Struggling to housetrain your puppy?

There are still, sadly, plenty of old wives’ tales out there, on how to housetrain a puppy. 

Most of them involve being nasty to the little mite.

And none of them works.  

Housetraining for babies

Now, we don’t seem to have the same hang-ups over housetraining our own species?

We don’t rant and rave at a baby who has little to no control over his bladder and bowels!

We dress our babies in nappies or diapers until such time as they exhibit understanding and control of their bodily functions. And the whole process is accompanied with much praise!

We know that it’s up to us, as we tip food in the top end, to deal with what emerges at the bottom end. We don’t expect miracles from a toddler! It’s not the baby’s responsibility!

You can download my Cheatsheet to Errorless Housetraining right here!

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So why do people struggle to understand how to do this with their puppy?

You can download my Cheatsheet to Errorless Housetraining right here.

It tells you exactly what to do, and in what order to do it.

It works! Fast! And it works for older dogs too.

Follow the steps EXACTLY. All you need to add is love, patience, and encouragement. Oh, and a spray bottle of biological washing powder solution is a must!

And let us know how fast that worked.

Why is my dog growling at me?

You drop something. 

You reach down to pick it up - only to find it already in the jaws of your dog.

And - your dog is lifting his lip and growling at you!

What is going on?!

What is going on is that your dog has claimed something that looks interesting to him. It could be anything, though it’s commonly food.

And when you go to snatch it off him, he objects! In the only way he knows how. And that’s by saying “Mine!” by growling.

Now the first thing to know is that if you persist in trying to take this thing from him, you are likely to get bitten.

It’s not that your dog is nasty, he’s just saying “I don’t think so.” And you haven’t heeded his warning.

So the first thing to do if this happens to you, is to BACK OFF!

No, you’re not “giving in”. You’re not “letting the dog win”. None of that. You’re just being practical. Far better to defuse the situation and go from there. Why “lead with your chin” as my father used to say?

Do you actually need to get the object back?

Very often the item itself is not worth bothering about. You can wait till your dog has found it boring - and that you clearly don’t want to fight him for it - and pick it up when he’s moved on.

But sometimes you do need to get it back.

1. Is the item dangerous to the dog?

2. Is it valuable to you, and breakable?  

In either of those cases, you do need to have the dog relinquish it.

And the quickest way, as any parent of a toddler knows, is to organise a diversion! Scatter some treats on the floor a little away from the dog. You can scoop up the item as he goes for the treats. Or throw his beloved ball through an open door and close it behind him so you can clear up.

If it’s the Sunday roast and he’s not letting go - then you may have to sacrifice it. You could try getting the lead and heading excitedly for the door. Or you may just have to know that you have some training to do! 

In fact, we all have training to do.

This is a totally natural reaction from the dog - it doesn’t mean he’s bad or nasty. Just not yet trained.

From an early age you need to teach your dog to swap. Doing this with two similar objects is a great way to start: exchange is no robbery.

What you want to remember is ALWAYS to reward your dog for giving something up. Sometimes you can check the item and give it back to him, plus a treat. If you need to remove the item, be sure to offer something of equal or greater value!

“He always growls!”

If your dog is in a well-established pattern of stealing, grabbing, lowering his head over the item, showing the whites of his eyes while he glares up at you, stiff and frozen, then I suggest you contact me direct so that I can help you personally.

And be sure to check out the Brilliant Family Dog Academy, where we take you step by careful step through teaching how to avoid this, and have a biddable dog who is happy to share his finds with you.

And the best way to learn about this amazing program is through this free Workshop with all its lessons.

Doggy expectations!

You’re getting a dog!

All those cries of, “Mummy WHEN can we have a dog?” have been heeded.

It’s going to be your first dog!

Maybe you caved in under pressure. Maybe you’ve always wanted a dog and the time is now right.

But don’t go into this new venture without a hand on your shoulder. You need a roadmap!

First off, are you starting from the right place?

You need to be sure the dog you’re getting is the right one for your family. This article has a lot of advice for the first-time purchaser.

You can follow that article with the first in a series of HOW NOT TO MAKE A GHASTLY MISTAKE with your first dog!

