Upbringing / house training
There is a lot of specialist reading for education. After getting used to it, we recommend going to a puppy play lesson at your home. House training Bring your puppy to the designated loosening area immediately after every nap or every feeding, otherwise every two hours. If he has done his little business here, stroke and praise him extensively.
Here is a little guide
The day you got your puppy was a happy day for you.
You had probably already thought about a dog for a long time and prepared for it more or less intensively.
It is easy to overlook the fact that the puppy must perceive it completely differently. On this day he is torn out of his familiar surroundings. For him it is a day of uprooting, a day of saying goodbye to everything he knows, the loss of his mother and siblings and the loss of the people he has known so far. For a puppy, this day is the end of the known world and the beginning of a new life in which there is a lot to learn.
For a puppy, this day is the end of the known world - and the beginning of a new life in which there is a lot to learn.
What do puppies have to learn anyway?
Fortunately, puppies in particular are ideally equipped to learn a lot in a short period of time. A puppy learns every waking moment, so to speak. But so that he learns the right thing, the dog owner must now ensure in good time that the little dog also has the right experiences.
Life in today's society places high demands on a dog.
He must:
• be able to live with “his” family. This can consist of an adult or a family with children. Other dogs and / or other animals can also be included.
• Get along with all sorts of other people. They can be known or completely unknown and behave completely differently. In particular, a dog that lives in the big city encounters a wide variety of people every day.
• get along with other dogs. Dogs have to learn and practice how to interact with other dogs, especially if they look very different from their mother and siblings.
• Treat other animals appropriately. Ducks and swans, cats and rabbits, but also with game or farm animals such as sheep, horses and cattle, for example, may not simply be hunted.
• get used to the whole environment. He must not be afraid of cars and driving, of stairs and escalators, of elevators, trams or thunderstorms and much more.
• Understand and follow requests from people, eg “sit”, “sit down” and “come” and be able to walk properly on a leash.
In addition, there is of course special training, for example to become a rescue dog, a guide dog, a handicapped support dog or a service dog, to name just a few. Much of what we expect from dogs is actually not at all appropriate to the species: Dogs should, for example, stay at home alone for a long time, be house-trained, not nibble on anything that is valuable and dear to us, and bark as little as possible. This is a huge program. It is easy to understand that dogs need a lot of support from "their" people in order to learn.
With this huge program, it is easy to understand that dogs can use as much support as possible from “their” people for learning.
How do puppies learn best?
Dogs use all of their senses to communicate with other dogs and pay special attention Body language and facial expression exactly. So puppies are excellently equipped to observe us and to orient themselves by our body language. Therefore, the most direct way of conveying information to a puppy is through body language. So show him what you want.
On the other hand, unlike humans, dogs do not have a language center. They therefore lack an understanding of language, and of course they can never learn to speak. What we mean by individual specific words, a dog can therefore most easily learn if one use short, unambiguous words - no sentences - and always using exactly the same word for the same action.
Since the workload is so large, it is best to start as early as possible. However, you shouldn't overwhelm the little one. Puppies have not been able to concentrate for long. Practicing for five minutes several times a day is therefore better than half an hour once. Very important: It should be fun for everyone involved. A hobby is fun - high-performance sport is work!
Family life
A satisfactory family life is based on the following principles and behaviors being paramount for a dog:
• My person is the most important thing for my life and therefore for me.
• That is why I pay close attention to my people, also outside, where there are a lot of interesting things.
• I do not defend myself against personal hygiene measures and I like to be touched anywhere.
• I don't hurt my people.
All of this is not automatically present but develops from the experiences that the puppy and its people have with each other on a daily basis. The development of these basics for living together can be controlled from the first day through practice and learning. It shouldn't be left to chance.
The matter of the "ranking"
The so-called "hierarchy" has long been considered the most important factor in the coexistence of wolves, dogs and humans and dogs. It is assumed that the orderly coexistence in the group is based on the fact that stronger animals can better assert their own claims. In this way they acquire rights and a higher rank through physical effort. Authority and ultimately leadership positions would therefore be the result of physical superiority. As the stronger animals assert themselves physically, they ensure a "functioning" hierarchy.
As a result, dog owners whose dogs have not worked as they should have been advised to clearly "show their dog who is in charge". For this purpose, the use of physical violence was and is still recommended, such as the so-called "alpha roll" in which the dog owner uses force to throw his dog on its back. So the dog owner should prove his own physical strength and thus his superiority and thus gain the respect and subordination of the dog.
