When Puppy Comes Home-- Potty-Training

POTTY-TRAINING:  Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of puppy-hood is getting them to go where they're supposed to!  Routine and consistency are key!  Dogs will naturally establish a "Break Place" (that's how we refer to elimination).  When you first bring him home, take him to your designated spot and tell him to "Break" or whatever command you decide upon.  He may be too interested in all of the new smells to actually perform, but don't stress.  Take him
inside and watch him like a hawk.  If you see him starting to "go", grab him up and take him out to the spot and give the command and lots of praise when he goes.  Set a timer when you bring him in so that you can take him to the spot and give the command BEFORE he goes on your carpet.

Also, when you let him out of his crate in the morning and twenty minutes after each feeding, immediately take him to the spot and give the command.  Expect it to take a week or more of doing this consistently before he really gets the hang of it.

When Puppy Comes Home-- Intro.

Many of us feel that a family just isn't quite complete without a dog.  These creatures can truly add such joy and delight to our family memories.  Eventually, the dog becomes like a family member and you barely know that he's there.

However, that dog snoring on the hearth doesn't happen over night. Introducing a puppy into a home is a big adjustment, especially if the family is new to dogs.  Although a 6-month old puppy may look like an adult dog, it's NOT! It's very important to understand that dogs don't begin to lose their puppy status until they are TWO years old!  It is unrealistic to expect that older pup to behave like his three year old sire.  Thankfully, knowledge is power and knowing what to expect from your new friend can help ease the learning-curve (and hopefully preserve the furniture and carpet).

In an effort to help those who are anticipating a new canine addition, we are going to begin a series of posts that will explain expectations and preparation for this new adventure.  Items such as potty-training, feeding, sleeping, chewing, place, and training will all be addressed in separate posts.

Before your puppy comes home, you need to have your home prepped and ready for your new pooch.

YARD:  Your dog needs to be safe in your home and on your property.  Make sure the area you have for your dog is fenced adequately. Your curious creature will discover things that you didn't even know you had!  A few things to be aware of are poisonous plants, propane tanks and lines, the garbage containers, and other items that could present a hazard to your dog.

HOUSE:  If you intend to have your dog inside at all, then this area needs to be adequately prepared as well.  Minimize things on the floor (baskets, decorations, food storage, etc.).  Have a family meeting to discuss the importance of everybody doing their part.  This is a great motivation for family members to put things where they belong-- shoes, socks, toys, books, and so forth.  Dogs WILL eat socks and pass them through to the other side.  However, a sock tangled up in the intestine would amount to a very sick dog and a sizable vet bill!

Stay tuned for more about When Puppy Comes Home coming soon.

Major

Major, our almost 7 month male black lab, has been progressing fast in his scent training.  Passionate about food, he loves his training time. Recently, he has begun checking us for the "low" sent.   He will come over to one of his trainers and smell them.  If he finds the scent he will get an excited
expression and begin to paw our thigh.   This checking without being asked is a HUGE part of being a Diabetes Alert Dog (DAD).  The job of a DAD is to constantly be in tune with his diabetic and always on the alert for that "low" scent.  Major's checking in with us often is the beginning of that amazing duty he will one day serve his diabetic.

Recently, our diabetic came up from his room and sat on the couch.  Major jumped up from his "place", went directly to our son and began excitedly smelling him. Then Major alerted him by pawing, just as we have trained him to do.  A quick finger poke revealed that our son's blood sugar was below the safe range.  It was Major's first live alert and a very exciting moment for all.

We are happy to see that Major's training has made sense to him, and he is beginning to apply it practically.   Though he still has a lot of training ahead of him, we are confident he will make an amazing DAD for some fortunate person.

Break Time

This post has nothing to do with resting, but everything to do with relieving.  One of the  basic functions of dogs, and one of the most frustrating issues of the owner of the untrained dog, is eliminating.  We call this "taking a break."  However, with consistency and attention, you can equip your dog with the skills to eliminate on command.

Meal Time:  By keeping meal times consistent, you establish routine and predictability in your dog.  We feed our dogs every morning after their initial "break".  We feed them the same amount every meal.  Normally, they wolf their food down in minutes; any uneaten kibble is removed from the crate and not offered again until dinner (or for training purposes).

"Good break, puppy!"

Break Time:  After we've finished our breakfast, we have someone on duty to take the dogs out for another "break".  Generally, this is about an hour after feeding. This has allowed the dogs to consume and digest their meal.  The person on duty leads the pups over to the "Break Area" and says, "Take a break."  Because we have done this every single time since we moved here three months ago, the dogs know that this is where they eliminate and they are ready to perform.  We just count seven "poops" until we know that everyone is finished, and then we take them up to the kennel for their morning session.

Every time we transition the dogs from crate to kennel, kennel to crate, or take them for a training session, we visit the "Break Area" for them to do their business.  This establishes routine and quickly forms a habit for them.

This week I took a young pup to town to be my shopping buddy.  At this point our pups are just over four months old.  He looked so handsome with his black coat gleaming under his red "Service Dog in Training" vest.  Between stores I told him to "break" in a designated place.  I was so proud of him when he immediately began doing his thing.  Confidently, I entered the store, assured that he wouldn't be doing anything naughty once inside.

Dogs instinctively like to keep their "den" clean.  We rarely have messy crates (I can only remember cleaning two since we've been here), and when they do have an accident it's either because of a sick dog or a handler that waited too long.

