Puppy Essentials – What To Buy!

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THESE ARE THE ESSENTIALS YOU’LL NEED FOR YOUR NEW PUPPY. THE PET MARKET IS HUGE IN THE UK BUT I WOULD ADVISE JUST PURCHASING THE ESSENTIALS TO START WITH, OTHERWISE YOU CAN END UP SPENDING AN ABSOLUTE FORTUNE!

Somewhere to sleep!
A crate suitable to your puppy’s size! Too small and it won’t be a comfortable space and too large and they’ll use it as their private bathroom too! Puppies should be able to stand up, turn around and lie down in their crate.

  • For small breeds a 24-inch crate is the correct size
  • For medium breeds a 30-inch crate is the correct size
  • For large breeds a 32-inch/40-inch crate is best.

Bear in mind that you will be choosing the crate size for how big your puppy is now and not how big they will be when they are older. Therefore, you will need to buy a larger crate as the puppy grows.  Crates are used as a valuable tool to aid toilet training and to keep puppies safe when they are unsupervised. If you cover it with a blanket and pack it with a comfy bed and some toys, your puppy will learn to love their den!

Bowls
Safe, washable bowls for food and water. Always have fresh water available at all times (this is a requirement by law to allow your puppy access to water at all times) and consider a non-slip travel bowl if you plan to do any long car journeys and a portable water bowl for when you are out with your puppy.


Toys
A good variety of toys both soft and hard are really good to help a puppy settle into their new home and explore their new surrounding. Playing with toys is also a lovely way to bond with your puppy!

  • KONGS – use to stuff wet food into
  • Rope Toy – great for tug of war games ensuring puppy has one end and human hands are safely at the other end!
  • Nylabones – GREAT for teething puppies!

Chews
Puppies have around 4-hours worth of chewing to do EACH DAY! So we want to offer them items which are safe to chew and which they enjoy chewing rather than letting them explore and start to nibble at our furniture instead!

Natural chews are always better in terms of nutrition than the typical ‘chain shop bought’ chews which pet shops would like us to buy. Here’s a few of my favourites:

  • Cows Hooves – SUPER smelly but FANTASTIC for teething puppies
  • Antler Chews – no smell and a good natural chew
  • Pizzle Sticks – a great, natural and edible chew – very smelly

Food
This is a huge minefield for new puppy owners! I personally feed a Raw Diet but many owners still feed a commercial dry dog food diet out of convenience or simply because that’s what the breeder was feeding. Remember that you can change your puppy’s food and if you feed a highly nutritious diet, your puppy will live a healthier and longer life… and wouldn’t we all want our dogs to live longer! Please refer to the blog on Raw Feeding for more information on this subject.  

Poo Bags
You can use scented nappy sacks or biodegradable poo bags as you’ll be going through A LOT over the next few months:

I would recommend a good enzymatic cleaning product to not only clean up any accidents but to remove the smell so that your puppy doesn’t keep going back to the same spot to toilet again

Collar and Comfortable Harness
I would advise getting your puppy used to wearing a collar as soon as possible. Something thin and light in weight. Most puppies will scratch at their necks for a few days upon wearing a collar for the first time and then soon get used to the feeling of wearing one. Pets shops sell an array of collars but one of my favourite brands for puppy collars is Red Dingo which you can purchase online.

Please remove any collars and harnesses when your puppy is inside its crate – accidents can happen and collars can get caught on things!

Dog Tag
By law, all dogs need to wear an ID tag with the name, address and postcode of their owner engraved or written on it. Remember not to get a really large tag as your little puppy will need to carry this around on their neck – so something lightweight and small.

I would always advise walking puppies on a comfortable harness to protect their necks whilst on walks. When they are older you can transition to walking them on a collar – and as you have already got them used to wearing a collar, it will make the transition seamless! My favourite brand of harness is PUPPIA.

Teaching your dog to walk on a loose lead! Is my dog actually walking me?

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Probably one of the hardest things to teach our dogs is walking on a loose lead. Does your dog constantly pull your arm with increasing strength as you get nearer to the park? Are you constantly being pulled along to every lamppost, person and dog to say hello? Do you feel as though your dog is actually walking you? Read my top tips below!

I always suggest starting training sessions in a distraction-free area such as your garden as this will help to keep your dog focused on you and not on the exciting surroundings.