More recent scientific findings, including observations on wolves living in the wild (David Mech), however, show that classification into a social group is not based on physically stronger animals forcing others to subordinate themselves. Rather, it is becoming increasingly clear that successful social coexistence is based on early Learning certain rules is based. These rules serve to simplify interaction with one another for all parties involved, similar to house rules or rules of the game, for example. Clear rules enable relaxed cooperation because everyone in the group knows where they stand. The prerequisite for this is that all members of the group know these rules and adhere to them. The ability to learn the rules for dealing with one another is innate in wolves and dogs. From the third week of life, as soon as the puppies begin to explore the environment, they also learn the rules for dealing with each other correctly. This is easier for free-living wolf pups than for dog pups, as they learn from their conspecifics. The basics for communicating with conspecifics are innate and therefore communication works right from the start. Little wolves quickly learn who is important in the pack, who to watch out for and how to behave when serious arguments threaten. The basis for mutual understanding is not innate in humans and dogs. It is not uncommon for misunderstandings to occur. It is not without reason that more accidents with bite injuries occur within families and with known people than with strangers. Every puppy and its new humans must first learn to understand each other. Most people are not really aware of this. Fortunately, because of their long history as pets, dogs have acquired an important skill: they pay close attention to people. Every single puppy is therefore initially willing to keep a close eye on its new owner and learn everything possible. But it doesn't stay that way automatically. Depending on the dog and breed, it should be encouraged and cared for in different ways.
Rules for living together
How important his human is to him can easily be made clear to a dog in a friendly but unambiguous way. To this end, you make the following clear to him from the start:
1. Man has everything necessary for life (food, water, toys, social affection)
2. The dog only gets these things if he behaves appropriately.
It's not cruel. A puppy will only be cared for by its mother if it behaves appropriately and shows the correct behavior towards its mother. Because the right behavior is largely innate in both of them and only needs to be practiced, it works by itself. Unfortunately, as already said, this does not apply to humans and dogs. There are frequent misunderstandings. Both dog and owner have to learn a lot.
The following exercises serve to convey the rules of the game in a friendly and clear manner.
1st bond
A good bond is the basis for living together. You can actively create a good bond by using the food in a targeted manner. It is not for nothing that "love goes through the stomach". So feed your dog often by hand, at first mainly in the apartment, but then increasingly outside when going for a walk. Of course, dry food is ideal for this.
Your dog's only consideration: he sits quietly in front of you while he takes the food (seat = please).
exercise
If you want to feed your puppy, keep the food bowl in hand first. Wait for your little one to sit nicely in front of you and hand them the first few bites while they sit. Only then should the bowl be placed on the floor.
exercise
Walk a few steps with food through the apartment. Keep pausing every now and then, wait for it to sit nicely and give it a bite to eat.
2.Name
Listening to the name can also be actively trained. The fastest way to do this is when the name reliably announces something good every time.
exercise
S.aye the name
• and give a chunk of food immediately.
• Always with a cheerful voice and a friendly face (if possible not when scolding).
• if your puppy is running to you anyway (a “treat” when it gets to you never hurts!).
• if your puppy happens to be looking at you.
3. Come
You can lay reliable foundations for later in the house right from the start, e.g. by always using the same sound to call your puppy to eat. A whistle is recommended because a whistle always sounds the same: neutral, and never tired, frustrated or angry.
exercise
Your puppy stands in front of you and awaits the food: Whistle and then immediately put the bowl on the floor.
Do this exercise every time you feed your pup for a week. It is best to place this pipe in the kitchen next to the food so that you always have it to hand when feeding.
After a week, lure your puppy into the kitchen with the whistle. If he comes running, give it a bite right away. There are other exercises you can do after that, but it is important that he has his canopy of food as soon as he gets to you.
exercise
At first, only whistle outside when your dog is looking at you and when you are sure that he will come too! Reward him as soon as he gets through to you.
The reward for the first few exercises outside should also be really great. Slowly increase the requirements. So please don't whistle when you see he's very distracted. Every time you whistle and he does not come, you have practiced: do not come when the whistle!
Important:
Initially only use the pipe indoors. Only when your dog wakes up from a deep sleep at any time and rushes over to you to get his food do you start this exercise outside too!
