Children and pandemic puppies

So many people have turned to our friend the dog to help them through the troubled times of the last year and a half.  

And so many of them had NO idea what they were getting themselves into when they rushed out and bought the first puppy they saw! No research, no experience, no realisation of the murky underworld of money-grabbing, unprincipled, “puppy farmers”, just a desire for companionship.

And that desire is all well and good, but we’re talking about bringing a different species into our homes. Of course there will be teething problems!

Puppy socialisation

One of the things which we dog professionals work so hard to explain to our students is in how the dog’s brain works in regard to meeting new experiences, people, objects, children, animals, places.

That’s what socialisation is really about.

Many new dog-owners think they have to thrust their puppy or new rescue dog into the face of every passing dog. This is a hazardous plan, and frequently backfires!

But it’s not just about meeting other dogs.

And many, many of these Pandemic Puppies have been confined at home by lockdowns, and have missed some or ALL of their socialisation period.

For the dog is so designed that they will accept new things up to the age of about 15 weeks. After that, their “socialisation window” closes with a bang, and they will regard new things with a certain amount of suspicion.

If you’ve introduced them to noisy traffic early on, they may accept a noisy train even if seeing it after the shut-off age of 15 weeks.

But they may not.

Dogs are not great at generalising experiences. They tend to see everything as an individual occurrence.

Socialising to people

And this is particularly important with people.

We may see all people as much of a muchness - older, younger, bigger, smaller, brown, white - they’re all people.

But your dog sees them as quite separate entities!

The way an old man hobbles, leaning on a stick, is totally different from how a lithe teenager skims along, or a toddler wobbles unpredictably.

This is what the dog sees!

And the dog in this picture is showing extreme anxiety at being cornered by this well-meaning child. This warning, unheeded, could result in a snap or even a bite. A knowledge of Dog Body Language is essential for any would-be dog-owner.

So if your dog’s been kept at home for his first few weeks of life, and this has been compounded by being kept away from what we accept as normal life for many more months as he matures, then we are presenting our young dog with a challenge he is ill-equipped to deal with!

Suddenly there are children visiting the home - his safe fortress where no-one but his immediate family ever ventured. These new curious creatures are noisy, erratic, jumpy, armed with food and toys. They are quite unlike any other human he has encountered. He has no idea what to make of them.

And unless given a slow introduction and a safe haven away from the intruders, things could rapidly go pear-shaped.

How to make up for missed “socialisation”

You can’t.

What your puppy missed before 15 weeks cannot now be put back.

But this is not all gloom and doom!

There’s plenty you can do.

You need to give your dog new experiences, very gradually and without pressure. He needs to learn slowly but surely that these new things in his life are not dangerous.

So a visit to the park to watch children playing from a safe distance would be a good start. There’s no need for him to actually meet any until he’s comfortable at a distance.

And, of course, it takes two to tango - teaching the visiting children how to behave round a dog is a vital continuation!

There are some great pointers on how to do this in this post

And some very useful resources below to help you make dogs meeting children a safe and enjoyable experience all round.

Meanwhile, to find out more of how your dog’s brain works, and how you can get the best results with your new friend, watch our free Workshop here

RESOURCES

Blue Cross  

Family Paws

Doggone Safe

Children and dog bites

Summer Grooming for your dog!

Once you’ve done the thorough spring overhaul and got all the winter coat out, you may think you can take a break from brushing your dog for a while.

But NOOOOOO!

It’s especially important in summer!

This is when you can get all those ticks, cuts, matts, cleavers, twigs, grass seeds, and any other sticky passenger looking for a free ride.

The photo above shows Lacy after a dash through an innocent-looking field. She was completely coated, especially underneath. It took almost three hours to remove these sticky seeds - her trousers and her tail were completely knitted together!

And here’s the haul of several hundred cleavers I had to remove from Coco Poodle last week - one by one! - after a joyous rush along a hedgerow. I could see he’d picked up a few, but they lurk under his curls and I was amazed at how many I found.

I’m sure poodles were involved somewhere in the invention of Velcro!

All-over investigation

You have to take special care to feel all over the body - under the armpits, inside the ears, between the pads (a cleaver lodging here would lead to sores!).

