Windleview Pugs - Puppy Training & Health

PRELIMINARY TRAINING

Preliminary or puppy training starts the moment the puppy is outside the Dam's influence. The first six months of a dogs life is a very impressionable stage. A dog could easily be made or broken during this critical period. It is imperative that we get to know our dog well. Gentle treatment to one dog could be disastrously harsh to another. We must therefore treat them accordingly. Most problem dogs are man made, some by badly planned mating's, some environmental, some problems manifest themselves because the owners, being the responsible person any dog owner should be, have decided to train their dog but have tackled it the wrong way.

Know at once and remember always that dogs do not understand words, only sounds and then only if that sound is repeated and repeated with an accompanying signal or sign to help them understand what the sound means. The popular belief that a dog can understand every word can be easily disproved by hurling invective words in a pleasant tone at your dog and watching his reactions.

So we must select a series of words to us --sounds to our dog. These should be preferably single syllable sounds, one sound for each thing you require him to do. One sound for his name, one to get him to come, one to get him to walk on the lead and one to make him refrain from doing things he ought not to be doing. Never string sounds together make sentences since this will only serve to confuse. You are setting him the task of trying to sort out a sound from the string of sounds he can understand and he just cannot.

Never condone actions today that you will disallow tomorrow - e.g. today you allow him to jump up you because you have on your gardening clothes, tomorrow you have on your Sunday best suit and he jumps up and you chastise him. Moral - don't let him jump up at any time. You give him an old slipper to play with and he has a great time, carrying, chewing and tearing ,tonight you come home and he has chewed your good slippers. You are angry with him, but logically you are to blame. Moral- Don't give him a slipper or any article that could be confused with something of value. Then of course, there are the easy chairs and settees- it is no hardship for a dog to lie on the floor and he can always have his specially allotted corner for his bed to retire in.

Be consistent be gentle but firm, help to give him confidence and understand you, as you must have confidence in and understand him. Tell and show him everything you want him to do, and praise him for doing it.

TEACH NAME

Comparatively simple once he is used to the pleasant way you make the sound that is his name. Praise him genuinely every time he reacts favorably. Call him by name for his food and whenever he comes to you of his own accord. Use his name frequently.

COMING WHEN CALLED

Often a pet owners problem, but relatively easy if taught as a puppy. Do not expect to much to quickly. A dog that knows his name is on the first rung of the ladder. He should be taught within the confines of the house, eventually graduating to the garden, but never in public places until he is perfect. The recall ,which is what coming when called is known as, must be always pleasant. Call the dog by name pleasantly, to get his attention and say COME. Praise as when teaching his name. Call him for food, whenever he decides to walk towards you or as he wakes from a sleep. In fact at every opportunity either contrived or natural use his name and say COME and then praise him. Do not call when he is to interested in something or someone else; do not run after him, he may think it a game or he may take fright, better to run away or even hide (make sure he sees you go), using his name and COME as you go. Let him catch or find you and then praise him well. Practice at every opportunity for short periods. Patience and time spent now will spare you hours of worry and frustration later.

INOCULATIONS AND HEALTH

Inoculations can be given from 8 weeks, but check with your own vet if your puppy has not had his. If your puppy has not had both inoculations, he must NOT mix with other dogs until he has.

Puppies sometimes get tummy upsets, as long as there is no temperature feed him boiled rice and boiled fish or arrowroot for 24hrs ,then if matters do not improve take him to your vet.

YOUR PUPPY AND CHILDREN

While your puppy is small he will spend a good part of the day sleeping. Remember not to let children tease the puppy as this will make him bad tempered. Children can be cruel without realising it, so therefore an unobtrusive eye should be kept on both.

Your puppy will like his own toys to play /tights knotted together for instance, but remember never to give him anything that he can swallow.

Susan Birkett