3. Let yourself be touched
In contrast to humans and great apes, for example, dogs are actually not made to be touched. Many adult dogs cannot be touched anywhere without further ado or defend themselves against personal care measures. You can usually still force a puppy, but this may no longer be possible with an adult dog. A dog that has the experience right from the start that it feels good and can even be worthwhile if the ears are checked, the paws felt and the mouth looked, can probably later easily remove ticks.
A dog should learn from the start that it is worth checking the ears, feeling the paws and looking in the mouth.
5. Touches
Prepare such a "learning exercise" by placing a bowl with small chunks of food within reach. While you are touching and looking at the various parts of the dog's body with one hand, you feed them bite by bite with the other hand, while Your dog can put up with it all. Do not take too long and please do not overwhelm him. Take small steps. Stop it, before he becomes restless and do not use force.
By the way, do not force yourself or your dog to exercise if you don’t feel like doing it. The whole thing should be fun!
exercise
To open the mouth, first place one hand gently on the muzzle and hold the treat in front of your nose with the other hand. As soon as your puppy opens its mouth, place the treat on its tongue or, better yet, smear a little liver sausage on its tongue. In the further course you can then hold your nose with gentle force and place the crumb of food further back on your tongue.
In addition, each time say while the mouth is open, friendly the same word (e.g. "Auf"). If you have repeated this exercise enough times, your dog will open its mouth when prompted. But in any case, something good should land on his tongue again and again later.
It is important that a dog learns that a human hand is on the muzzle always is pleasant. One can therefore only advise against sniffing as a reprimand.
6. Bite resistance
Bite inhibition means that dogs handle their teeth carefully and do not bite, i.e. they do not cause any injuries. However, this behavior is not innate, it has to be learned. This happens first when dealing with mother and siblings and then has to be continued in the human family. So as soon as a puppy uses its teeth in the game, you should react quickly and clearly: shout out loud and high, interrupt the game, turn away and ignore it for a short time. To do this, he may have to go to another room briefly (just a few minutes). It shows him that you have no interest in such rough games. In this situation, however, make sure that your puppy does not continue to have fun alone, otherwise this short isolation is of no use.
In the context of children in particular, it is important to practice these things under supervision, otherwise a game of hunting can easily develop. That would have the exact opposite result: the behavior continues to deteriorate.
Also, yell out loud every time your puppy just bites on clothing that you can't feel anything. He has to learn with people always to be careful. He must not get the message: Skin: teeth must not be on. Jacket sleeves: you can bite harder. Maybe you are under the fabric in the place where he inserts his teeth more firmly, and that could be extremely uncomfortable. Do not pull your hand away during these exercises, as this will make you snap.
You can only continue playing after a short break. However, you should be prompted to do so. If you and everyone else in the family do this, the puppy will become increasingly careful about inserting its teeth and eventually stop using them altogether. He learns over time: if you are too rough, you lose friends and the fun stops.
Good bite resistance does not mean that this dog is guaranteed to never bite anyone in his life. It means that such a dog will not accidentally and accidentally cause injury. The bite resistance ensures that friends and acquaintances are treated appropriately. In serious disputes, however, you can still bite properly.
7. Jump up
The jumping up of dogs is evolutionary. Young wolves that greet their mother try to reach the corners of their mouths, poke them and lick them. This causes the she-wolf to regurgitate the food that she hunted and carried to the burrow in her stomach. From this behavior, which the child shows towards the mother, a greeting ritual develops, which is used for life. Dogs also show this “childlike” behavior. It serves as a friendly greeting and also as a reassuring gesture: it means, so to speak: I am a child, do nothing to me.
Because this behavior is innate, puppies try to show it to humans as well. They try to get to the human face to lick the corners of their mouths - a kind gesture of submission. Scolding is an unsuitable countermeasure. The more you scold, the more your dog will jump up and try to lick the corners of his mouth to signal kindness and appease you. Even pushing it away is of little use, because it will develop into a game for your dog with which he can get your attention. Without wanting to, you train your dog to jump up.
How are you doing better?