Training in public

Canines are creatures of habit and will eliminate in the same area, even without being trained.  Their sensitive snouts can smell things that we can't, and will find the odors associated with elimination.  That's why it's imperative to clean any messes in the house immediately and thoroughly, because they will return to that spot and do it again.

And finally, when you do take your dog into public, be prepared.  We always have little doggie bags tucked away in our service vests for public breaks.  This is just being responsible and respectful of others.

Well, it's been an hour since the dogs were fed, so it's time to go "take a break"!

Socializing at a Family Fun Day

Pups' Day Out

Whew!! It is always an adventure training and socializing puppies. Yesterday we had grocery shopping to do, so we decided to let a couple puppies tag along.  However,  that is not as easy said as done.  Our goal was to leave around two pm, but, by the time we finished all of our studies, chores, and were ready to leave, it was three-thirty! 

Finally, in the van with four boys, two puppies, Bailey, Mom and I, we were on the road.  Stopping at the post office, Mom let Wyatt, the two puppies and I off.  We then walked about a block across a beautiful park to the library. The puppies did fabulous.

Cocoa and Bailey

Then we went to Albertsons, and while the others and Bailey went shopping, I showed the pups around Subway. The outside that is.  They are not quite ready to go in. From there, we made our way to Walmart, were the others, again, went inside, and I socialized the pups in the  parking lot.  They did very well around the barking dogs you always encounter in a Walmart parking lot. You'll notice there are no pictures of the dogs in the parking lot-- that's because everyone else was shopping and I haven't figured out how to be a photographer and dog handler at once!

Lucky

It was a full afternoon for Cocoa and Lucky. However, they learned a lot, and are well on their way to becoming solid companions for their kids.

A tuckered Lucky

Bailey

 Lucky

On place in the van

Cocoa

Cocoa

Basic Training Begins

We’re so busy training puppies, that there’s just enough time for the rest of life—cooking, cleaning, and schooling!  But, we have a lot to share that’s transpired in the last month of our puppies’ lives.

We left via Yosemite.

Cody, just outside of Yellowstone.

Three weeks ago, we traveled one thousand miles from California to Wyoming with eleven dogs and six children. That experience has its own blog post in case you missed it.  Needless to say, it was an experience we won’t soon forget!

A pit-stop in Nevada

Since then, we’ve settled into our new location in Cody, Wyoming and hit the ground running!  Basic obedience training began two weeks ago for each of the puppies who were just at the 10 week mark.  It is so rewarding to train a smart dog!  

We have a training rotation in place to rotate all of the future service dogs between our four lead trainers.  This allows each of us to concentrate on one or two dogs each week (depending on the trainer) and really develop a connection with that dog.  Then the next week, we rotate dogs so that each dog is experiencing a different handler and their different training mannerisms.  Although we all as trainers have a consistent method of training, we are each unique in our particular style.  This gives the dogs the opportunity to adjust to different personalities and respond appropriately.

A junior trainer ready for action.

Always ready for training.

As I worked with my charge today, a sweet chocolate male who reminds us of his Papa Bailey, I was quite pleased with how well he had “come”, “sit”, and “down” mastered.  We worked on “stay” and he picked it up so quickly and eagerly.  These dogs are so eager to work and pick up basic obedience readily.  As with child training, consistency and kindness accompanied with firmness are key elements to successful training.

Kindness and Consistency are Key for children and dogs!

From Yosemite to Yellowstone

Recently our family of eight took a road trip-- and brought our eleven dogs.  Leaving California via Yosemite National Park,
we traveled to Cody, Wyoming arriving through Yellowstone National Park.

As if traveling with six children didn't already require tons of forethought, throw in nine puppies!!  The two groups complemented each other nicely however, both requiring about the same amount of time between pit-stops.

Pit-stop outside of Yellowstone

Somebody had a birthday along the way!

Since all 19 of us couldn't fit into the blue van, we drove two vehicles-- the van and the truck pulling a cargo trailer with all the stuff!!  One extra-large crate of puppies went in the truck and two crates of the same size went in the back of the van.  It actually worked perfectly and the puppies traveled marvelously. 

We began crate-training the puppies at night a few weeks prior to our trip, so they would be comfortable in their "dens".  This proved valuable, because there was very little whining heard from the puppies (nor from the humans-- they were NOT in crates) for the entire 1000 miles.

Pit-stop in Nevada

We stopped every two hours for a stretch break and potty stop.  We tried to avoid places where other travelers would take their pets for a "break" to keep germ exposure low for our puppies.  Since most of the drive was very rural, this wasn't hard to do.  Thankfully, we didn't have a single messy crate to clean the entire trip, although we were prepared with rags, paper towels, and plastic bags should the need arise.

Pit-stop in Wyoming

Something smells good. . .

Of course, we had to camp along the way.  It's hard enough to find a motel that will accomodate our large family, without throwing in eleven dogs!  The KOA in Cody, Wyoming was especially hospitable.  In addition to their lovely grounds, free pancake breakfast, and very low fee, they let us check-out late in the day without charging us extra.  The kids and dogs had a great time!

Pit-stop at a park in Idaho.

We were so proud of the dogs-- they weren't a nuisance at all to any of our neighbors, although we certainly attracted attention and visitors wherever we went!  It felt like the circus was rolling into town!

HAPPY!

                             Needless to say, we were ALL very happy to roll into Wyoming!