By Kathy Diamond
Davis
Author and Trainer
Puppy kindergarten can give you and your pup a great
start together. People with limited dog experience
benefit tremendously from well-run puppy classes,
where instructors explain the mysteries of puppy
behavior and teach handling skills. Unlike training
classes for adult dogs, puppy classes tend to
include instructions in issues such as housetraining
and other management.
Perhaps you’ve trained a dog before and don’t feel
the need for help training this one. The puppy needs
the experience, even if you don’t. Chances are,
though, that you’ll learn new things, too.
Dog trainers continue to come up with ideas that
work better for more dogs. They’re constantly
improving on ways to teach the humans. Many dogs who
would have been considered untrainable in the past
are now easy to train thanks to new understanding of
how to motivate them. The training equipment
continues to evolve, too, and you will need
instruction to use some of the tools.
Whatever dogs you’ve trained before, there’s one
guarantee: this puppy is different! Every dog is
different. Even two puppies from the same litter are
different from each other, will respond differently
to things, and will require different handling from
their humans. A good instructor has much to teach
you and to help your young dog. This is an
opportunity you don’t want to miss.
Your puppy needs this learning environment during
critical development stages. If socialization during
these stages is missed, some puppies will never be
as successful as they could otherwise have been at
fitting into your home or whatever else you hope to
do with your dog. Sadly, when a dog can’t function
safely with humans, it can ultimately mean a lost
home and a lost life.
Good basic handling and training prevent most
problems from turning into serious issues as the dog
matures. We all want to enjoy our puppies and have
them grow into safe dogs who spend long and happy
lives in our homes. Puppy kindergarten is a great
start to making this happen.
When Is Your Puppy Ready?
Puppies mature at different rates, but classes
typically try to get the pups into class prior to 6
months of age. That heads off a lot of potential
behavior problems. Occasionally an older dog may be
allowed in the class to overcome shyness, but only
if this dog would not pose a threat to the puppies.
You need to consult your veterinarian about the best
timing for your puppy to take class. This will
depend on the pup’s health and immune status as well
as what illnesses are going around.
Discuss when to start your pup in class with the
instructor, too. Ask if they’ve had any contagious
puppies in class recently; if so, wait longer before
starting. There should be careful screening of all
puppies allowed in the class to make sure they will
not pose undue risks to the other puppies.
In some cases you may need to just do what you can
on your own in safer settings while you wait for
your pup’s immune status to be stronger. The
instructor may have some reading suggestions for
you. (See
Socializing Dogs to People,
Socializing Dogs to Places, and
Socializing Dogs to Things ), Keep in mind,
though, that dog handling is a skill that needs to
be learned. Reading is not going to be enough to
learn it.
Some puppies need one or more private lessons before
joining a class. Some trainers actually do all the
training in private lessons, and have the classes
only for dogs who are involved in their private
lessons. Whatever kind of program you work with, go
there without your puppy first to observe and make
sure you are comfortable with how the dogs are
handled.
Goals and Benefits of Puppy
Kindergarten
Several things can be accomplished through puppy
kindergarten classes, especially if you keep these
objectives in mind:
1. Your pup can begin a lifelong love of going to
dog events and gatherings that include other
well-behaved dogs.
2. A good class is an opportunity for a weekly
outing with your puppy with the supervision of a
skilled instructor to help you.
3. Your puppy can gain a love of learning new things
that will last for life. Old dogs can indeed learn
new tricks if they developed a love of learning
early in life and kept it up throughout adulthood.
This comes back to bless you even as the elderly dog
needs to learn new skills to compensate for losing
some sight, hearing and mobility. It’s amazing what
dogs can learn, once they know how to learn and have
the confidence that they can do it.
4. You and your puppy develop a working relationship
that enables you to safely take the puppy out for
other social experiences and continued training.
5. A puppy who might otherwise have grown up fearful
and defensive can gain confidence and overcome early
problems with people and other dogs.
Doing Class Right
Communicate with the instructor about your goals for
your puppy prior to the beginning of class. This
might be best done in a brief phone conversation at
the instructor’s convenience. The instructor will be
able to help you better in class by knowing your
goals. A pup being raised as a therapy dog or to
live with preschool children may need different
class experiences than a pup being raised for
agility or Schutzhund competition. The school may
have different puppy classes for different goals.
