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Puppy Training

Puppy Biting – Hyper Puppies – What You Need to Know

Puppy biting and Hyper Behavior is a problem for many puppy owners. Dr Ian Dunbar, one of the foremost canine behavior experts in the world, does not find the term aggression helpful in diagnosing and correcting the problem. Part of the problem is that people believe that any dog that bites, growls, or backs away (stress/fear) is aggressive, or going to be aggressive. Without understanding this is normal dog communication. The second part of the problem…   Continue

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Puppy Life Skills 2: Confidence

Puppy Socializing 8 – 20 Weeks You have been exposing your puppy to new environments, new smells, new challenges. Each one should have been age appropriate. None should have frightened or stressed your puppy. Each ‘adventure’ should have been a happy one, ending in a good nap (latent learning). Puppies habituate to things very quickly, so the third or fourth exposure is no longer socializing. Don’t worry if your puppy is Wary. This is normal….   Continue

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Puppy Life Skills 2: Comfort, Calm, Confidence

This article focuses on socialization. What is puppy socialization? And, what it is not. There are three development stages. Each one requires different skills and tasks taught the puppy. Socializing 8 – 12 Weeks – Comfort The most important things to consider when socializing is that: a) A puppy should never be forced to encounter everything or everyone – especially in your home. b) A puppy should be allowed to investigate ‘everything’ it wants to….   Continue

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Puppy Life Skills 1: Imprinting Behavior

Puppies are not born able to control their emotions. They are not born knowing how to communicate. They have no learning skills, or stress coping skills. In fact, puppies are born ‘clean slates.’ All they know is how to eat, sleep, and fear.  These are the skills Mother Nature endows them with so that they can survive. When a puppy is born their first imprint is from their mother. If she is calm, it will…   Continue

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Puppy Primer: Are We Teaching Puppies to Fear By Not Teaching Puppies Confidence?

Puppy socialization is the most misunderstood aspect of raising a puppy. We take a puppy on a play date with our neighbor’s dog, let 3 kids pet the puppy, and voila. We feel that we have socialized our puppy. The truth is, most of us don’t care until the puppy develops annoying behaviors, or even dangerous ones. You are ahead of the curve because you are here reading this blog. Remember that trainers do not…   Continue

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What is Puppy Socialization

One of the most misunderstood aspects of puppy raising is the socialization. Everyone knows about obedience training – but nothing else. Imprinting Behaviors You have the power to imprint good behaviors on your puppy until 13 weeks old. After that the door closes -forever. This isn’t the time to spoil your puppy. This is the time to teach your puppy the most important behaviors. The 3 C’s of Puppy Behavior Teach a Behavior – Then…   Continue

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Behavior Then Obedience: Why I Don’t Socialize

When you say socializing then what you mean is that you are forcing a baby to act like an adult. You really mean that you are teaching the dog that you don’t ‘have it’s back’ and that you will not protect it. The puppy is really learning that leaving the house with you is a terrifying experience. And the dog is learning that it is helpless. If it does try a polite ‘stay away behavior’…   Continue

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Why I Do Not Socialize Puppies

I listened to her explain that she has no idea why her 9-month-old golden retriever has started biting people. She went into length to explain how she socialized it. ‘Ever since it was 10 weeks old I took it to the dog park and puppy classes. All the dogs played with it and ‘taught it manners.’ Everyone petted it. We would go for walks and I would let everyone pet it. She would get so…   Continue

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10 Heeling Mistakes: It Takes Two to Tangle

Excerpt from Heeling Seminar June 3, 2017 One of the most common problems I see on a weekly basis is people whose dogs drag them, pull on the lead, or lunge and bark at other dogs or people. I’ve seen dogs brace their toes into the dirt, lean into their collar, and pull like a  weight pulling champion.  These dogs often attend class wearing harnesses, which destroy their shoulder joints. Or they are wearing prong…   Continue

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Bullying: Hyper Behavior – Aggression – Reactive

Download PDF: Bullying and Aggression One of the hardest things to deal with is bullying. I’ve seen it in lap dogs. I’ve seen it in well bred, well trained, and properly raised working dogs.  The #1 problem is that 99% of dog owners do not want to recognize bullying behavior in their dog. Any dog that pulls, bracing its legs, and tries to drag you forward then it is a bully. Any dog that growls…   Continue

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