Rachel's Guide to Puppies

 Koopa and I visited the dog park tonight. We hadn't been in quite a while, so we (read: he) was VERY excited. When we got out there, there were just a few dogs surprisingly. We had gone pretty late so that it could cool down just a bit, but with an hour of sunlight left, I expected more people.

Anyway, there were a couple of Chihuahuas, a couple of Boxers and an Aussie. Koopa loves Boxers because they match his energy level when he wants to play. So I was thrilled that there were at least a couple of dogs he could play with. Of the two Boxers, one was a puppy and the other was probably a little older than Koopa. Koopa went straight into play mode as I expected- chasing and then trying to be chased. He would nip at the younger one's cheeks and then run away. Typical puppy play behavior. All of a sudden, both the puppies owners were up and trying to block Koopa from their dog. Then they told him it was "time to go home." I just stood there, completely shocked. He hadn't even gotten really riled up. This was TAME puppy play. Probably the calmest and gentlest I've seen Koopa be with a puppy. I had just been thinking how proud I was that he was going slow with her. So I spoke up and said, "They're just playing. That's how they play. If they were really playing hard, they'd have a hold of each others cheeks and be swinging each other around by them." They just responded saying their two just boxed like Boxers do.

But I'm not rude, and I don't want to upset anyone, so I just took Koopa away. Guess what happened? Baby Boxer comes bounding after Koopa wanting to play more. Surprise, surprise. So that got me thinking that a lot of people baby their puppies and do not let them set their own limits. Dogs WILL set their own limits. If they feel victimized or scared they will squeal or whimper. Other dogs have learned to back off at this point and most will, assuming they've had adequate puppy play experience. If you never let your dogs play, they won't learn their limits or when to back off when they reach other dog's limits.

Aggression is very easy to see. I've included a video of my dog and his best bud going at it and then a clip of a dog fight. Pay attention to the difference in body language in each clip. I can tell you that both my dog and Cassie (the other dog) were bleeding after their play date, but they never showed any aggression toward the other. Dogs play hard, that's a fact of life. You need to learn to be ok with it and not step in when you think things get too rough. After watching these videos you will know when it's a dog fight. Then you can step in.

If you step in during normal dog play and scoop up your dog, he will learn to fear other dogs. This can lead to them becoming unnecessarily aggressive or scared around other dogs.

The best place for your puppy to learn their limits and to learn how to play is a puppy play time. The Petco in Lawrence (and I'm sure Petco and Petsmart in OP) have puppy play times for puppies under 6 months old to come and learn how to play. The one in Lawrence is on Sundays at 2pm. These sessions are FREE....did you read that? FREE SOCIALIZATION!...and are completely necessary for your puppy AND for you to figure out how they play. Go to these sessions and go often.

Here is Koopa and Cassie PLAYING (make sure to watch the whole thing for pointers):

• Things to pay attention to:
• Tails wagging
• "Smiles" on their faces (mouth open, tongues hanging to the side)
• Relaxed bodies
• No raised hackles (the hair down the center of their back)

• First you have one obviously nervous dog that is whimpering. This raises the energy level of the other dogs and is never good. Socializing your dog usually minimizes this. 
• When the boxer comes over neither one smells the others butt, they also pause for a second without really looking at each other
• Right after the pause, you can hear the growling. That is a very distinctive sound to listen for- quick barking growls. That tells you they are fighting
• If you focus on their mouths you can see their lips are raised, baring their teeth
• Some dogs do this when they're playing. When the sounds are paired with it, you know it is NOT playing
• You can also see their body language is very stiff. Even after they stop fighting at first, you can tell more is about to happen
• Their hackles are also raised
• Another good indicator that it is a fight and not play is if they are both standing up on their back feet, biting and growling at each other
• The owner of the Boxer (Lexi) does the absolute wrong thing- she starts SCREAMING her dog's name. If your dog gets into a fight, do exactly what the owner of the black dog does- speak in a very calm voice and ask your dog to come and sit.

Before I begin, I need to write a sort of disclaimer. First, I do not have a perfect dog. He is a puppy and no matter how much time I spend training him, he'll still be a puppy. He'll still probably chew up the rug, pee in the house every once in a while, go psycho when he greets another dog, and pull on the leash sometimes. But he's a puppy. I also am only writing this based on what I've learned with my dog & what I can remember/fit into each post. So what I'm trying to say is that even after reading these posts and trying things with your dog, he still may misbehave. I do not claim to be a professional trainer or to be able to "fix" your dog. This blog is here to help you better understand your dog and to have a better relationship with them. Also, I'll probably say "he" or "him" because my dog is a boy. Deal! :P

There are a few things you need to know before you get started training your dog.

• Socialization is KEY!
• There are so many things that can go wrong if your dog is not socialized. Socialization teaches your dog a few things:
• How to play correctly
• How to use bite inhibition
• Where they lie as far as dominate/submissive goes
• How to greet dogs
• How to be brave!
• How to share nicely
• It also teaches you a few things:
• Dog calming signals
• How dogs play (so you don't get worried & think they're fighting)
• How to recognize levels of aggression
• What could go wrong if you don't socialize your dog:
• Attacking dogs it's not used to
• Marking when other animals come near or marking where he smells other dogs
• This gets SO annoying because you end up having to stop at every tree on walks so your dog can cover up other dog's smells
• Being possessive of food
• Your puppy will turn into a dog, and those things that may have been cute as a puppy will NOT be cute as an adult
• Biting
• Grabbing the leash on a walk
• Jumping up
• Barking
• The dog needs to understand that your are the leader, and they need to follow
• If not, they will never listen to you
• Your emotions transfer to your dog
• If there's loud thunder and you act afraid (or even happy-excited), your dog will learn to be afraid of thunderstorms
• If there's a lawn mower outside and you act excited, your dog will act excited (read: BARK!) every time a lawn mower comes by
• This is even true of you saying, "It's ok!" in a very excited voice
• When you want to convey calm to your dog, make sure your voice is even-toned, almost monotone, or you will excite your dog which is hardly ever a good thing
• Before you start training, you need to make sure you have time for it each and every day
• Consistency is key:
• Set up a time every day that you can take 30 minutes to train your dog
• Make sure every member of your family agrees on training techniques:
• Hand signals
• Voice cues
• Goal of the command
• If there is ANYTHING on the floor (or even a few feet up) that you don't want destroyed, put it somewhere the puppy isn't allowed
• Even if things aren't off the floor, the puppy can still destroy things
• Koopa ate through a wall (that can be patched) and ripped up some carpet (which will have to be replaced)
• It's not just shoes that puppies eat! They'll eat anything!