Don’t overtire your puppy. Step out of the class
action to the sidelines or outdoors if your puppy
starts to appear tired, stressed, hot, or in need of
a potty break. Don’t disrupt the class, but do take
good care of your puppy.
If there is a time when the puppies in class
interact with each other, keep your puppy’s
participation in the interaction brief, and bring
the puppy out of the dog-to-dog interaction on a
happy note.
Don’t let your puppy be picked on in class, and
certainly don’t let your puppy bully any of the
others. Either of these situations could be
detrimental to your dog’s future ability to work
safely and comfortably around other dogs. Puppy
class is to help your dog with this, not create a
problem.
If something is recommended that makes you
uncomfortable, step out. Make sure you understand
and are comfortable with the situation, the
equipment, the method, or whatever your concern is,
BEFORE you do it with your dog. The instructor
probably knows more about dogs than you do, but
there may be important aspects of your dog’s
personality that the instructor has not had the
opportunity to notice. What is a good technique for
one dog can be a bad technique for a different dog.
Don’t disrupt the class, but don’t let anything
happen to your puppy that concerns you. The beauty
of a training class is that situations can be set up
for training. If you’re not ready, you can learn
more about it and then the situation can be
recreated when you are ready to try it. If this
means taking the class again, it’s worth it to learn
how to handle your puppy in the way that is best for
the two of you.
In your regular daily practice of the class
homework, keep in mind both the short attention span
and physical stamina of a puppy AND the length of
the class. A puppy can’t work attentively for a
solid hour. Crummy practice produces crummy
training! But the puppy needs to be able to hang out
under control for the hour the class will probably
last.
So how do you condition your pup for this? Put a
leash on your puppy and find a good training place.
You may walk there, drive there, or start in your
living room. The plan is to have the puppy under
basic control for an hour, with “on” and “off” times
for actual training and working.
Let’s say you start by putting on the leash. This is
a good opportunity to help your pup remember not to
jump all over you when excited. Control starts now.
Check your timer!
Next you might decide to start with a little stay
practice in the living room. Or maybe you go ahead
out the door with your puppy. Remember not to let
your puppy dash out the door without permission!
If you’re going to do your training on a walk, keep
the timer going as you walk a bit (keep that leash
loose!) and stop frequently to work on a cue or two
(sit, down, puppy looking to your eyes at the sound
of the name, and other things you’re learning in
class).
If you’re going to drive to a training location,
start your timer when you actually get there. Drive
time will be in addition to class time, so don’t
count it as part of your practice time, either.
Carry along a favorite toy or two and some tiny
treats. Besides using these things to motivate your
puppy, a little play (not too wild!) is a controlled
break and stress reliever for pup. At some point on
your walk or at home before or after the walk,
practice stays. Practice stays every day. Stays make
you the leader of your dog, without ever having to
battle over leadership. (See
Stay Training)
Spend a little time stimulating the pup with the toy
for retrieving (See
Retrieving in Play.) For this you may want to
take a longer line with you, or do it at home before
or after the walk. Skip retrieving practice at any
time your dog’s mouth seems uncomfortable from
teething.
As your pup matures a little (around 6 months, less
or more depending on the dog) start adding structure
to the retrieve. Spend a few moments a day on gentle
“hold it” and “give” training. Drop something now
and then and let the pup hand it back to you. Your
genuine praise for the pup putting a dropped object
into your hand will make your dog light up.
Walk along for several steps with your full
attention on the puppy and the puppy’s full
attention on you. Then release the pup’s attention
while you continue to walk in a more relaxed
manner—but always with the leash loose, no tension
on it. Work in a few sessions of “attention
walking,” during your session, never too long at a
time.
You’ll learn more and more things to include in your
hour of controlled time with your pup that is part
training, part play, and 100% learning. A dog is
constantly learning, either the things we want or
the things we don’t want.
Play is just as important to learning as all other
interactions you have with your dog. Puppy
kindergarten class will teach you some fun things to
do with your puppy in addition to “serious”
training. Remember, life is a game to your puppy.
That’s as it should be, because puppies, like
children, learn best through play.