You can see how important it is to keep the inter-pad hair trimmed on your hairy dog’s paws in this post

Grass seeds are particularly nasty - especially foxtails - which can enter the body and wreak havoc within.

And while you’re feeling for beasties and seeds, you may come across cuts or sore patches which will need tending - and you may also find lumps and bumps which may need vet attention.

Here’s a post that goes into much greater detail:

https://www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog/the-weekly-once-over-can-save-you-a-lot-of-vets-bills

So, while you’re half-watching tv, you can be having some up-close and personal time with your dog - and save yourself some possible vets’ bills while making her much more comfortable.

Tell us in the comments - what have you had to remove from your enthusiastic dog’s coat in the summer? I can imagine tar from the beach comes quite high up the list of horrors!

Dog feeding frenzy!

There’s a tremendous amount of nonsense around, about how to feed dogs.

Some people are on crusades to promote their own favoured way of feeding, and belittle anyone who doesn’t agree with them.

Most of us don’t have time to delve too deeply, and dish out the same food, day in - day out, for years. (Imagine that if it were you! Even boarding school’s not that bad!)

But if you want the best for your dog, a long, healthy life, good teeth, and few vet visits, it’s something you should spend some energy on.

So what SHOULD you feed your dog?

There’s such a vast array of commercial dog foods available, most of them claiming they’re the best thing ever, and some just relying on being dirt-cheap.

Without being a canine nutritionist, how can you know what will suit your dog?

I can recommend you pay a visit to a site actually run by a canine nutritionist - www.allaboutdogfood.co.uk. And don’t worry if you live outside the UK. Many of these commercial foods are available universally. The big petfood manufacturers are huge international concerns. And there’s actually a page where you can copy in the ingredients of your chosen food if it’s not listed, and you’ll get an assessment of that.

Your chosen food doesn’t have a detailed ingredient list? Move on. If they’re too ashamed to tell you, get something better!

And to get the lowdown ‘from the horse’s mouth’,

How about asking your dog?

Yes! Ask your dog!

She’s bound to have strong views on what she likes and what’s “Meh”. Not only that, but she’ll have opinions on how she likes her food delivered too.

Here’s what Annie’s owner, Laura Kelly from Best Choice Dog Training, offered her.

You can see there was a fair variety. You could also add in egg (raw or cooked), cheese (cream/cottage or hard), broccoli and other fruit and veg (preferably pureed so the dog can actually digest them), goats’ milk or whey, fermented goats’ milk products, coconut oil, leftovers (of proper meals, not pizza and chips!), tinned sardines … most things!

This can be fun to do, and you may be surprised by your dog’s choices - Annie’s owner was! The kibble definitely came last.

Is this something you’re going to have a go at? Do tell us in the comments below what you will offer!

Has it always got to be in a dog food bowl?

You can be imaginative about the vehicle you offer food in.

To get an idea of what I’m meaning, take a look at Benson here, patiently waiting to be let loose with his array of goodies for amusement during the day.

He has a snuffle mat with treats buried in it, a variety of wobble-balls he can bat around with his nose to release their treats, and a food-game with hidden compartments.

For most of these containers, you’d need hard food - kibble. Though you could certainly put soft food, cooked or raw, in the sliding compartments.

Slowing down feeding

These are great to keep your pup amused while he’s eating, and to spin out mealtimes - specially useful for dogs who tend to hoover their food. Apart from the lack of enjoyment, there’s also a danger of gut complications for some fast-feeders.

Archie Spaniel didn’t wolf his food that much, but look at this brief video to see the difference in his engagement between hoovering it up from his bowl and actively hunting it down!

Slowing down Puppy feeding

By the way, for English readers, here’s a load of money off a super food I regularly use and here’s another where you can get a big discount using this link - they provide high-quality fishy treats and foods, which are firm favourites with my crew!

To learn more about what to feed your dog, and to dispel more myths (I love myth busting!) check out this post.

And for more about asking your dog things, instead of telling him … watch our free Workshop here, on getting your dog to LISTEN.

My dog is stubborn!

“I have a 10 week old puppy, but I'm hearing that his breed is stubborn, hard to train, and possessive.”

Wow.

That’s a lot of labels to put on a baby.