With loose lead walking, you want to teach your dog that:

  • Good things happen when they walk next to you
  • Nothing ‘bad’ happens when they don’t but that there is no benefit when they try to pull on the lead.

Top tips:

  • Always start your lead walk in the right way! This means that you do not move forward unless your dog is calm and isn’t pulling and waiting to pounce out of the door the very second you open it. Most dogs will get super excited as soon as you pick up their lead to take them for a walk so once you’ve clipped their lead on, wait by the closed door for a few moments until your dog is calm and then reward them with a treat for this behaviour before you open the door and exit your home.
  • If you dog is unable to calm themselves before you leave the front door, then remove their lead and play a game with them in your home to help burn off some excess energy before repeating the first step
  • Take lots of treats on each walk (dogs and puppies learning to walk on a loose lead will need lots of treats during the training process)
  • You want to show your dog exactly what you would like them to do (walk by your side) rather than waiting for them to ‘fail’ as positive reinforcement training methods have been proven to have the best results. So when you start your walk, use a treat in your hand to lure your dog into position (by your side) and reward them once they are in place and then begin walking
  • Each time your dog pulls, stop walking and again use a treat to lure them back into position by your side, reward them and begin walking again
  • Keep repeating the above until your dog realises that being by your side means they will receive treats. The first few training walks can mean you’re out ‘walking’ for a long time… but not actually going very far! Be patient as this is one of the hardest things to teach any dog but you should notice a difference after only a few training sessions!
  • When your dog is walking calmly by your side reward them frequently for doing so as it’s really important to reward good behaviour as it increases the likelihood of your dog repeating it
  • Once your dog starts walking beside you and looks up to make eye contact, reward them! They are getting the hang of walking on a loose lead!
  • Mix up your walking route so that there isn’t a routine. Dogs who are walked on the same route will naturally want to pull when they know something interesting is coming up i.e. the park. They also won’t be focussed on you as they’ll already know which way they are walking. So change directions throughout your walk with a ‘this way’ cue to encourage your dog to pay attention to you as they won’t be able to predict which way you are walking
  • If you see another dog or a person or anything which you think may be a distraction for your dog, call their name and reward them to ensure their focus is back onto you and not on the distraction. If you need to, keep rewarding them with treats as you pass the distraction to keep their focus on you. If they pull, stop, lure them back into position, reward and then move forward again.

Remember that each member of the household needs to commit to the training to ensure your dog is successful. If sometimes you allow your dog to pull or if one member of the household allows this, then your dog will pull!

Also remember that this is one of the hardest things to teach a dog and often you will find in the beginning that on your lead walks you aren’t able to walk very far at all so remain patient and consistent and always, always reward your dog when they are by your side. You’re building up a closer bond with your dog on training walks, getting their focus back onto you and also mentally stimulating them so training walks benefit everyone!

Good luck!

Dealing with Separation Anxiety

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Most common in puppies, but also exhibited by dogs of all ages… separation anxiety can affect both the lives of our dogs and of us as their owners.  Do you own a puppy or dog who cries, scratches, barks, or toilets in the house when you leave them alone? Do you dread leaving your companion alone because you know you’re going to return to a bomb site? You are not alone!

Dogs are sociable animals and as such being alone doesn’t come naturally to them.  They have evolved from living in family groups and enjoy the company of their own kind and of us as their family unit.  So puppies need to be trained to be able to cope with being on their own.  It is an essential life skill which is just as important to teach as the usual commands of ‘sit’, ‘wait’ and recall.  However, for some dog households, teaching their pup to cope with being alone isn’t as much fun as teaching them the other more interesting commands and tricks!  Some families will naturally have children at home in the afternoon after school or even a stay-at-home-mum who can provide company for the pup.  However, for those of us who work a full working week and have a pup at home for periods of the day, it is even more important to teach them to be able to cope with this.

My recommendation is to get your new puppy used to your daily routine from the moment you bring them home.  The earlier you get them used to watching you leave and then return throughout the day, the quicker they will realise that you leaving doesn’t mean you are leaving them forever!  When I first brought my pup home at 10 weeks of age I didn’t leave her side for a second… I just wanted to be with this teeny bundle of cuteness 24/7 and play with her, cuddle her and even just watch her sleep!  Big mistake as I found out the first time I attempted to leave for half an hour to go to the shops.  As soon as the door closed she started whimpering, crying, scratching at the door and when I returned she had left me a nice deposit by the back door for me to clean up and greeted me in what can only be described as a state of desparation.  I very soon realised that my puppy wasn’t used to me not being with her all the time and that I needed to do something about it… after all, I had a life which required me to leave my own front door at some point in the not so distant future!

