Does your dog use the stairs safely?

This is an especially important question for new puppy-owners! But we could all look to make sure we’re avoiding accidents - to us as well as to our dogs - by teaching them right from the start.

First of all, your stairs are safer if carpeted, but this isn’t essential. A mat or some sort of non-slip surface at the bottom of the stairs is important, especially as at the foot of most staircases there is a sharp turn. Puppies are particularly vulnerable to injury on slippery corners!

First of all, you want to make sure the stairs are gated, so there’s no free access to them without you being there to supervise.

And this is how you start: 

1. At the bottom of the stairs, your dog is on lead

2. Place a treat on the first step.

3. Let your dog eat it then place a treat on the next step up.

4. Step up beside your dog as he ascends, step by step, treat by treat.

5. Slow and steady till you get to the top!

If your puppy is freaking out, just do two steps then lift him off. Work at this gradually till you can step all the way up. This will take as long as it takes.

Now you’re at the top! 🎉

So how to get down again?!

Use exactly the same method. You may need to keep the lead shorter now (without putting pressure on his neck, of course!) to make sure your dog doesn’t try to race down.

And it’s super-important to ensure there is a treat not only on the bottom step, but also on the mat at the foot of the stairs. You want to ensure your dog always steps all the way down and doesn’t leap off early! .. as you’ll see Coco does correctly in the two videos on this page.

Next stage

Gradually, you’ll be able to remove the lead from the exercise, and space the treats out a little more (though be very slow to remove the last two on the way down!).

And once you know your dog has got this, you’ll be able to let him go up and down on his own.

You’ll need to find other stairs for him to get used to as well - concrete stairs, other sorts of house stairs, metal stairs, log stairs …

Once you’re both expert at this, you can have some fun together, going up and down stairs:

Coco learns stairs

Safety for us!

Incidentally, there’s a lot of nonsense talked about who should go through a door first. Real nonsense.

Certainly, your dog shouldn’t barge through doors, but once they can wait for permission to go through, I always send mine through first. I don’t want an excited dog to take my legs out!

Same goes for stairs.

I always send my dogs up or down stairs ahead of me. It’s simple commonsense!

No need to get tangled up in dominance nonsense.

Stair agility!

Once your dog is comfortable on the stairs, you can develop his balance skills and have fun with some stair games

Here’s a video to give you some ideas - see how much Coco is enjoying this!

And for lots more answers to your questions, get our free email course here!

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How patient are you with your dog?

I’m delighted to see the successes that students get as they work steadily through the Brilliant Family Dog Academy.

Their appreciation of how this has changed so much for them shines through their comments:

Here’s what KW had to say on the transformation of her dog’s recall: 

“Wow, just WOW!! The smile on her face as she flew towards me said it all.”

And here’s another heartfelt comment:

“A big thank you to Beverley and team. My dog has come a long way - he now plays and socialises and is lovely on the lead. He loves the focus games and his big sister is certainly enjoying life - and we have a lovely family dog!” LS

 And what about this one?

“My puppy and I continue to love the program. He is coming along in leaps and bounds. We seem to be building a lovely bond and I just love the way he continually looks at me to see what fun thing we are going to do next. This programme is great. We wouldn’t be in such a great place without it. Thank you.” SL

You’ll notice that all these comments are about the huge change in the relationship between owner and dog - the improved behaviour just rolls along with it!

So you can see why I’m so sad when I get occasional remarks from students saying that after a week their dog is unchanged and they don’t think it’s working. 

PATIENCE!

Your dog didn’t become as he is overnight!

And you won’t change everything about him overnight!

Actually, plenty of students do find they get results very fast … but those are the ones who apply themselves and knuckle down to do the work! Hmmm - wonder if there’s a correlation there …?

Magic Wands?

Nobody has a magic wand.

Though Lacy is doing her best here!

And you need TIME and PATIENCE to get the results you want with your dog.

Just as you do with anything else!

You wouldn’t enrol on a foreign language course and expect to be speaking Chinese or whatever within the week.

So whyever would anyone think that they can undo years (or just weeks) of poor training or bad experiences within a few days.

I’ve actually had people say after ONE DAY that their dog hasn’t changed yet!

It is a fact that your dog’s behaviour is a direct reflection of the training you’ve given him.

They don’t come out of the box ready-trained.

You get Dog 1.0. The upgrades you have to apply yourself!

And I and my professional trainer team just love guiding you in this!

Here’s what VW had to say about the individual coaching she got in the program:

“Wow, thank you so much for your lovely words! I was feeling so low the other day, not just about my lack of progress with my dog and then I posted and you and the other trainers were so wonderful and supportive and encouraging, it made a HUGE difference to me and how I felt generally as well as our training. I cannot thank you enough for that alone.