Reasonable Expectations
There’s good news and bad news about what your puppy
learns in puppy kindergarten. The good news: your
puppy will have a great foundation for all future
learning and the best possible chance for a great
attitude about the world and the people in it.
The bad news is that what your dog learns as a puppy
is going to have to be taught again! Thought you’d
take your puppy through puppy kindergarten and that
would result in an obedience-trained dog? It doesn’t
work like that.
Puppies get their little brains turned on and turned
in the right direction through early training, which
provides a wonderful start. Then adolescence hits.
The dog sees the world in a new way, which is
fitting as maturity brings the need to take on more
responsibility.
In the wild the adolescent dog would need to help
the pack provide food and security. Enormous
physical and mental changes occur in the adolescent
dog—including the dog who is spayed or neutered—and
all training has to be repeated from a new
perspective.
You are now dealing with a different dog! But if you
and this fascinating creature have gone through
puppy kindergarten training together, you’re both
well-equipped to step up to an adult level of dog
training. This is the point in your dog’s life when
REAL bonds are formed, when the dog is ready to
actually choose to be your partner. It’s an exciting
and rewarding time.
Before the Cuteness Wears Off
When your puppy is still little and cute, certain
lessons are easily taught that would require much
more work if delayed. Walking on a loose leash,
paying attention when you call the name, coming when
called, keeping feet on the floor to greet people,
keeping teeth off humans and other essential skills
for living in a human world are most easily taught
to your puppy over a two or three month period in
early life.
Puppy kindergarten is enormously helpful to humans
and dogs, and provides about the best entertainment
possible. For a small fee you get to participate in
something that is mentally, emotionally, and
physically healthy for you and your dog. Seeing the
other puppies and sharing the experience with the
other puppy-loving humans adds to the fun. Be sure
to take the opportunity to do this with and for your
puppy.
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Adopting a dog carries the
responsibility of keeping that dog
from getting hurt unnecessarily, or
from injuring people or other
animals. Some dogs don’t require a
lot of training to keep them out of
trouble, but others need homes where
training is a way of life. If you
have a dog now, which kind of dog do
you have? If you’re thinking of
getting a dog, which kind is right
for your home?
The Basics
The
term obedience training used to be
synonymous with basic dog training,
and implied that training a dog and
military boot camp had a lot in
common! Military dog training did
influence early training techniques
for family dogs. When obedience
trials became a popular sport with
dogs, classes continued to use the
term obedience.
Dog
training has advanced due to the
generations of trainers refining
their techniques more and more.
People still train their dogs for
obedience trials, but they also
train for other purposes such as
hunting, search and rescue, police
work, assistance to people with
disabilities, therapy work and much
more.
Along
with the refinement of other dog
training have come specific classes
for family dogs. These classes may
provide you and your dog with the
skills you need to live successfully
in your community, or you and your
particular dog may need to go
further with training. Other types
of classes as well as private
trainers and behavior specialists
are available.
When
you and your dog train together, you
deepen your ability to communicate.
Instead of trying to control your
dog physically, you’ll be able to
tell the dog what you need. This is
less stressful and safer for you
both. Here are some of the skills a
trained dog needs in order to live
successfully with a typical family:
1.
Come when called. Like all
other training, this skill must be
practiced in your life with your dog
at home and everywhere you go
together. Having a dog who comes
when called doesn’t mean you’ll let
your dog run loose, but it’s life
insurance when your dog accidentally
gets out. It’s also important in
day-to-day as well as emergency
handling.
2.
Sit and/or down. Many
things you need to do with your dog
start by having the dog get still in
a seated or lying-down position. A
sit gets the dog anchored in one
place, and a down lets the dog relax
there. The sit is not comfortable
for dogs to do for very long, and
some find it painful. You don’t want
to require your dog to do anything
that is going to cause the dog pain,
so you may at times need to have
your dog do a down instead, or
remain standing.
3.
Stay. Practicing stays with
your dog helps your dog learn
composure and the ability to remain
calm. Too many dogs lack this
ability, and it makes their lives
harder for them as well as for their
families. The stay exercise is also
a way to become your dog’s leader
without making a fight of it.
4.
Walk on a loose lead.
Trainers argue about what collars
are most effective and most humane.
