If you have ever wanted to ask a professional dog trainer questions about puppy training or living with puppies, then this episode is for you! We’re covering the topics that you want to know about to help your puppy.
In the episode you'll hear answers to questions about:
- When to spay or neuter a puppy.
- Recalling a distracted puppy.
- Dealing with puppies who like to hump.
- How to combat the Puppy Blues.
- How to tell if a puppy growl in play is excitement or frustration.
- If it is okay for your puppy to sit on you with toys or chews.
- How much exercise a puppy needs.
- How to help your puppy be comfortable in a crate or ex-pen.
- How old a puppy should be before they start weave pole training for agility.
Resources:
- Dr. Karen Becker (Facebook Page)
- Dr. Chris Zink (Website)
- Blog Post: How Do I Train My Dog To Come When Called?
- Podcast Episode 46: Is Your Dog Trying to Dominate You and What You Can Do About It
- Susan Garrett's Puppy Training Playlist on YouTube
- Susan Garrett's Blog: Puppy Posts
- Podcast Episode 17: Help! How Do I STOP Puppy Biting?!
- Podcast Episode 53: Stop Your Dog Pulling on Leash and Start Walking Together
- Podcast Episode 30: Why Dog Crates Are Not Dog Cages
- Podcast Episode 99: When Reinforcement Based Dog Training Doesn’t Work
- Crate Games Online
- 2x2 Weave Pole Training DVD
- Watch this Episode of Shaped by Dog on YouTube
So this is so interesting to me…..I just got my 7 year old dog spayed recently. I did it because in her last heat cycle a few months ago she got aggressive and seemed way more uncomfortable than at times in the past. In addition, I’m on a wait list for a Havanese puppy from a local breeder (who is recognized internationally) and she was horrified that I hadn’t spayed my other dog yet. She (very kindly) told me I was putting her at very high risk for health issues and infections. Which is really funny because she is a breeder so clearly not spaying her dogs until they are older. So – how would I handle this – the contracts from the breeders pretty much all state that I have to spay the dog before 1 year. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Thanks for this podcast. I have a follow-on question around keeping my puppy intact as long as possible. She is 3 mos so she hasn’t had a heat yet but when she does, and if a male finds his way to her, what do I do?. Should I try to get her away from the male dog? Do I have to wait it out and hope she wasn’t impregnated. Etc.
We started puppy class and the very first thing they had us do was a “chill.” You step on the puppy’s leash, and just ignore them (no eye contact),. There is no verbal command. The puppy flails around on the short leash and, in theory, eventually calms down. They also want us to practice this in all different environments. So when I have my puppy out front and a neighbor comes by I’m supposed to step on their leash. This doesn’t seem right to me. On the other hand, my puppy won’t hold a sit while the instructor is talking so they flail around anyway. Any thoughts on this one?
I love the podcasts and all the Dogs That resources. I’m so glad I found you!
Thank you so much for this episode–it came right when I needed it. Not, interestingly, with the arrival of a new puppy, but rather with the gentle departure of my beloved old dog Cora. Cora was a real handful when I first met her. I found her on the side of the road, skinny and starving and untrusting, and it took about half a pound of freeze dried liver, my lovely collie Tilley (now also sadly gone beyond where I can see her), and the better part of an hour to get her into the car. She actually disappeared a couple of times, but I kept walking Tilley back and forth, and Cora kept reappearing until finally she trusted us enough to come along for the ride.
She was reactive, mannerless, and completely unruly, and although she certainly wasn’t a puppy (she was about a year old), I certainly had the “puppy blues”–or buyer’s remorse–or picker-upper’s remorse! But she was exactly the dog I needed to understand how important training is, and how much it changes your relationship with a dog. It changed Cora, and she changed me–for the better. I’ve always felt that, in spite of the tough times, Cora was “meant” for me, and it was so nice to hear that affirmed, thirteen years later.
I am so very grateful to have had her beautiful self in my life, and her absence feels like a crater. She was absolutely one of a kind, and a loving and gentle soul when training gave her the confidence she needed. She even learned to skateboard at the age of 9!
I am also thankful that I found trainers who embrace the “positive but not permissive” approach, and who are clearly (and proudly) influenced by Susan Garrett.
Thank you so much for saying something I so needed to hear today.