#14 Raising an Adult Dog
Highfives Insights: We aren't raising puppies, we're raising adult dogs.
Our furry best friends all start as puppies but only stay as puppies until 6 months old! After that, they are teenagers from 6 months to 18 months, heading to adulthood which hits around 2-3 years old.
The unfortunate truth is that most dogs are turned in to shelters between 9 and 18 months when their 'puppy' behaviors start morphing into something less manageable and more serious. Frustrated puppy nipping can turn into bratty adolescent protests. Excited jumping can become a full-on physical ‘attack’ when puppy grows big enough to knock someone over. And an unruly leash puller can become a freight train of a dog as the physical prowess becomes unstoppable.
The best way to stop unwanted puppy behaviours from becoming anything worse is to remember the following points:
Puppies do not necessarily 'grow out' of behavior. Most times, they grow into it further. It's up to us to show them right from wrong from Day 1, instead of ignoring unwanted behaviour in hopes that it will disappear with age.
Reduce the freedom of options that your puppy has when growing up. Your puppy should be living in three main modes: Migration mode on the walk, work mode while playing or training in the yard, and rest mode on Place or in her crate. Don't make the mistake of allowing your pup to walk you all over the neighbourhood, become hyperactive and wander aimlessly around the entire house, or sleep anywhere she chooses. Micromanage her options to set her in the path of good choices and a structured pattern.
Managing routine is also incredibly important for house training. If you get your puppy into a 'walk, train, rest' mode, you can also get into a great feeding and potty schedule. Instead of frantically guessing when your puppy needs to pee, training her to hit ‘butler’ bells, or leaving her food out all day long so she can free-feed, be very black and white with her options. Outdoor potty time should happen immediately after exiting the crate, during the walk, or after any prolonged period of work or rest. Eating food should happen as a hand-feeding exercise or within 15 minutes of putting the bowl down, or else the food should be put away until the next meal. This allows you to create a strict schedule for your puppy to get accustomed to until she starts showing more of her own responsible choices.
Use the right tool on your puppy. I like using a basic slip lead, a mini martingale, or a training collar (for older puppies). When it comes to a harness, I find that puppies gain full control and complete loss of communication with the handler when they are put into a harness. The harness creates major resistance... You pull, puppy pulls back. This is not what you want to encourage from such a young age.
When you find the right tool for your pup, you can use that tool anytime you need to, even while in the house. Just remember to supervise your puppy anytime she is wearing any tool and take the tools off when she is in her crate.
Use food as much as possible to help lure and shape behaviour and obedience! Instead of giving your puppy too many rich treats, use her own daily kibble amount for training. Work your puppy for the kibble instead of always serving it in a bowl. Mark each good choice with kibble bits and always encourage patience and attention.
Socialize in an organized fashion. Socialize to all sorts of smells, sights, and sounds, as well as different people, animals, and surroundings. However ensure that your puppy succeeds in every scenario. A few socialization scenarios that are 100% successful is better then a dozen experiences that were 50/50. This way, your puppy learns to trust you and her self esteem/confidence levels will keep rising. Gauge your puppy's progress and temperament to see what she is ready for and whether you can coach her through to a desirable outcome. Start with socializing to family and well-known friends, open parks, balanced dogs who you completely trust, and quiet neighbourhoods. Eventually extend to busy streets but do not allow your puppy to engage with every passing person or other dogs on leash during these situations. In busy atmospheres, your puppy need to focus on you and staying calm instead of being way over stimulated. A socialized dog is always a calm, well-behaved dog.
Train with a long line. In your yard and park, you can attach your puppy to a long flat leash (30ft - 50ft) and start in graining a following skill as you walk away from her. This is an amazing way to work on keeping your puppy safely following you and practicing Recall and connection. It also gives your puppy a chance to run and sniff as the long lie simulates being off leash.
Say Yes to wanted behavior and Nope to unwanted behaviour, with appropriate follow-through. Black & white. It's that simple. The puppy's mother would mark behaviors in the same way, expecting respect, space, and calmness from her litter. Be clear in your communications and you'll find that your puppy doesn't persist in misbehaving. Disagree, or else you are agreeing in your puppy's point of view.
Just like with kids, we want our K9s to become good citizens of our community. But it is our responsibility to show our puppies proper behavior for our human world. What we allow will continue, and bad behaviour will not just fade away with time. Puppies are intaking information 24/7 so make sure you always respond appropriately to anything they do. Many of their mistakes come from a lack of guidance on our part.
By following a routine, providing structure, and staying consistent from Day 1, you'll be on the road to success with your dog!
Keep training and keep gaining!
Jenna