The trouble with labels

You see, if you label someone - he’s arrogant, she’s bossy, he’s a naughty child, and so on - this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Every time you have dealings with that person you’ll be running everything they say and do through a filter to check whether it’s arrogant, or bossy, or naughty.

All you will be aware of is the moments when you score a hit!

Yes! That remark was arrogant! That proves he’s an arrogant man.

But don’t we all say something sometimes that could be interpreted as arrogant, or bossy, or naughty?

That means you’d tar us all with the same brush!

And, in any case, how helpful is this?

How about some NICE labels instead?

How about filtering for proof of niceness?

You’ll come up with some very different results!

Imagine while you’re talking to this (arrogant) man, you are listening out for generosity, humility, gentleness?

You’re going to find some surprises!

Back to dogs …

Don't listen to all the bad things people say about your chosen breed.

There is more variation between individuals than between breeds

People like to say these things to blame the dog and account for their own failure! If it’s the dog’s fault, because of its inherent failings, then it can’t be their fault.

It’s a simple case of shovelling the blame off onto someone else. They reared a dog to be stubborn, hard to train, and possessive - but it’s easier to blame the dog.

And why on earth would you want to do this to a new puppy, who has his whole life with you ahead of him?

Why would you want to reinforce the idea that your puppy is stubborn, hard to train, possessive?

Would your time not be better spent in understanding your puppy?

🐾 Understanding what he’s telling you when he won’t do what you think you’re asking?

🐾 Understanding why he wouldn’t want to enjoy time with you?

🐾 Understanding why he’s afraid?

Your new puppy is a blank canvas

It’s up to YOU to decide how you’d like him to be, then encourage everything that looks anything close to that.

It’s equally up to you not to listen to ignorant nonsense about your dog’s breed or type, spouted by those who have failed to manage such a dog.

While it’s true that certain breeds have certain genetic traits, like herding, or guarding, or hunting, none of these preclude a successful partnership!

After all, many of those specially-bred dogs are working dogs. And they can achieve astonishing levels of reliable performance.

Think Obedience and Agility Champions, sheepdogs, protection dogs, search dogs, medical alert dogs …

Once the sensitive owner understands these genetic traits, and their strength in their individual dog, they can work with the dog to satisfy both of the training partners. 

So don’t label your dog!

Allow him to unfold before you like a beautiful flower. Accept what he is without trying to categorise him.

That way you’ll have a wonderful life ahead of you!

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Harness your dog's imagination!

Here at Brilliant Family Dog we hear so often about the woeful things dogs have got up to.

It’s all about the dreadful things they’ve dreamed up and the bad things they’ve done. They’ve chewed things up, they’ve managed to escape, they’ve re-arranged your flowerbeds …

Perversely, I’m pleased to hear these stories.

Why?

Because it shows that the dog is exercising his imagination!

In the absence of being given interesting things to do, he’s making up his own entertainment.

This shows that he is resourceful, enterprising, thoughtful, and eminently teachable!

What can I teach him to do instead?

Let’s have a look at a really simple, basic, but highly amusing “toy”: a cardboard box. Get one big enough for your dog to clamber into - at least get his front paws in. Check it over for sharp staples.

Now let’s see what he can do with it! Some of this will need your input, some you can happily let your dog discover.

• front paws in

• front paws on

• all paws in

• all paws on

• whole body in (box collapsed yet?)

• find hidden toys in it

• find toy amongst masses of screwed-up paper

• find toy amongst loads of empty plastic bottles, or smaller boxes

• hide food in cardboard tubes or small boxes - to be found and shredded

• put toy in

• take toy out

• hide a toy in a smaller box

• put smaller box into large box

• crawl through a cut-out “door”

• teach scent by hiding something in one of many boxes

• push it

• curl up in it

• drag it

• chew it up . . .

For your older, bored, dog, this is going to be heaven!

For your young puppy it’s an essential stage of getting her used to strange surfaces, wobbly things, things that slip and slide, noisy things, crunchy things, rattly things. I call this Puppy Gym and it’s a vital part of my puppy classes and the Brilliant Family Dog Academy

Some older dogs, especially those who’ve been used to being told what to do, will be perplexed by this box. You’ll need to spice it up a bit to pique their interest - perhaps toss a few treats in to get them interacting with it.  

