Meet Rhody! Rhody is a thirteen-week-old Portuguese water dog who lives in a large home, in a quiet neighborhood. He's got all of the best doggie amenities: a huge fenced in yard, plenty of toys and treats, and another dog companion.
Most puppies at this age are ready to take on the world. They're excited, inquisitive and always looking for new adventures. Rhody, on the other hand, seemed more than content to stick to his own little world, which was safe and certain. That wasn't always the case outside the confines of his puppy palace!
New people and loud noises were scary to Rhody. He took to growling at or chasing strange people on bikes or joggers, and barking at loud trucks and the mailman. He also ran away from meeting new people. Rhody's lack of exposure to new experiences had made him extremely sensitive to changes in his usual routine.
Dogs tend to do one of two things when they feel threatened:
- They will flee from a scary situation, or
- They will stand their ground and put up a fight.
As a puppy, a dog has to have plenty of positive exposures to as many new people and situations as possible. This is know as socialization!
For Rhody, it was clear that he would need to be systematically desensitized from things that frightened him. One of the ways to do this is to Treat for Confidence. By giving Rhody treats for tolerating gradual exposure to something or someone new, we helped him make a positive association that took the place of a negative one.
It's important to pay attention to your dog's reaction when introducing him to new things. You do not want to introduce your dog to too many things at once or to something he's clearly not ready for yet. This of course can have the exact opposite effect. If things seem questionable or you are uncertain of the situation, don't risk it.
To learn more about socialization and Treating for Confidence, visit Zen Dog Training Online.
Hi there! We are new owners of a Portuguese Water Dog puppy, she will be 9 weeks old on Tuesday. Do you have any recommendations for puppy development books/training books? i.e. what age to start training to sit, stay, etc.? Thanks!
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Hi Samantha! Congrats on your new puppy -- we love Portuguese water dogs around here!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your first question, a book we recommend (and often give!) to our clients is "Before + After Getting Your Puppy: The Positive Approach to Raising a Happy, Healthy and Well-Behaved Dog" by Ian Dunbar. If you only get one book, make it this one!
To answer your second question, it's never too early to start training! Right now your pup is a little sponge and open to all sorts of new experiences, so get in there and exploit that! Since your puppy is still so young, we advise putting your focus on socialization to people, places, things + touch; playbiting; housetraining; independence; sharing/resource guarding; and name recognition. Sit, down, stay and other obedience commands are important, but the six areas I mentioned are life lessons best learned while your dog is four months and younger.
Hope this was helpful! Have fun training, and be sure to keep checking our blog for more tips!