Just stay where you are when your little dog jumps up on you. Do not talk to him or look at him. Watch him out of the corner of your eye. If at some point he sits down more or less by accident, immediately bend down, give him a dog candy, and praise and pet him. As soon as he gets up or jumps back up, immediately stop praising and petting. In addition, you can even turn away. As soon as he is seated again, he can again be praised and rewarded. All family members and visitors should behave in this way. After a few repetitions of this exercise, a puppy will have learned that it is worthwhile to sit carefully in front of you instead of jumping up. He knows you are easy to train: He taught you to reward him as soon as he sits down.
9. Alone
Puppies usually run after you at every turn - because a puppy that is abandoned would not survive long in nature.
That's why he has to howl so terribly loud if you leave him alone, because according to his understanding that can only be a mistake. Dogs left alone too soon get so stressed that they chew furniture, tear wallpaper from walls, and devastate the entire house. Once a dog shows this behavior, it is very difficult to get rid of this deep fear and a common reason why dogs later give up.
If you do it right and allow the dog to feel safe in their new home before leaving them alone, every dog learns that desperation is unnecessary and that you will be back soon.
You have to practice staying alone when he is old enough to maintain a certain calm. Start by giving him a chew and then, when he's relaxed, leave the room and mess around in the bathroom with the door closed. Or in the kitchen. If he's crying in front of the door, don't open the door until he's paused to complain. Go to the mailbox without him and don't make a greeting riot when you come back in the door: you were only gone a few minutes!
Once he accepts these brief absences, lengthen the phases a little. Give him a food toy beforehand, which you can fill with, for example, dog biscuits or some cream cheese, so that your departure is not so terribly important. Never sneak out of the house, but say goodbye in the same, neutral tone of voice. The more you practice, the less he will mind staying alone.
The popular opinion that dogs have no sense of time and can stay alone for hours if they can manage half an hour is not true, by the way:
On the contrary, dogs also know exactly when feeding times are, when the child usually comes from school, etc.
Puppies should not be left alone, especially in the first few nights.
Staying alone has to be learned slowly in the following weeks. At the beginning it is necessary to give the young creature the feeling that it is in good hands. This includes the experience that protection, especially at night in the dark, is within reach.
It is best to prepare a place to sleep that is close to your own bed and that has been furnished with the smell of your mother. You can do this with a towel from the whelping box that you take with you when you take over the puppy. With this towel in its nest and its mother's scent in its nose, the puppy will fall asleep calmly - and at the same time get used to the smell of its new family.After a few days, the old towel can be easily removed.
10. House training


We are always shocked when we read or hear things like:

“I bought a puppy and he's not even house trained. What a bad breeder! "

You can only shake your head. Such a factual misunderstanding on the part of a person who wants to get a puppy is unacceptable in our eyes! If I want to get a dog, no matter what breed, then I inform myself beforehand about everything that has to do with this living thing, that is simply my RESPONSIBILITY. A puppy is only able to control its bladder and intestines from about the 16th week. Puppies usually come to their new home at 8-12 weeks of age. How should a breeder be able to achieve something that is not given by nature?

Routine is everything The smaller the dog, the smaller its bladder. The bladder of a puppy is accordingly very, very small, and the bladder muscles to “stop” have to develop over time. So punishing him for messing around in the house doesn't do any good, except make him start scared of you. It is up to you to see if and when the dog has to go outside and then take him outside immediately, preferably always in the same place, so that he can recognize his smell again.
An eight-week-old puppy can normally "hold out" for one to one and a half hours when awake. By the age of three months he can already manage two to three hours (unless your puppy is raging and playing, is just waking up, has just eaten or drunk). Even adult dogs have to loosen up at least four times a day on average.
Always take your puppy outside, though
☞ he has just woken up ☞ he has just eaten and / or drunk
☞ he greets you happily
☞ he has just played somewhere and is now walking somewhere else with clear "search signals"
☞ he draws small circles and sniffs on the floor
☞ he just raged wildly
Always keep an eye on your puppy so you can see immediately when he starts looking for a toilet spot, then pick him up and quickly carry him outside to his usual toilet spot. It is better to go outside with him too often than too seldom and link his “business” with a word such as “going for a walk” or something similar so that later, when you are traveling, he is unfocused or nervous knows what you want from him.
After a while the puppy has understood that the house is not a toilet and will run to the garden or front door of its own accord if it "has to".
Upbringing and relationship tips for the first few weeks with your dog If there is a mishap in the house (and you can be prepared for it), clean the accident site thoroughly with an enzyme cleaner from the pet shop so that there really are no odors left behind could make the puppy think that there is a cozy, warm and draft-free toilet place here.