Actually, keeping tension on the
leash makes any collar both less
effective and less humane. If the
leash is loose, the collar (or head
halter or harness) is putting less
pressure on the dog, most of the
time no pressure at all. A dog
conditioned to work with the leash
loose is easier to handle and easier
to train. Instead of being dragged
around by the leash, the dog learns
to pay attention to the handler.
Keeping the leash loose spares the
dog potential injuries from training
devices that can rub off hair and
abrade skin.
5.
Housetraining. Lack of
reliable housetraining is a major
cause of small dogs losing their
homes. Possibly you don’t care
whether or not your dog is
housetrained, but think about how
you’ll feel in the future and what
the dog’s chances will be in the
world without housetraining. The
habits a dog forms while someone is
too busy to worry about
housetraining can be powerful habits
to change later, especially if
they’ve been formed during puppyhood.
6.
The ability to rest calmly in a
safe, confined area. A dog
crate is the logical confinement
area for many situations, but it’s
possible for some dogs to do well in
other confinement. One way or
another, you need to be able to
leave your dog alone someplace safe
without the dog stressing.
7.
Not to bite humans. For
family dogs, your best bet is to
teach the dog not to put teeth on
human skin. If the dog will work in
some protection capacity that
involves biting, you’ll need to do
management, handling, and training
to keep innocent people safe.
For More Serious Dogs
If
your dog is large, rowdy, or has
powerful drives, you’ll both be
happier with further training. The
following trained skills will help:
1.
Greet people with four feet on
the ground. Jumping up on
people sometimes seems like a minor
problem, considering the
friendliness of the typical jumping
dog. The whole idea from the dog’s
point of view is to get closer to
the face and hands for greeting, but
people don’t want to be knocked over
or get their clothing torn or dirty.
2.
Chew on dog toys. If a dog
has a concept of property, it’s not
the same as a human concept. A dog
can’t understand that something of
yours would be difficult to replace,
or costs money. Even without
understanding why, a dog can
learn—with your help over time as
the dog gains maturity—to focus
chewing on specific items. For a
power-chewer, this is an important
skill!
3.
Refrain from chasing vehicles
and children. Dogs bred to have
high drives for following moving
objects (herding, hunting, etc.) may
fall into dangerous habits without
your guidance. Your best bet is to
get good training help with this
sort of dog early, before the
chasing habit has a chance to start.
To do their jobs properly, these
dogs are carefully trained.
Untrained, the instincts essential
to their work can be turned in
destructive directions.
4.
Retrieve. The best game to
play with a dog is also the
foundation for much advanced dog
training as well as a great solution
to quite a few dog problems:
retrieving. Ideally you’ll want to
start shaping it in your dog soon
after the dog comes to live with
you, no matter what age the dog is
at that time. Work on it a little
every day.
Training Doesn’t Count until
It’s Reliable
Many
people will tell you their dogs are
“trained” to certain behaviors, and
yet the dog will not perform the
behavior in the face of excitement
or distraction. Sometimes when a dog
shows some understanding to put rear
down and head up on hearing the word
"sit," maybe four times out of ten,
the person considers the dog
trained." This is a dangerous
assumption.
Training needs to be reliable where
it is needed most often, around
distractions and stress, and in
emergencies. Not only does your dog
need to reliably come when called to
dinner, but also to come in from the
backyard when the dog is out there
barking at a teasing child on the
other side of the fence.
If
you had an accident away from the
house with your dog and the dog was
running, frightened, near a busy
street, your dog would need to be
able to reliably come when you call
in spite of the fear. In case there
is a car coming, the dog also needs
to be able to stop and wait on your
cue, until it’s safe to continue.
Much of this depends on your
learning how to handle the dog, so
that you will react correctly in an
emergency. That takes training for
you both, and lots of practice.
Training happens when you practice
properly, repeating the practice
until the proper behaviors become
deeply established habits. The most
important behaviors such as coming
when called need to be so strongly
conditioned that the dog’s first
impulse will be to just do it, not
stop and think first.
Your
role as handler also needs to be
thoroughly practiced so that you
will automatically use the tone of
voice your dog will recognize as the
cue to carry out that behavior. This
can require an incredible amount of
self-control from you, but most of
all it requires plenty of practice.
Training is Discipline at
Its Best
When
people hear the word discipline,
they often think of a cruel overseer
administering a beating. Have you
ever been in a marching band, drill
team, team sport, or any other unit
that requires unified action? That’s
real discipline, and there’s nothing
cruel about it.
