*Owners of new puppies will find it hard to get opportunities to let their puppy meet new dogs..... which is so important for adequate socialisation & confidence building......however suggested temporary measures, would be:
*If out now on walks with new puppy, to let your pup see, hear & smell other dogs, albeit from a distance, across the park etc. & make it a positive time - e.g. praise them & reward them with yummy treat, for taking an interest & then move on - therefore new dogs=nice things;😃 *for nervous, less confident pups, this kind of 'socialisation from afar' can be much more helpful, than having a new strange dog looming, or sniffing all over them, in close proximity; *puppies are still seeing different breeds, shapes & sizes of other dogs, & people too, just not going close to them for now, due to the need for human social distancing; *puppies are still learning & habituating to the world around them; *if less cars on the roads right now, much easier to establish more confidence for traffic-shy pups; *if your dog is normally one who plays for hours on end with every dog / group of dogs, out on walks & maybe quite a boisterous player, or gets too 'over-the-top' easily, then these are ideal times to teach more impulse control & that not every walk has to be a full-on, crazy time, when the human owner may as well not be there, seeing how little they are now involved in the dog's fun. *if your dog does not have a good recall, or just does not have their 'listening ears' on when other dogs are about, these are great times to work on this & improve your dog's ability to focus on you, by practising recalls using a longline or extendable lead (fitted to a body harness) & working at a distance from other people & their dogs. *You could introduce other types of walk activities - so you are providing all the fun & mental stimulation, rather than your dog seeking & finding fun from other sources e.g. introduce new exciting toys, which your dog goes crazy for (which only come out on a walk, to retain their high value, to the dog); *Introduce some scent-work activities on the walk e.g. hide strong-smelling treats around the base of a tree / in grass / hide a toy with food on it in a bush / - encourage your dog to use their nose to find a scent with a tangible outcome. *Please also see my previous post on the 'Good things about social distancing' & other ideas for training walks. Remember to use yummy, tasty treats in all your training - as well as being fundamental in positive, reward-based training, let's create more positive things in this rather worrying & negative time 🙏 Now we are all having to social distance, it's a great time to practise teaching your dog some extra impulse control e.g.
*'watch me' - focus on you, even though your dog can see their friends nearby, or across the park; *walking nicely on the lead practice - less distractions to contend with; *this way!* - encouraging your dog to come away with you & take a diversion, as opposed to dashing over to other dogs in the park; *train your dog that not every walk is about boisterous play & that one just can't run up to every dog or person they see; *practising calm behaviour when other dogs and / or people are in view; *practising 'sit to greet' - even though you're not going near other people, if your dog usually likes to jump up at people, practise training a 'sit' as people walk past, albeit at a fair distance away; **Remember to motivate your dog to work with you & reward with lovely tasty treats. (As I often say: 'make it worth their while'!) **For some dogs, perhaps those who get frustrated on lead, or those just starting out on this type of training, or reactive dogs, those who need space for one reason or another, dogs with issues with people / other dogs.....these are ideal times to practise training & ensuring future pleasurable walks. 😊
The ‘Signal of No Attention’.
**Remember though, behaviour problems can only be helped with steady, progressive training at a pace your dog can cope with. All behaviour modification should be addressed using only reward-based methods & following advice from qualified behaviour trainers. Work with your dog as a team, not against him or her…..& before behaviour training is undertaken, a vet should be the first port of call, to ensure a full check-over is obtained to rule out any underlying medical cause for your dog’s behaviour. |
AuthorSuzanne Bullworthy is a dog trainer and behaviourist who lives in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire and works daily with owners to help them achieve the best possible life together with their dogs. Archives
December 2022
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