In the first night you can lay the foundations for the new housemate to be house-trained quickly. You can either wait until the little one gets restless or you can set the alarm clock and wake the puppy after about three hours of sleep. Take him out for a moment so he can do his business. For that he will calm praised. Go back to sleep without a fuss. The whole thing is repeated after three or four hours.
Mishaps should be avoided as much as possible. Every time a little business is done in the wrong place, the puppy has had the opportunity, so to speak, to practice an undesirable behavior and has even been rewarded for it: He has been able to relieve himself here - a pleasant feeling.
Anyone who concludes from this that a punishment at this moment would serve to learn how to be house-trained is unfortunately mistaken. By scolding, poking-in-the-nose, hitting-a-newspaper or even shaking the neck fur, the puppy learns one thing above all else: Don't let your master or mistress catch you, they sometimes get so uncomfortable. The puppy then tries to do its business unobserved and secretly. This makes further training difficult.
How is it best?
Keep a good eye on your new housemate. By wandering around, puppies usually show that they are looking for a job that is suitable for their project. Then take the little one quickly and gently up and carry it where you want it to come off. Stay with him until he finishes, and then praise him for his behavior. If you every time while he loosensWhen you say a certain word, there is a connection between that word and the behavior shown. If you do this regularly, then later - after many repetitions - this word will reliably trigger the desired behavior.
First, give your puppy frequent opportunities to loosen up - after playing, after eating, and after a nap. You can do this every hour from the start during the day. By the way: experience has shown that there is no time for you to shower or have breakfast beforehand - a puppy cannot wait that long
Important: Always the same word at the moment in which it dissolves - not before!
11. Basics
• Puppies are imprinted on the surface on which they come off at an early age. So it may be that a puppy initially has difficulty accepting the underground that is available to him in your area because something else was offered by the breeder.
• Puppies cannot reliably control their bladder and sphincter muscles from the start.
• Puppies need a quiet, undisturbed place. Too many environmental stimuli, whether pleasant or disturbing, distract from the actual task at this moment and are therefore unfavorable. For some dogs, this also applies to bad weather or cold.
• If you cannot keep an eye on your puppy, then you should use other means to prevent him or her from making mistakes. For example, you could get him used to being in a playpen or a transport basket during rest periods (by the way, puppies should always have a place where they can rest undisturbed).
• Be patient with your puppy. Please don't think he's doing anything wrong to annoy you. Everything has to be practiced and it just takes time, including learning how to be house-trained.
12. In dealing with strangers, conspecifics and other animals
In order for a dog to be able to deal with its entire environment in a relaxed manner, it has to be timely quality experience do with this environment. When getting used to environmental stimuli such as trams, cars, city noise and vacuum cleaners, loud noises and garbage disposal, one speaks of Habituation. When socialization When this learning process refers to living beings such as running and screeching children, large and small people of different skin colors, dogs of all sizes and colors as well as other animals, they look different. A puppy then learns to behave properly when it has the right experience.
A puppy then learns to behave properly when it has the right experience
Correct handling of strangers, other dogs and other animals is learned through the correct handling of strangers, other dogs and other animals. Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? In fact, it is not.
Important: There is no "puppy protection". When dealing with other dogs, a puppy is protected if it shows the right behavior. But this only applies if the other dog is well socialized.
So basically is not any Contact with dogs is important, but rather contact with socially competent dogs that do not scare you, but rather show you how to do it correctly. A puppy shouldn't any Getting to know people, but those he drives on, that people are not dangerous and scare, but that you can trust them. So look for contact options for your dog in which the prerequisites for the desirable experience are good. With people, it is advisable to make as many pleasant contacts as possible. Here, too, you can work well with feed. You can either hand-feed your own puppy in the presence of strangers, or let these people feed it. Many people are reluctant to take this second approach for a variety of reasons. However, it is not difficult to teach a dog later that it can only accept food with permission. First of all, it is important for a dog to learn: approaching unknown people is not dangerous, it is even pleasant.
Puppies and humans can learn and practice what is necessary in a puppy group under expert guidance.
It is best to learn and practice what is necessary - especially how to deal with other dogs - in a good puppy group under expert guidance.