Disciplined activities build
self-esteem. Dogs are quite capable
of taking pride in doing a good job.
Training builds your bond with your
dog, and gives your dog a better
chance at a long and happy life.
Kathy Diamond Davis is the
author of the book
Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog
to Reach Others. You
can email Kathy at
MrsGoodPuppy@aol.com for
personal answers to your canine
behavior and training questions!
Should the training articles
available here or elsewhere not be
effective, contact your
veterinarian. Veterinarians not
specializing in behavior can
eliminate medical causes of behavior
problems. If no medical cause is
found, your veterinarian can refer
you to a colleague who specializes
in behavior or a local behaviorist.
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Does My Cat
have Normal Behavior?
American Association
of Feline Practitioners (AAFP)
Veterinary medicine comprises both the physical and
psychological well being of our patients. In
cats, physical illness and pain are most often
recognized on the basis of a non-specific change in
behavior. Knowing this helps clients and
veterinarians detect disease and discomfort and
monitor efficacy of pain management. The
veterinarian's responsibility is to relieve
suffering, whether it is related to physical or
emotional pain. We can support cat owners by making
them aware of the need to contact the veterinary
hospital not only for physical health but also as
soon as they see indications of anxiety, fear, or
behavior that they consider to be unacceptable or
different from their cat's normal behavior.
At
routine examinations, clients may not tell us that
the kitten bites, or that the cat "misses the box
occasionally" unless we specifically ask those
questions. Clients often think that the cat is
acting "out of spite" or "getting back at them" and
are unaware that the veterinary profession can help
with these problems. They may even be embarrassed to
discuss such incidents and how they are dealing with
them. It is important that we change these
misconceptions. If behavior questions are not asked,
clients will not know that the information is
important, especially if they are unfamiliar with
normal cat behavior. Conducting a behavior
assessment at every veterinary visit is important
for prevention and early detection of
behavior-related as well as medical problems (Appendix
1). Behavior assessments also encourage clients
to consult with their veterinarian about their
behavior concerns.
The behavior history and medical examination are
critical to an accurate diagnosis. A comprehensive
history, which includes a behavior assessment,
physical examination, and diagnostic testing is
needed to differentiate between behavior-related and
systemic conditions. For example, a cat that is
urinating inappropriately may have any number of
conditions that are associated with that behavior,
including feline lower urinary tract disease
(interstitial cystitis) and arthritis, that make it
difficult to get into the litter box. Conversely, a
cat with anorexia and lethargy may have an
underlying medical problem or may simply be stressed
by changes in its environment. In other situations,
the psychological well-being of the cat may have
been harmed to the point that psychological effects
are causing systemic disease.
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Appendix 1:
Behavioral Assessment |
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Questions to Ask
at Every Veterinary Visit
When obtaining a
history, encourage early detection or
prevention of behavior problems by asking
the following questions:
 Does
your cat urinate or defecate outside of the
box?
Does
your cat spray? (Spraying occurs when a cat
backs up to a vertical surface, kneads his
or her feet, and flicks the tail tip while
projecting urine.)
Does
your cat show signs of aggression to people,
including hissing, biting, or scratching? To
any specific family members? To strangers?
Does
your cat exhibit any fearful behaviors that
concern you?
Does
your cat show any destructive behaviors,
such as scratching or chewing objects in the
home?
Does
your cat have any problematic interactions
with other cats or pets in the household?
Has
there been any change in your cat's behavior
or disposition?
Do
you need any further information regarding
your cat's behavior?
The behavioral
history and medical examination are critical
to an accurate diagnosis. Comprehensive
histories, which include a behavioral
assessment; physical examinations; and
diagnostic testing are needed to
differentiate between behavioral and
systemic conditions. For example, a cat that
is inappropriately urinating may have any
number of conditions that are associated
with this behavior, including feline lower
urinary tract disease/interstitial cystitis,
or arthritis that makes it difficult to get
into the litter box. Or, a cat that presents
with anorexia and lethargy may have an
underlying medical problem, or may simply be
stressed by changes in its environment. The
psychological well-being of the patient may
be harmed to the point that it is also
causing systemic disease. |
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