Thank you for helping me to be the best for my dogs, and for your really kind words.

I am on week 5 of this training and it is brilliant, truly helpful and working so well.”

Why not give us a whirl?

We’ll give you all the lessons and the support - but you have to bring your dog and your patience yourself!

See you there!

How much time does your dog spend sleeping?

Did you know, that - just like us - if dogs don’t get enough sleep it shows in everything they do?

You may be familiar with managing a toddler - in which case you KNOW exactly how important sleep is! An underslept baby is a cranky, crying, cantankerous, mess! You can do nothing with them till they’ve had the proper amount of sleep.

We know this.

And if you’re starting off with a new puppy, you need to make sure that sleep is right up there in importance, along with what and how often to feed, and enriching your puppy’s life.

Everything else can wait!

Until you manage sleep, you will have that cranky, cantankerous toddler for a puppy - and this usually manifests itself in manic behaviour and especially puppy biting.

If you’re struggling with your new puppy’s behaviour, read these two posts, and follow the steps exactly!

https://www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog/new-puppy-will-i-ever-sleep-again

https://www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog/10-ways-to-stop-puppy-biting

Things will change for you very fast, once you put these methods in place.

Grown-up dogs

But many people don’t realise that this need for sleep continues for ALL their dog’s life!

Dogs, like many animals, need much more sleep than we do.

And like all of us, they suffer if they’re not getting it.

Know how much a healthy dog needs to sleep every day?

It’s 17 hours!

17 hours!

I spoke about this at length in this post:

https://www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog/my-dog-is-busybusy-all-day-long-and-never-stops

And if your dog is always on the go - hop over there right now and read the story about Tim and learn how to help your dog just as fast!

There’s more help for you in this post too:

https://www.brilliantfamilydog.com/blog/i-love-my-dog-and-i-love-my-sleep

A bee in my bonnet?

Now you’re thinking I’ve just got a bee in my bonnet about all this!

But the reason I feel the need to revisit this subject is because it seems to be such a secret for so many people!

Especially first-time dog-owners and puppy-owners.

They think that the puppy will take care of his own sleep needs.

Nope.

Like everything else we want to happen in our home with our companion dog, we have to manage it, and teach strong foundations from the start.

Quite a few folk arrive in the Brilliant Family Dog Academy, pulling their hair out in frustration at their new dog’s behaviour!

And before we can teach the dog anything new to “fix the problem” we have to sort out the household management.

Only then is the dog in a state where he can learn.

And, you know what?

There’s nothing more satisfying than seeing your dogs flat out sleeping peacefully, the house calm and quiet, while you get on with what you have to do, knowing your dog will be in a friendly, obliging, malleable, mood when he eventually stretches, yawns and starts his tail wagging again!

Want a bit more help after you’ve read all these valuable articles? Get our free email course here, which will show you how to deal with lots of those little daily annoyances your dog may be passing your way!

And comment below on how changing your dog’s sleep patterns has transformed your life together! 💤   💤   💤  

Check other post that might help your brilliant dogs:

I have a new puppy: will I ever get any sleep again?

How much does your dog sleep?

Errorless Housetraining and Crate Training

Puppy Crate training demystified

I love my dog AND I love my sleep!

Does your dog get carsick?

In my experience, puppies are either carsick or they're not.  

And if they are, you've just got to cope with it till they grow out of it! Just like with small children.

I've never found anything in the way of medication that works. But I have found a number of things that do work.

1. Have the pup in the middle of the car, not the boot or tailgate or trunk or whatever you term it, as there's far less movement between the wheels. If you imagine a little toy car swivelling on a pin going down the centre of the car, you’ll get the idea of the swing at the back end. Lots of builders’ plastic sheeting will be very useful here, as you can hose it down outside the car.

2. Never leave any dog or puppy loose in a car! There are many reasons for this, but in this case you don’t need much imagination to see why it’s not a good idea! Have him in a washable crate or cardboard box, or in a towel on your lap if you're a passenger. You can connect his harness to your seat belt for safety. Vomit can reach every nook and cranny in a car - down the side of the seats is its speciality! - so containing him is really the best option. If he can see out of the window, so much the better. Don't mollycoddle him - be matter-of-fact.

3. Take corners and winding roads slowly and be light on the controls. Be ready if possible with a bucket to stick his head in when he's about to throw up, so less mess, and have plenty of towels around. If he’s harnessed in the passenger seat beside you, this is pretty easy - though you have to stop the car safely first! 😎

4. Bring water and towel to clean him down when you arrive, don't feed him for a couple of hours before departure, and aim to get anywhere 15 minutes early so he can walk around and play and get over it.

