to start as young as you can teaching a dog to come when they are called. Make coming when they are called something that they are praised for and is worth while to them. It should be more rewarding for them to come then to not come to you. Here are my step by step recommendations for teaching recall:

Start with them at a young age. The sooner you start teaching recall to a puppy the better. Start this as soon as you bring your puppy home from your breeder.

Decide what reward you are going to use. Different dogs are motivated by different things. Find your dogs best motivator. This could be praise, food, toys, etc. Most of my dogs are highly motivated by praise and we use praise as a motivator but treats when you are first starting training is also very helpful.

Pick a command. It is so important with any training that you are consistent with the commands that you use. You want everyone in your home to use the same command. Something like ‘Come’ for example.

Pick an environment with no distractions. Pick a room in your house and teach them from only a few feet away to come and give them a treat and lots of positive praise when they do. Repeat this until they are doing it consistently. Make sure with a young puppy to keep these sessions to only a few minutes as their attention span can be shorter. Don’t overdue it.

Use a training leash.Training leashes are wonderful for helping with recall. Buy a long one. You can find a 30ft one easily at any pet store. Use the training leash as a back up if the puppy doesn’t come when you call even with treats and praise. You can pull the training leash in so the puppy learns that they are supposed to come when called. It also works as a safety measure just in case the puppy takes off in an environment where it could be dangerous if they don’t come right back.

Move to a place with distractions. Continue to pick places with more and more distractions doing the same method until they are doing it consistently in each place. Then once they are consistent with the leash as back up, you can remove that too. I would start with your yard, then a family/friends yard, then move to a public park area that dogs are allowed at, adding more and more distractions.

Safety first. Always make sure to be safe first and use a long training leash until you are confident on your dogs recall in any environment.

Praise, praise, praise. I can’t stress this enough. Always praise your dog when they do as you ask. Always make coming to you a positive thing that they want to do.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. Repetition will perfect this training method.

Always remember to make any training a positive experience for your dog and praise goes a long, long way.

Items Needed To Bring Puppy Home

by | Mar 5, 2019 | Puppy Must Haves

  • Baby gates ( I buy cheap small ones I can step over to put at bedroom doors ) Doodles love socks and anything you don’t want them to have like babies.
  • Canned Organic Pure pumpkin (not pie mix) for upset tummy a teaspoon
  • File and cat nail clippers are nice while puppy is small if you file daily no need for clippers at a small age.
  • Old towels for crate until they are older could get one to cover it also if needed.
  • A crate they only need to lay down in it.
  • Bitter Apple to help stop chewing on things they shouldn’t
  • If you are going to keep your food in a storage bin stay away from plastic the oils can get into plastic and spoil. I keep mine in the bag in the bin.
  • Metal or Glass bowls easily cleaned daily
  • I only use filtered water for my dogs
  • Collar I would say 10 to 14 inch
  • 20ft training leash
  • Toothbrush kit can use the ones you put over your finger
  • Pin brush or slicker
  • Medium tooth comb
  • Soap free puppy shampoo
  • Grooming spray ( I use the Stuff)
  • Blood Stop powder in case you quick a nail. If you ask your vet or groomer they will show you how to clip nails.
  • Bell to hang on door you will use to let puppy go out to potty.
  • Toys Toys Toys. Stay away from raw hide. bully sticks are nice when they are 6 months get bones from butcher. I would just put in kennel while enjoying it. NEVER NEVER give dogs cooked bones .
  • If you want to venture out into fresh feeding ( best for dogs ) get the book Yin & Yang Nutrition for Dogs by Judy Morgan.
  • Start looking for Puppy Classes and Friend me Lynn Jones on facebook
  • Fromm Puppy Food
  • Slicker brush and Metal comb is a must

 

Congratulations On Choosing Your New Puppy

by | Mar 1, 2019 | Puppy Must Haves

At last the day you have been waiting for, your new puppy has arrived. It is important to plan in advance before you bring your new baby companion home. Remember it takes time to adjust to life with its new family. Puppy may seem anxious and possibly fearful of its new home having spent the first several weeks of life with its mum and siblings. In a couple of days with love and patience on your part the transition will be smooth.

As part of the preparation, it is important to have a vet who can provide quality health care for your puppy in the form of regular check ups, ongoing vaccinations and prompt medical attention in case of emergencies.

Make sure you keep your puppy away from parks and unfamiliar lawns until fully vaccinated.

Socialization and puppy training are of utmost importance as puppy hood is the most important and critical time in your dogs behaviour development. What you do and do not do right now will affect your dogs behaviour forever. Make sure that each of the following events are pleasant and non-threatening. If your puppy’s first experience with something is painful and frightening you will be defeating your purpose. In fact you will be creating a phobia that will often last a lifetime. It’s better to go slow and assure your puppy is not frightened or injured than to rush and force your pup to meet new things and people.

Invite friends over in small doses.

Take your puppy for short rides in the car to get him/her used to traveling.

Find a groomer that will help educate you on brushing and bathing between grooms. The earlier the better. If you wait till your puppy is 4 months old to get them into a groomer they will not be stared puppies like they should be during grooming.

Prevent your puppy from chewing and destroying your house and belongings by providing proper training and chew toys. After all, chewing and playtime are part of a normal puppy’s growth and development.

Remember if you don’t want the shoe etc to be chewed it shouldn’t have been left in pups reach. Do not punish pup for chewing your things if you have left them in his/her way. If pup has your shoe etc remove it and replace with his/her chew toy.

Start now to teach puppy not to jump…

Gently put pups feet back on the floor and reward him/her there.

Be consistent.

Get down to his level to give affection and attention.

Do not allow pup to jump up, Do not pet, talk, cuddle or reward him/her for jumping.

Do not give in.

Do not allow other people to let him jump on them.

Do not give up.

Jumping can be harmful to puppy and other people, especially small children who can be knocked over when dog is older and still jumps.

After bringing pup home you may notice his stool become soft after a few days. This can be due to stress, change of food or change in water. The stools will normally go back to being firm again in a few days. If not then contact your vet. I use filtered water for all dogs and puppies at LRD.

*******If you decide cannot cope with our puppy, please let us know ASAP so we can find puppy a forever home.

Thank you