13. How do you recognize a good group of puppies?
Puppy courses
Dogs do not know "from birth" how to behave towards other dogs - just as humans do not know "by themselves" how to behave towards other children, teenagers, adults and people from foreign countries.
Dogs also learn good canine manners, especially when dealing with other dogs. So your puppy has to get to know other dogs and puppies - but not on the dog meadow in the park, where you cannot control the result and the other dogs, but rather in a puppy course.
Puppies play with each other very differently than they do with adult dogs. Conversely, adult dogs with puppies usually behave differently than when dealing with adult dogs. If a puppy hurts another puppy, it will pinch back indignantly or start screeching, while an adult dog can put up with a puppy a lot and at most gets up and runs away:
As a young Spund, you don't learn bite resistance in this way. But a puppy that is bitten too hard in the ear by a dog of the same age during play will quickly realize how uncomfortable it is, and that biting too hard tends to end a game fairly quickly. In a good puppy class, puppies learn to play and deal with other puppies - including other puppies of other breeds and sizes. They not only look very different, but also differ in the way they play - greyhounds play completely differently than shepherds, which in turn play completely differently from pugs, which (accompanied by enthusiastic but irritating snorting and grunting noises) in turn play differently play as spaniel or dachshund.
The reason why dogs get along so well with "their own kind" is that other spaniels or other Salukis were what they first got to know. Good for those who learned to play “foreign languages” at an early stage - they can look forward to a life full of fun, wild dog games and little misunderstanding.
How to Identify a Good Puppy Socialization Course:
☞ Only puppies up to 16 weeks can take part in a good puppy course. After that, they are young dogs with completely different needs and completely different types of nonsense than your toddler.
A division into two groups based on age is optimal: approx. 8th to 12th week and 13th to 16th week of life. This division enables an individual decision as to which dog fits best where.
☞ The number of participating puppies is limited as much as possible - depending on the size of the area and the number of trainers.
Puppy courses should be led by trainers who are familiar with the behavior of different breeds and who have dealt with so-called learning theories and the development of dogs.
☞ In a good puppy course, the puppies are not let loose on each other unchecked. Your game is controlled and, if necessary, canceled. The trainer should explain the behavior of the puppies sufficiently to the dog owners.
☞ In a good puppy course you will learn from the trainer what good timing is to set limits for the puppy, to intervene if necessary, or to recognize when the young dog has had enough.
☞ In a good puppy course there are no penalties and of course no chain stranglers etc. Breaks are taken regularly because puppies have very short attention spans.
Every dog reacts differently, so watch out for your dog's signals: if he starts avoiding the other dogs, keeps trying to lie down, or starts to snap as soon as other pups approach, give him time to move away to rest a little from the other dogs.
☞ Ball pit, tunnel, puppy walkway, wobble board and tarpaulin are often used in good dog schools. The puppies get to know strange noises and are confronted with unknown stimuli.
☞ One trainer is responsible for a maximum of 6 puppies.
☞ You will learn how to deal with conspecifics, you will get to know the animate and inanimate environment in a pleasant way and without stress.
☞Bullying is not allowed because the affected puppies do not learn anything good from such an experience: the "bullied" person becomes insecure, the "bully" practices undesirable behavior. If a puppy is harassed and / or chased by one or more others, the animals will be separated. To do this, the "bully" is picked up and quietly put away - without punishment.
☞ Masters and mistresses learn how they can best get their little dogs used to stairs, the tram, visits to the vet, strange, unusual-looking people and much more.
☞ Physical punishments such as shaking the neck fur, throwing on the back (alpha roll), leash jerking and the like are neither recommended nor used.
☞ Expertise is passed on to the participants not only orally, but also in written form. Timely contact with other dogs is essential to prevent behavioral problems.
14. Puberty
As soon as your dog reaches puberty, everything may be completely different again: It is quite possible that your teenage boy only looks at you blankly when you say “sit down” or “come” to him, even though he has so far had mastered wonderfully. The problem is the same as with human teenagers: the hormonal restructuring in the teenage brain causes such significant changes that it simply cannot function “normally”. Don't worry too much: if you stay focused, your dog will eventually obey as well as it used to.
15. Childhood diseases
For many people, this raises the question of infectious diseases. A puppy could get all sorts of diseases from contact with other dogs!
Basically, of course, that is correct. Just as children bring many teething troubles with them from kindergarten, puppies can become infected with infectious diseases and parasites when they go for a walk or when they come into direct contact with other dogs.