5. This too shall pass! But it can become a habit. When my puppy Rollo got into the car, he’d start drooling even before the doors were closed. So I started a counterconditioning program with him hopping in and out of the car and getting very tasty treats for just being there. When that happened we graduated to closing the doors, then to switching the engine on. Gradually the drooling died out, and he grew to love the car and where it took him, and became a perfect traveller by about six months of age. Some dogs may be so car-averse that you’ll want to start this process outside the car till they’re happy to enjoy the treats. Then move to the front passenger seat.

Triggers

As a child I was always sick when my parents took us on outings. I can remember the triggers clearly - the motion, the leather upholstery of my father's car, and my mother's expensive perfume. So he may fare better in one car than another.

A friend shared that her childhood carsick triggers were the smell of coffee from a flask that my parents always took on long road trips, and being jostled for mile after mile after mile.

The fact that we both remember these triggers so clearly so many years later, demonstrates how deeply embedded they can be. Hence the need to make haste slowly!

And for more help with your dog - get our free email course on common dog problems! Lots of help for you there.

Get your first Lesson!

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Giving eye drops to your dog!

I got a cry for help from a dog-owner recently. They had to administer eye drops to their little dog, who is normally happy to be handled all over.  

But the very sight of the eye dropper caused him to snap and growl - quite out of character for this fellow.

So here are some suggestions I gave them - that you may find useful if you’re struggling to give ear or eye drops to your frightened dog!

1. Ideally, get him used to funny interventions in advance of actually needing them. You can pretend to give eye drops or ear meds, doing everything bar actually putting anything in the eye. Make it fun and rewarding - with treats to follow, and a toy game if your dog likes that.

If you do this regularly, your dog will be quite happy to put up with this strange behaviour.

In the photos on this page you can see Coco keen and happy to get his anti-inflammatory meds. This happened because of careful desensitisation round meds, droppers, syringes, and the rest. No restraint needed!

2. If the drops appear to sting his eye, see if your vet can prescribe something more gentle.

3. If it’s permitted, ensure the bottle is warm, or at least the load in the dropper is at room temperature, so your dog doesn’t get the shock of cold liquid in his eyes.

4. Use a muzzle, or a fabric lead or soft scarf round his snout for a moment. If you’re alone, drop the scarf over the nose, cross it under the chin and tie behind the head. Be quick! And If you have a helper, ensure that one of you holds the ends tight while the other QUICKLY drops in the drops, being sure not to touch the eyeball. You can pull up the eyebrow (not the lid) to give you plenty of space to drop.

My enquirer also chose to wrap her dog in his customary after-bath towel so he felt cuddled and warm. And this and the scarf method worked perfectly, with no distress to their dog.

5. This is a time for breaking out the Class A stuff - fresh or dried sprats, cheese, sausage - leave your dog with the happiest memory of the intervention.

6. If all else fails, ask if you can get the vet nurse to administer the drops so that you’re not the bad guy!

You’ll want to follow much the same steps for ear meds. I always favour powder rather than wet stuff in the ears, with all the unpleasant noise that can make. I use Thornit (which you can readily get from Amazon) and that’s also brilliant for drying up hot spots and wet patches.

It’s great that we can get help for our dogs so easily these days. If you have to administer something, be sure to get a lesson from the vet or nurse before you leave the surgery. Ask them to show you in slow motion!

And start a program of desensitising your dog to all this right away - before you need it!

For more practical tips on making life run smoothly for you and your dog, get our free email course here ...

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Yay! A new year for our dogs and us!

Such fun! A whole new year is ahead of us - us and our dogs.

So … what are we going to do with it?

Maybe this will be the year you try competing - in Agility, Rally, Obedience, Working Trials …

Maybe this will be the year you learn a new skill with your dog - Search and Rescue, Scentwork of any kind, Assistance Dog work …

Maybe you’ll determine that this is the year you teach your dog some new fun activities - Tricks, Parkour, Waterwork …  

Or maybe you’ll carry on just as you always have.

And this could be absolutely fine!

You don’t have to do anything special with your dog if you don’t want to.

But to keep you both fully-functioning for as long as possible, you want to ensure there are lots of stimulating walks for you and your companion, new places to visit, new landscapes to explore.

I make a point of walking my dogs in all the different terrains that are available to me here.

🐾 So one day we’ll be on one of our lovely long-distance footpaths.

🐾  Another day we’ll be at the beach.

🐾  Or open fields and pasture, or commonland.

🐾 Woodland or forest another day.

🐾   We may mooch round the village or a nearby town.

🐾 A canal-side or riverside walk is full of new experiences.

🐾  And we love the solitude of the Marshes.

What do you do to keep your dog’s interest alive? Comment below and tell us!