When you get a puppy or dog, what are your expectations of your new family member? Do you have a vision of how your dog will fit into your home? What does it look like, and how do you convey your expectations to your dog? You can deepen the bond with your dog by knowing what your basics, manners and extras are.
In the episode you'll hear:
- All the things you probably don’t want your dog to do.
- How expectations set people up for success and why that relates to your dog.
- Why you need to know how you want your dog to behave.
- The milestones you can set for your life with your dog.
- Why there are three areas of focus for your dog to meet your expectations.
- The basics of sleeping through the night, not going to the bathroom in the house, not biting and not destroying stuff.
- How manners should be an area of focus once the basics are met.
- Why teaching your dog a trick and retrieve helps in your life together.
- All the extras you can introduce in your life with your dog.
- How the more you welcome your dog into your heart the more milestones you can set to deepen your bond.
- Why milestones are something you and your dog reaching together.
- How exercise reduces your dog’s naughty behaviours.
Milestones…. I can’t for the life of me get my almost 6 yr old cavalier to retrieve. She has no interest in toys. I have picked one toy and have been rewarding her every time she sniffs it. But I’m not getting any farther than that. She has never cared for toys. But with increasing anxiety over tue last year she has lost all interest. Any suggestions?
I’m about to bring a puppy a home for the first time in 10 year. I’m wondering about what milestones I might want to make priorities?
2 milestones
1. Appropriate play with other dogs. He gets very over aroused and plays rough. Help!
2. Improving recall in more challenging environments
❤️🐾🐾
Wow!! Episode 41 – first my ears perked up, then I laughed out loud as Susan went through the Basics, Manners and…well nevermind extras, lol.
Sugar the 2 yr old border collie/lab I drove two days to adopt from a county shelter last week checked NONE of the boxes, poor thing. She pees in her crate, jumps all over me, biting my hands and clothing, barks and cries in the xpen and crate, shreds bedding, jumps all over my other dog to the point that he’s extremely annoyed and I have to separate them. Snaps cookies from my hand, tries to steal the tug or any toy and entertain herself rather than interact with me. Puts her feet up on the counter even if she’s on leash. Puts her teeth in my hand when i try to attach her collar or harness.
Thanks to It’s Yer Choice, Recallers, Crate Games,and most recently Susan’s podcast, Sugar already has made great strides. She rarely jumps or puts her teeth on my skin or clothing. She walks nicely on a leash, loves to sit, stand, down, and “search”, is getting enthusiasm for her crate, and today my other dog (Newton) and Sugar had a short play session outside.
We have a long way to go, and I make plenty of mistakes with mechanics, but it finally feels “possible”. I already love this dog SO much 💕
Thanks so much Susan for the wonderful tools that helped me save this dog’s life. She was definitely a “throw away” when I picked her up.
SusanI have been Enjoying your podcasts tonight. I have learned so much about how I am reinforcing the very behavior I don’t like. One question is about my Gemma who is 19 months old . Tonight we have been having strong thunderstorms and she has been terrified. I wrapped her tightly in a blanket and held her tightly as she shook and panted.. I am wondering what a better response would be as maybe I am giving her fear great value by giving her so much cuddling and comfort. July 4th and fireworks are around the corner and I would like to prevent her being terrified. I also realize I have been reinforcing her “talking”, barking and insisting on playing ball.
Ooops play. Not okay
My dog runs and jumps on my back and could bite. I believe it’s okay but I need to stop this
Thanks Susan for your podcast I really enjoy it! The milestone I’m going to celebrate is when I can let my dog and cats loose together in the house and not seperate them! If you can Susan please do an episode on how to teach calmness in front of cats. My puppy is doing pretty good he is 5 months but, I know if the cats ran from him it would not be a good thing! He’s fine if they are chill he has gotten that far just curious if you have anyvtios for a smoother transition! Love your show!
The milestone I want to hit most is when my dog doesn’t get upset and reactive at the site of another dog. We have been charged at by so many off leash dogs that I attributed his barking and lunging at the end of the leash to this. I always yell, “call your dog” to the person who lets their dog run up to mine. and today I realized that perhaps I was causing the reactivity even with saying this phrase. When i got home today I said “call your dog” in my living room and my dog jumped up and barked at the air and looked around with intensity. I’m not sure how to get my dog not to be reactive when we are having so many off leash dogs run up on us but I want my dog to be ok when he sees other dogs and not get upset. i will be so happy if I can achieve this with him.
I love this podcast. It’s a wonderful reminder to celebrate the achievements of your dog instead of always focusing on the negatives!
Thank you!
Separation anxiety.
Thank you Susan for this podcast.
I didn’t set milestones when I saved our two boys at the shelter. Just wanted to have a dog in our home again. Having two at the same time(as pups), I was happy just to get through the day. I was so grateful that a friend told me about “home school the dog” last February and it was a lifesaver over this Covid period. I joined “Recallers” when it became available and together we are working slowly through the games and it’s mostly because I didn’t reinforce the basics, like “sit/stay” and manners when they were young so now at age two, it’s making me go slowly through the games, but we’re getting there
This podcast was a great reminder of the real basics and expectations and getting them ingrained in my everyday habits. Don’t slip into a non consistent mode which presents confusion. Clarity(as you always say) is so important.
I enjoy your podcasts so much. Such great information as well as motivational. 🐾🐾❤️
Would love to hear more about teaching loose leash walking and, how to take a walk with a “work in process” puppy/dog in the meantime.
Thanks!