I started very gradually by leaving her in the living room while I stepped into the bedroom and listened to her scratching and barking at the door.  I did this for 5 minutes and then stepped back into the living room and despite her jumping all over me in sheer delight that I hadn’t emigrated abroad, I completely ignored her.  I turned my back each time she jumped up at me and I stood very still.  Once she had calmed down I praised her calmly and gave her some attention.  I continued this several times every single day and increased the time by approximately 5 minutes each time and I noticed that within a few days, she had stopped scratching and barking at the door.  Essentially I wanted to teach her that when I left, I always returned.  I wanted to teach her that when I left, it wasn’t a negative thing and that when I returned it was no big deal.

Dogs pick up on our emotions more than we think and if I had returned and fussed all over her, it would have reinforced to her that I missed her too and that she had a reason to panic when I left her the next time.  So as hard as it was, I had to stay strong and teach her that it was all no big deal.  I made no fuss when I returned and I made even less fuss when I left… I just simply walked out of the door.

As I started to increase the length of time I left her, I began to leave her things to occupy herself with.  I scattered treats around the living room, I hid chew sticks under the sofa cushions and I filled a kong with peanut butter which I had placed in the freezer so it would last longer.  There are many things you can use to help your puppy cope with being on its own and to divert their attention away from your furnishings and onto something more delicious.

If you try this method and notice that your puppy isn’t coping, then go back to the duration of time apart which your puppy was comfortable with and start to build it up again from then.  You should be increasing the time by half an hour over a few days, so it is a slow process and one which you shouldn’t rush.  It also helps if you take your pup for a walk before they are to be left alone as this ensures they are tired and it gives them a chance to relieve themselves beforehand too.

And even if you are home for most of the day and don’t need to leave your puppy then just think… there will be one day when you will need to leave them and then how will they cope? Of course we take on dogs because we want their company, but find me a person who is able to spend 24/7 with their dog and I’ll be surprised! I’m a dog walker and even in my job I leave my pup alone for periods in the day.

So my key points for helping to prevent separation anxiety are:

  • Build it up slowly! Increase the time by 5 minutes and repeat spontaneously several times every day
  • Make no fuss when you leave and make even less fuss when you return
  • If your pup becomes concerned then take a step back, reduce the time they are left alone and then start to build it up again
  • Turn the radio or TV on so your pup has some background noise
  • Give your pup something to do in your absence (frozen kongs are great as they last a long time and hiding treats for them to find exercises their minds)
  • Do not punish your pup for toileting or chewing whilst in your absence… they won’t remember what they have done and they certainly won’t learn anything from being told off for it minutes/hours later. Also, you don’t want you pup to be anxious when being left alone and then also worried about being told off when you do return
  • Once you are able to leave your pup for longer periods, ensure they have had a walk so they are tired and have had a chance to relieve themselves. You may choose to use a crate but always ensure they have access to water… this is a requirement by law

 

Understanding Dog and Puppy Play – when is it too much?

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When I used to do puppy training classes a common question which owners used to ask was ‘my puppy was playing with another puppy and it looked really aggressive – how can I tell if they were just playing?’

Puppy play, or even dog play for that matter can look aggressive! Dogs play with each other by biting, nipping, barking and rough housing with each other, but this doesn’t mean that they are being aggressive.  If you take photos of dogs playing you may be slightly disconcerted to see how aggressive dog play actually looks!  I’m a keen dog photographer and have a plethora of photos of dogs in play with their teeth bared looking aggressive! But we must remember that dogs play with their mouths and so what may look like fighting may well actually just be dogs enjoying a good play session.

For puppies, the easiest way to determine if the play is escalating to them being over-aroused and it potentially turning defensive/aggressive is to restrain the puppy who looks like he’s being a bit over zealous and seeing if the other puppy still comes back for more.  If the unrestrained puppy was becoming nervous then they will retreat and move away from the restrained puppy.  And if they were actually enjoying the play session and return for more, then you can simply let them continue.

