Dogs Paw - Dog Training & Care
 Your puppy has arrived. Be he dalmatian or dachshund, bulldog or beagle, he is fat, unsteady on his feet, and probably inclined to bewail his absent mother and generally gloomy outlook on life with heartrending whimpers which soon rise to a series of shrill yells that ‘disturb the family and the neighbors, This is a perfectly natural if somewhat disagreeable habit of eight-weeks-old puppies, so even at this early stage of the game you have an opportunity to prove your fitness as a dog trainer by exercising patience and self-control. Do not apply the flat of your hand nor a stick of kindling wood or an apple switch to the pup; do not, in these first days, even speak harshly to him or do anything else that will jar on his nervous system and thereby increase his unhappy mood. Instead, divert his mind by play, food and a comfortable place to sleep, and as the novelty of the strange situation wears off; so the pup’s wailing will gradually decrease in frequency and volume.
Spend as much time as possible with the youngster, of course allowing him to sleep undisturbed as much and as often 80S he will, for the sooner you gain an insight into his particular individuality the better. Watch the pup intelligently and you will see gradually developing traits and peculiarities-inquisitiveness, boldness or shrinking at sudden sounds and new sights, etc. - a knowledge of which will be of great value later on. Nor is this close association advised merely that the work of teaching may be made easier and more successful through an understanding of the pupil’s personality: it will also tend to stimulate and increase very materially the intelligence with which the dog is endowed by nature. If the pup is inclined to be timid, take especial pains not to let him be frightened in any way whatever. A young puppy is extremely impressionable, and a severe fright will have a far more lasting effect on him than most people imagine. Do not, on the other hand, make a. mollycoddle of the youngster; simply accustom him by slow degrees, always showing him that he is under your protection, to those sights, sounds and experiences which he does not understand. Probably, if yours is a normal, healthy pup of any of the more active breeds, he will, at the age of nine or ten weeks, show a propensity to worry, tear and chew curtains, shoestrings, and anything else soft and dangling that is within reach. This is but the awakening of that instinct which in a natural state makes a dog’s jaws and teeth his most valuable assets, so do not lose patience. On the principle that “out of sight is out of mind” remove either the temptation or the dog. If this does not suffice, and the habit grows worse, catch the pup in the act and, tapping him on the side of the jaw hard enough to make him look up in surprise, sharply order “Stop it!” A few repetitions of this will suffice to impress the youngster with the meaning of the words. As the puppy grows older he will in -nine cases out of a hundred lose interest in the tearing game. U ntil then,” merely curb the desire instead of trying to beat it out of him; for it has its bright side inasmuch as it is an indication of the spirit which the adult dog will possess. It is an old saying among bird-dog men that the more a pup tries to tear tbings the more spirited, ambitious and valuable he will become when mature-a principle which bolds good with other breeds. With the exception Qf the one order mentioned above, and another lesson to be mentioned presently, do not undertake any real and consistent discipline until your dog is at least four months old. The brain of a pup of but ten or twelve weeks is too undeveloped to comprehend the why and the wherefore of regular training, and it should not be taxed with remembering more than a very few things. But, even if the dog is not to be kept regularly in the house, it is quite essential that you take up at an early age the matter of house breaking. |