And please don’t worry about mess! Mess is a by-product of living, and this is going to be a controlled mess, of your choosing.

Isn’t that far better than the mess you find when your bored dog entertains himself by chewing your computer cables, or loving your slippers to death?

Let me know in the comments how you got on with this possibly new game!

And for more fun for your dog, get our free email course here

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I can’t leave any food anywhere - my dog will steal it!

First published on positively.com and reprinted with permission 

We expect visitors - even quite young children - to leave our food alone. If we put a plate of cakes on the table, we don’t assume that our guest will grab the plate and wolf them all down! We expect them to wait politely till they are offered a cake - and then to take just the one.

We teach children this polite behaviour pretty early on. So why do we expect the opposite from dogs?

Why do we assume that they’ll steal anything that’s not nailed down, then say, “Ah well, it’s only a dog. What can you expect?”

I can tell you that I expect a lot: and what’s more, I get it!

What you expect is what you’ll get

Just think how life will improve when you can leave food on the kitchen counter, cake on the coffee table, shopping bags on the floor … I’ve even known people who have to shut the dog away when they’re eating or he’ll intercept the forkful of food on its way to their mouth!

And what about your favourite pair of shoes gnawed and chomped, the flower beds scattered over the lawn, your expensive phone now defunct? All this hooliganism, mayhem, and destruction can be changed to peace and harmony (cue birdsong).

Children and dogs alike

Plenty of us would struggle to leave this plate of doughnuts alone - but Cricket is managing it very well, without being told. Illustration from "Leave It!"

I once heard a new father say - somewhat wistfully - “I suppose we’ll have to put away anything we value now …”

“Not at all!” said his mother, “You just teach Emily to leave those things alone.”

And that’s exactly what you need to do with your dog: teach him.

He arrives on this planet an opportunist raider, a scavenger. Anything edible is clearly for him. He won’t learn what he can have by being bellowed at when he makes a wrong choice! In fact, this is a sure method for encouraging your puppy to steal.

Why?

Because every time he takes something you don’t want him to have, he gets a guaranteed performance of singing, shouting, squawking, dancing, and the greatest game of the lot - Chase!

Pretty soon you’ve taught your dog exactly how to get excitement and action. Sadly, this is precisely what you do not want.

So you need to embark on a program of explaining to him what he may have - and that will bring him a reward - and what he may not have, which will result in no reward. And here “no reward” includes no singing, shouting, or dancing, and especially no chasing.

Coco poodle is only 16 weeks old in this photo, yet he already knows that food at nose level is not for him. I left my lunch on the stool, saw his response and went to find my phone to take a picture of this happy scene. It was not a set-up, in other words. I hadn’t told him to do or not do anything.

It’s just a snapshot of everyday life in a household of four dogs, none of whom will steal my food. Or anything else I don’t want them to have.

The best way to start this is by just showing your dog that you have good food in your hand, then closing your fingers over it so he can’t snatch it. He’ll now go through a sequence of sniffing, licking, nibbling, pawing, your hand. Stay still! And wait. Eventually he’ll stop for just a moment, and pull back from your hand. Only when he can stay away from your hand do you give him one of your tasty treats.

From this foundation you build up very gradually and consistently, till your dog becomes an expert at this and knows straight away when something is for him, and when it’s not. This will include a dropped box of chocolates, the Sunday roast slipping out of the pan onto the floor, a dropped bottle of pills, the children’s toys, something long-dead in a field. And your shoes.

You can always add a vocal cue, like “Leave it”, later on. And that can be useful in some situations - perhaps when your young dog is curious about something he’s seen on the street but that you know is dangerous. But I like to make this a default behaviour which needs no cue. You don’t need to remind your guest not to pinch the cakes!

By the way, for English readers, here’s a load of money off a super food I regularly use and here’s another where you can get a big discount using this link - they provide high-quality fishy treats and foods, which are firm favourites with my crew!

For those of you who’d like the exact recipe for teaching this, you’ll find step-by-step guidance in Leave it! How to teach Amazing Impulse Control to your Brilliant Family Dog, the second book in the series of Essential Skills for a Brilliant Family Dog. You’ll have a full program which gradually turns your dog into a family member with impeccable manners!

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