Puppy and dog play can sometimes lead to over-arousal and then one dog may become defensive if it’s feeling overwhelmed or just wants a break.  Again, you can just call back the instigator to give both dogs a time-out to defuse the situation and prevent it from escalating.  All dogs will have different play styles – some will be constantly moving forward towards the dogs they want to play with and some will move forward and backwards in a fluid motion… this is the best form of play as it allows for natural breaks.

It is really important to watch the body language of both dogs to ensure they are both comfortable with the play and to use a reliable recall if you think it’s getting too much for either dog.

With puppies it is especially important for them to learn how to play with adult dogs.  Those of you who have owned your dogs from puppies will know that some, if not most, adult dogs do not tolerate puppies!  Puppies can be incredibly annoying to the typical adult dog as they are constantly aroused and want to play and essentially get in the adult dogs face.  It also takes a while for puppies to actually learn what it means when an adult dog growls at them to tell them off.  I remember from my own experience my puppy trying to play with a Jack Russell on a lead in the common and this dog snarling and snapping at her and she just thought this was great fun and continued trying to play! I managed to call my puppy away from the dog before she potentially got injured but I did understand that she just hadn’t picked up on this dog’s unwillingness to play with her.  And this can be a steep learning curve for most puppies!

So it’s really important to keep your puppy safe from adult dogs while they learn what is the appropriate way to play and interact with others to avoid you puppy being constantly told off by other dogs.  However, this telling off process is crucial to their development so there is a fine line between being over-protective of your puppy and allowing it too much freedom to get itself into trouble!  So when you’re next out with your dog or puppy, carefully monitor any play sessions and learn to read the body language of both dogs and if in any doubt, call your puppy or dog back to you, or retrain the dog who you think may be getting over-aroused and see how the other dogs responds… are they relieved or do they still want to continue the play.  We can analyse dog behaviour but dogs are much quicker and smarter than us and they way they communicate with each other is often too subtle for the human eye to see, so let them decide… with your guidance and over-seeing eye!

Recall Training – The Facts and the Frustrations

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So you’ve done everything right since your took your new puppy home; you used a long line and reeled him back to you when you called him and he was distracted, you did the good old ‘hide and wait’ trick safe in the knowledge that your young pup would suddenly notice you weren’t there, would panic and come immediately in search of you, you rewarded him each and every time you said those magic words and he came bounding back over to you and you waited until he wasn’t distracted in a good play session before you called him so as to limit his chances of failure.  But now, suddenly you notice that you now older puppy is starting to wander further away on walks, take that little bit longer to come back to you when you call him… or if like a lot of puppy owners, he suddenly has a moment (or several!) of selective hearing and totally ignores your calls leaving you standing in the park with your lead in your hand pleading your puppy to come to you!

Well the good news is that this is such a common occurrence and the even better news is that his recall will improve!  Welcome to the wonderful world of adolescence!

During the adolescence period (typically between 6-18 months of age) a number of things are happening with your puppy; he is gaining confidence and independence meaning he is happier wandering just that little bit futher on walks and suddenly his focus is now on the outside world and exploring all that it has to offer.  During this time his hormones are also changing and especially for male dogs, he will be interested in sniffing out what other dogs have visited his local park and he may spend a lot of his time scent marking.  Adolescence is by far the most testing time in a new puppy owners life… but fear not as if you’ve spent the time on the basics during early puppyhood and you’re willing to go back to basics again, once your puppy reaches maturity he will transform into a more obedient, willing-to-please family member!

From my own experience, my puppy was hands-down amazing with recall (and for those who know me will know I have a notoriously difficult breed when it comes to this command!), she would always check I was insight, would never wander off and would always, always come and check in with me (a tap of her nose on my hand) even when I hadn’t called her to me.  Then on 1st January 2014 when she was 9 months old this literally changed overnight! She started wandering away, choosing to either just stare at me then run off when I called her or simply completely ignore me (her ear would flick so I knew she heard me!)  I couldn’t believe it! After several weeks of this I decided to go completely back to basics and use a long line on her (a very long lead which just trails along the floor) and each time I called her and she chose to ignore me, I would step on the long line and reel her back to me and then let her go again.  You see the problem with recall is that I see so many owners in parks constantly calling their dogs over and over again, and the dogs continue moving away and doing their own thing.  So what does the dog learn here?  That nothing happens if he chooses not to return to the owner; there is no consequence of not returning.  He also learns that it’s probably slightly annoying hearing his name shouted over and over again with increasing volume as the owner gets frustrated.  Then once the owner has caught up with the dog or the dog has decided to return on its own accord, they then get reprimand for not returning (sooner).  So here the dog learns that when it does return it gets punished.  So think about it – would you return if you knew you would be punished? Probably not…

