It's a
Catch-22. The best time to expose a puppy to
the world and everything in it is when they
are very young. Such exposure should include
controlled socialization with other dogs and
people, as well as desensitization to
sights, sounds and experiences that the pup
might come into contact with later in life.
Employing specific behavior-shaping exercises
during this same time period works wonders
in developing good habits and preventing the
formation of bad habits, and if done
correctly, some obedience training can also
be performed in a way that seems more like
a way of life to the puppy rather than formal
"training".
Obviously, you
don't want to risk exposing puppies to
potentially deadly diseases during this early
period, which is why many
veterinarians advise you not to expose
puppies to much of the world until they've received all their
vaccinations, which is typically at four months of age. The problem with preventing
a young puppy from seeing the world until
it's four months of age is that this early
period in a dog's life is the prime
formative time in a dog's life, and once
that window of opportunity closes, you can't
get it back. For example, a dog that isn't
properly exposed to other dogs at an early
age can easily become dog-aggressive later
simply because it's not comfortable around
other dogs. And, more often that not, this
"condition" is irreversible, and can be a
real headache for the owner to manage for
the rest of the dog's life. Dogs can also
easily develop similar aversions to people,
as well as objects and even sounds.
Fortunately, the times they are a-changing, and
thankfully some old-school philosophies are
being kicked to the curb. Do yourself and
your new puppy a favor and click on the image on
the left to view the white paper recently
released by the American Veterinary Society
of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) on raising
puppies. (Document may take a moment to load, but worth the wait!)
Note that the AVSAB advises the
exact opposite of the old-school thinking,
and that puppies should be
exposed to the world and begin training
even before they are fully vaccinated.
We agree wholeheartedly with
the AVSAB, however, we also want to look out for puppies'
health as much as possible. This is exactly why
our Kinder-Pup
training is held inside a pet hospital
building as opposed to a boarding kennel or typical training
facility, or worse, at a public park where who knows
what diseases lurk in the grass! Our training center
is reserved only for healthy dogs, and is cleaned
regularly with a sanitizing solution.
While socialization is
a part of our puppy training
programs, our Kinder-Pup programs are not simply
play time for young puppies. Our puppy programs are
based on positive behavior-shaping with a seamless
transition to formal training, and ensure that
training is fun for puppies and rewarding for
owners. Instead of trying to put it all in words,
the video below shows actual results that can be achieved
when the appropriate techniques and methods
are selected specifically to match a particular
puppy's temperament and individual personality.
You should be
careful with techniques used to train puppies, as
you don't want to unwittingly teach them bad habits.
Too many "trainers", for example,
ingrain bad
habits into puppies without realizing it,
especially with their "loose-leash walking" concept.
While "loose-leash" in theory may
sound appealing, in
real life such a behavior is impractical and
seldom helpful. Think about it. How
practical is it to have your dog at the end of a 6 ft. leash when you encounter
passersby on walks? You're also bound to trip over
your dog or leash when you're carrying a bag of
groceries and your dog is meandering at the end of
the leash 6 feet in front of you! You're only
setting your puppy up to get in everyone's way, and
the subsequent corrections and scolding that
inevitably follow will only confuse your pup and negatively
impact your bond! How smart is that?
As you can see in the the video above, we teach your pup to walk
next to you in the proper Heel position, right from
the start. Isn't that
smarter, given that one day in
the not-so-distant future (can you say, "a
few months"?) your pup will suddenly
be a full-grown dog?
This is one time in your life you really can't afford to
procrastinate. After all, a puppy without
proper guidance and structure will often end up
costing you a great deal of money via shredded
carpet, chewed up furniture, baseboards and walls,
destruction of sprinkler systems and landscape, not
to mention annihilation of your brand-new $400
Italian shoes! And, medical bills run high if your
pup requires surgery to remove a blockage from
consuming your favorite underwear or socks! If
that's not enough, in our 35+ years of experience
training dogs, the psychological issues resulting
from delayed exposure to the environment is by far
the biggest problem owners contact us about, and
it's heart-breaking to think that in the vast
majority of cases, these potentially lifelong issues
could easily have been prevented.
Don't wait until it's too late. We have
highly effective and efficient options, including
Personalized Phase Training,
Day
Training and
Board-and-Train Boot Camps. If you're not sure
which option is right for you, feel free to
contact us,
and we'll gladly help you determine the best
fit for you and
your pup.
If you’re tired of this…
…and would rather be doing this…
…or better yet, this…
Contact us today!
321 Iron Point Rd.
Folsom, CA 95630
or
2201 Francisco Dr.
Suite 140-102
El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
Quick appointments available for Sacramento and surrounding areas
including Fair Oaks, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Granite Bay, Roseville, Loomis, Folsom, El Dorado Hills, Cameron Park, Shingle Springs, Placerville, Lake Tahoe and more. We are
available for travel to other areas
of California and Nevada on a case by case basis.
Contact us for details.
