Zero to 8 minutes at breakfast

A training story from Puppies chew shoes, don't they?

Puppy: Lilly.
Breed: Lab.
Age: 6 months
Scenario: 3-week board and train

Lilly had very little self-control – pretty standard in pups. Fortunately, she was food driven. And after a good night’s sleep, she was hungry. Perfect time to train.

Lilly had a terrific sit/stay but a sloppy down/stay. This first morning of “board and train” she earned her entire breakfast as we worked on her down/stay.

Since tracking training results is extremely important, I pulled out the stopwatch. I put Lilly’s dog food in her dish but made it inaccessible to her. She could see and smell it but couldn’t get to it. Next, I needed a baseline. I learned she could not down/stay for 30 seconds, so I backed it up to 20 seconds. It took many false starts until she understood that a piece or two of dog food would be delivered by me, by hand, only when she maintained the down/stay. Initially she popped up into a sit as I approached with kibble in hand. Each time she did, I put her back in the down/stay and started over.

Finally, we got our 20 seconds. Then we got 2 minutes. Then 3 minutes 43 seconds. And the last down/stay that first morning, from which I released her for a potty break: 8 minutes 13 seconds.
While the above scenario played out, my two adult Labs were in down/stays about six feet from Lilly. As we worked on the stay, I walked around the living room and toward the end, out of sight into the kitchen. Other dogs and my movement were intentional distractions. More distractions would be added as Lilly got better and better at her down/stay.

That's Lilly in the photo practicing under, down/stay, and watch me during training out in the world.

Tips from Grover. UTIs in puppies.

Tips from Grover appear throughout the new edition of Puppies chew shoes, don't they? Who is Grover and what makes him qualified as a tip giver? That's him. The one with the permanent "Seriously?" expression. And those ears.

 

Grover's qualifications as a tip giver stem from his time spent being a puppy. He remembers it well. For example, he remembers that UTI he had when he was just a few months old. 

Yup. Even boy puppies can get urinary tract infections, although they are more common in girl puppies. What to look for? Here's the most common scenario. Potty training has been going pretty well. Your puppy manages to pee and poop 95% of the time outside rather than inside. But then, over a period of days, you realize your puppy is peeing in the house. What the heck? You either think "what am I doing wrong" or "what's wrong with this puppy ... is he just being a brat?"

Light bulb moment. If your puppy's peeing routine changes, call your vet. If frequency of urination increases, call your vet. Tell her what's going on. She will probably suggest that you get your puppy into her office and ask you to bring a urine sample with you. And that, puppy parent, is a whole other experience.

Here's a good internet article with lots more detail.

2012 edition coming soon!

Editing. Writing new stuff. Yup, the furkids and I are hard at revising 2010's Puppies chew shoes, don't they? It promises to be fun and helpful for you and a big old relief to your puppy, when he gets that you understand him.

If I don't sleep it will be ready for prime time in a week. If I DO sleep, it should be ready by the middle of October. Don't know which way that will go ...

Here's a sample from the book:

Pulling opportunities. So, your puppy pulls on the leash when you take him out to potty, does he? Here’s what to do: put his leash on, pick him up and carry him outside, put him on the ground, let him sniff and squat but ... don’t you move. If you stand still he can’t pull you. When he is finished doing his business, tell him what a brilliant boy he is to potty outside, pick him up and carry him inside. The moral to this story: don’t take your puppy anywhere on leash before you teach him to walk politely on leash.

Here's how it looks when you get it right. Check out that loose leash. Links, training tips, videos ... all kinds of good stuff coming soon. Follow us, think happy puppy thoughts, and stay tuned!

Woofs 'n Wags!
Dee & The Furkids