Chosen the right dog?

Great! Now, how realistic are your expectations for your new dog?

Are you expecting your new puppy to slip into the household almost unseen?

Are you expecting the children to know exactly how to behave round a dog?

Are you assuming your rescue dog (who was presumably in the shelter because his previous owners gave up on him) will be the perfect trained, well-mannered, easygoing, dog?  

I find that there are two camps of new dog-owners

1. There are those who expect the very best and are totally unrealistic, expecting the puppy to “train” himself, with never a hair out of place.

2. And there are those who assume it will all be awful.

So some will give their puppy total freedom of the house, then say, “Why do I keep finding puddles? I put him out in the garden every few hours …”

And some will say, “I expected my puppy to bite, but my hands and clothes are shredded by my 5-month-old pup.”

Both of them have got the wrong end of the stick.

Both of them have had faulty expectations.

And neither of them has actually taught their new dog what they’d like of him!

They talk of puddles everywhere, and bitten hands. But you see, neither is inevitable!

Some pups housetrain fast, even without thorough teaching. And many puppies never bite anyone at all.

But you do need to be armed for every eventuality. And the Brilliant Family Dog Academy is the best place for you to learn everything you need to know to make this new relationship a success.

Whether your dog is a puppy or a seasoned campaigner, you’ll need to have some understanding of WHY she’s doing what she does - and ways to kindly divert her into something you find more acceptable.

 You’ll need to understand how to reach your new dog’s mind

And this doesn’t mean shouting SIT ever more loudly in the hope that she’s been swotting up on the English language and knows what you mean!

Did you know you can teach your dog everything she needs to learn without ever putting a hand on her? (Except for cuddles when she wants them, of course! That’s different.)

I love it when people write to tell me how following my guidance has helped make their new dog the Brilliant Family Dog they wanted, as Charlie said about her Busta: “Busta is 10 months now and is a Brilliant Family Dog!”

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all new dogs had owners like that?

Here’s where you can start:

 For more about the Brilliant Family Dog Academy I mentioned above, watch our free Workshop and learn all about how you can transform your Li’l Nipper into your Brilliant Family Dog!

Would you love to work with dogs?

Is this a dream of yours? That you’d love to work with dogs in some way?  

All day, every day, just working with dogs?

Many people harbour this secret dream in their heart. And the sad thing is that for most it remains a secret dream.

Why not get it out in the open and get going with it?!

Dogs, all day?

The first thing to know is that whatever area of working with dogs you choose, other things will always impinge. You won’t be “working with dogs, all day, every day”. There will always be reports to write, clients to interview, targets to meet …

At least when it’s your own business, you get to set those targets and decide where you want to focus!

And this is the stumbling-block for many.

“I’m no good at business …”

The thought of actually running a business is too much for them. They’re worried about all the red tape, the financial implications, the responsibility.

Seduced by the regular income of their current job, they’d prefer to stay warm and cosy rather than get out there and help our friend, the dog.

You see, if you’re following Brilliant Family Dog, you are exactly the sort of person who should be out there spreading the word about force-free training! Showing people how it’s done! And showing them how they can transform their lives by following our kind methods.

YOU are valuable! We need your expertise and personality in the mix.

There are far too many people from the Dark Side - browbeating people into thinking they have to do nasty things to their dog to make any progress.

WE know that’s not true.

And once we’ve discovered this harmonious way to live with our companion dogs, we have a duty to show a better way.

🐾 A way which excludes bullying, intimidation, and pain.

🐾 A way which fosters personal choice, freedom, and joy.

I’m working on a new project to get people started in the business they’ve dreamt about for years, and never quite had the opportunity or the belief to start.

It will cover everything you need to do to get your business started fast - so much faster than you can imagine! Business skills, personal skills, people skills, dog skills . . . it’ll all be there for you, along with all the templates you need to get going.

Why can I do this? Because I’ve done it. I had the same concerns you have. And I worked it out.

Want some help with building this unbreakable relationship? Watch our free Workshop on Getting your Dog to Listen, and you may be surprised how much this short video will teach you!

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!