During adolesence puppies need extra work and extra praise… and never punishment.  So if you’re having problems with your recall training, use a long line, practise your recall command and reward, reward, reward your puppy for returning to you!  Remember that your puppy is now discovering a whole world of excitement and smells and you need to make sure that you are the most exciting thing in the park in order for him to want to come back to you.  My personal favourite thing I did with my puppy was to jump up and down in the park, flag my arms around and make all sorts of ‘pup, pup, puppy!’ noises to really get her attention and then to start running away,,, and you know what, it worked everytime!  It doesn’t matter if it’s slightly embarrassing… the more embarrassing the better in my book!  It always makes me smile when I hear dog owners constantly calling their dogs with a low, blunt and boring tone as would that excite you and make you want to go and see what they want?  Probably not… so use your body and a high pitched tone and excite your puppy to return to see and you’ll see the difference!

And remember, the more an adolescent puppy practises ignoring their owner and there being no consequences for doing so, it will continue to ignore them.  You always want to set your puppy up to succeed and keep the experiences positive so practice, practice, practice with your puppy during this difficult time in his life and all your hard work will pay off… plus you will have built an even stronger bond with your puppy through all your training 🙂

The dirty secrets of the unappetising subject of puppy poo eating!

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So you’ve brought your puppy home and they are just this tiny fluffy mass of cuteness! Then, during the tough period of toilet training (which should start from the very day you bring your new pup home), you watch in delight as your puppy makes its way outside and begins to go… success!! But wait, what is your puppy doing now? Surely it’s not going to do THAT!  But yes, your puppy turns around and promptly eats its own business!

This is a really common complaint for puppy owners so you are not alone!  It’s also something non-dog owners simply can’t understand why we would want to talk about it!  But if you’re like me and have a puppy who enjoys a mid-day snack then you will increasingly find yourself talking about this all the time!  You’ll meet a new puppy owner in your local park and the conversation goes something like this: ‘oh what a cute puppy! What’s his name? Does he eat his own poo?!’  Sound familiar?

There’s a lot of theories on this very subject too; some will say your puppy is lacking nutrients in its food and therefore needs to find them elsewhere and others will say that your puppy watched its mother doing this in the litter (mothers clean up after their pups) and so he is just copying this learned behaviour.  My theory?  They actualy just enjoy it!

Of course there are things you can do to deter and even encourage this.  For example, if you start making a fuss when your puppy goes to perform this act then you’ll end up increasing their excitment about what they’re doing.  I made this very mistake when my dog was a puppy and after time it actually resulted in a game of ‘who’s going to get to the poo first!’ which provided my friends and family with much amusement.  Because I had made such a fuss the first time she did it, and continued to do so, she got into the routine of going to the toilet and then quickly turning around and consuming it before I could remove it!

If you transfer this theory to children it may become clearer… I have a 2-year old neice and just the other day my sister was asking her what she had in her hand (she was holding a flip-flop) and my neice kept attempting to say the words ‘flip-flop’ over and over again… you can only imagine exactly how this sounded!  My sister is a great mum and although she could have keeled over in fits of laughter she remained cool and didn’t say anything.  If she had of done the former and laughed and then corrected herself and made a big deal about how my neice should not say that word, my neice could have thought this was highly amusing and then realising that she was saying ‘a naughty word’ she could have kept saying it… imagine how embarrassing that would have been at their next dinner party or children’s birthday!

So, my advice is this: your puppy WILL grow out of doing this, they WILL lose interest but YOU need to make sure they don’t have a chance to practise the behaviour.  Remember, the more a puppy (or adult dog for that matter) practises a behaviour the more it becomes what is known as a ‘learned behaviour’ and they will continue to do this. So the next time your poo-eating puppy is in the garden or the park going to the toilet, calmly place them on a lead and simply use a ‘this way’ command to move them away once they’ve finished, making no fuss at all and not giving them the chance to eat it.  You can then place it in a bin, safely out of the way of your eager puppy’s stomach and over time your puppy will lose interest in performing this taboo which all dog-owners like to discuss!