So what is recommended?
Fortunately, you can prevent the risk of illness. The very real risk of infection is minimized if the necessary vaccinations against distemper, leptospirosis, hepatitis, parvovirus and kennel cough are carried out at the right time.
Puppies, they don't in time in their life make the necessary experience, are later unable to cope with the demands of the environment and react inappropriately, for example with panic attacks, aggressive behavior or even stressful illnesses. Such behavioral problems are inevitable if the socialization is poor. They can only be reversed with great effort and sometimes unfortunately not at all. Therefore, timely contact with other dogs is essential.
Timely contact with other dogs is essential to prevent behavioral problems
.
16. Learning commands
While the basic emotional reactions develop and are learned in the first few weeks of life, a healthy dog can learn hearing and visual signals, so-called commands, at any time in his life. To go into more detail about the “how” here would go beyond the scope. At the end of the brochure a number of further books are listed. In this context, however, I would like to draw your attention to the following: In order for a dog to be able to perform a certain action correctly and reliably, this behavior must have been practiced sufficiently often in many different places under the most varied of conditions. “Sitting” has to be practiced in the kitchen, in the hallway, in the park with little distraction, on the roadside, etc. The posture of the owner and practicing with different people also belong in this area. Depending on the difficulty of the task, a certain behavior must therefore be practiced again and again under the most varied of circumstances - possibly several thousand times in total!
This is because, unfortunately, dogs are not good at generalizing. So if your dog doesn't do something you ask him to do, ask yourself the following two questions: How many times have I practiced this with him (at least several hundred times)?
Have we already practiced it under exactly these circumstances, with exactly this distraction (yes)? If your answers were different, practice more and be patient. In any case, your dog would not have deserved a punishment. Just think back to your own experiences in driving school. That also took time.
17. Corrections
Part of upbringing is to correct undesirable behavior. Setting boundaries is important. Every mother does this when she gets a little too much, every child has to learn to accept boundaries, every good partnership thrives on perceiving and respecting the boundaries of the other. Some "bad behavior" can be ignored without a fuss:
If your puppy tries to jump on you, quickly turn away and turn your back on the dog. First bend down to stroke him or greet him when he has (briefly) all four feet on the ground. If you ignore him, you are taking away what he desperately wanted: your attention.
However, if he's about to nibble on the family rabbit or your Stradivarius, that can't be ignored. To do this, you need to establish a word that will make the puppy interrupt what he is doing. “No” may not be the right word because it is used in far too many, different contexts all day long, thereby “softening” its meaning for the dog. “Don't do it!” May be a good alternative, or you can come up with a fantasy word that is only used when you want the dog to stop doing something.
A “stop it!” At the right moment will at least interrupt the puppy when he is shredding your shoes. You don't even need to raise your voice, just speak to him in a firm tone and remove the object you want him to leave alone.
Some dogs, however, are a little less sensitive to a "Lass 'das!" - then you can tap them with your finger, combined with a clear, strict "Lass' das!" - but always in direct connection with the "offense" .
Don't argue, make an announcement - we can learn a lot from dogs about timing. Leave it! Place a biscuit on the palm of your hand and hold it out to the puppy. If he wants to take the biscuit, quickly close your hand and say "stop it". After a short while, open your hand again and repeat the game. Puppies usually learn very quickly what “don't do that” means and will soon look to the side when you open your hand and maybe lick your nose (that's a kind of excuse - it's called a “reassurance signal”). Wait a bit and offer him the biscuit again with the command "Take it" (and from now on there are ONLY biscuits with the prompt "Take it").
If this works, increase the requirement and place a biscuit on the floor in front of you. Make sure that your dog does not rush on the biscuit, but stand in such a way that, if in doubt, you can put your foot on it. Repeat this exercise, first at home, and then outside while distracted, until your dog does not touch the biscuit until you release it with "Take it!"
Correct timing Correct timing is the be-all and end-all in dog training.
With dogs you have approx. 2 - 3 seconds to confirm a desired behavior or to set a limit for undesired behavior. The dog can no longer associate everything that occurs afterwards with the behavior shown previously. In the case of a reward, it doesn't matter, the dog will be happy about the "free biscuit". However, if you want to set a limit for him, it is very important that the dog understands what exactly you do not want - otherwise he will think you are unpredictable.
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