Are you ready to get a puppy?

Are you ready to get a puppy?

Sharing from Vizsla Puppies Facebook group -- A MUST READ!

Ready everyone??!! Before you buy your first puppy, take this test to find out if you can cope with living and looking after your puppy:

This test is best taken in the autumn or mid winter!

1. Buy a lead and tie it to a big stone, walk around dragging the stone behind you

2. Get up at 5am, go out in the pouring rain and walk up and down a muddy path, repeating good girl/boy, "wee wees...poo poos, quickly please"

3. Stuff your pockets with plastic bags and pick up all the dog poo you can find, obviously not your dog's as you have not bought it yet

4. Start wearing your shoes indoors, especially during muddy times

5. Collect leaves off the ground and spread them on the floor

6. Carry sticks and branches indoors and chop them up on your carpet

7. Pour cold applejuice on the rug and floor....walk barefooted over it in the dark

8. Drop some chocolate pudding on your carpet in the morning and then try to clean it in the evening

9. Wear socks to which you have made holes using a blender

10. Jump out of your favorite chair just before the movie ends and run to open the back door

11. Cover all your best clothes with dog hair, dark clothes with blond hairs and light clothes with dark hairs

12. Tip all just ironed clothes on the floor

13. Make little pin holes in all your funiture, especially chair and table legs

14. When doing dishes, splash water all over the place and don't wipe it.

15. Spread toilet paper all over the house when you leave the house and tidy up when you get back home

16. Forget any impulse holidays and/or breaks

17. Always go home straight after work or school

18. Go walkies no matter what the weather, and inspect every dirty paper, chewing gum and dead fly you might find

19. Stand at your back door at five in the morning shouting "Bring Mr Bumble and Mr Lion in, it's raining!"

20. Wake up at 3am. Place a bag of flour on top of yourself and try to sleep, while wiping your face with a wet dishcloth, which you have left next to your bed in a bowl last week.

Repeat everyday over 6 months and if you still think getting a puppy sounds like a good idea, congratulations, you might be ready to get your puppy! 😆😆😆

Puppies Learn How to Love Management - VIDEO

Puppies (and adult dogs) should learn how to accept and enjoy management as a skill. Regardless of our lifestyle, our dogs will need to be separated from us at some point. When we teach it as a skill, it gives us the ability to use it to help prevent naughty behavior like counter surfing, dumpster diving, and inappropriate chewing from happening and teach calm behaviors instead. Here is an easy training set up you can do with an x pen or a baby gate to help your dog learn that quiet, four on the floor, and independent play are all good things to do when confined. I recommend doing this exercise on its own before incorporating it into your normal routine! 3-5 minutes a few times a day can help your puppy learn quickly that confinement is great! Then, stick some treats in your pocket and reinforce your pup as they hang out in their safe place as you move around the space. 

For more information visit us: www.pawsitivefutures.com 

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Instagram: @pawsitivefutures

Do you really want a "normal" dog?

The Myth of "Normal" Dogs

Dogster's Dog Training Guide with Casey Lomonaco, KPA CTP

Recently, a colleague and friend posted a picture on FB accompanied by a caption saying something to the effect of “does anyone have ‘normal’ dogs?” indicating that her dogs had a variety of issues which she was dedicated to working with – separation anxiety, noise sensitivity, fear aggression, etc. “All I ever wanted was a normal dog!”

I hear this a lot in my practice and am forced to ask, “Really? You really think you want a normal dog?!”

What exactly is a ‘normal’ dog?   Here are some characteristics of normal dogs:

• normal dogs bite
• normal dogs have no standards as to appropriate elimination sites with the exception of “where I sleep is out of bounds”
• normal dogs do not come when called if something more interesting is going on
• normal dogs default to responding to new stimuli in their environment fearfully. Fear is a survival adaptation and keeps a dog safe.
• normal dogs chew, dissect, and destroy things
• normal dogs resource guard
• normal dogs bark and growl
• normal dogs dig holes
• normal dogs hump legs
• normal dogs vocalize when left alone
• normal dogs chase squirrels, deer, and cats
• normal dogs kill small animals
• normal dogs pull on the leash
• normal dogs often like to run around as fast as they can, even if they knock over small children or grandma in the process
• normal dogs lift their legs and pee on trees, even when we bring those trees into our houses and put lights and ornaments all over them
• normal dogs like to sniff EVERYTHING – crotches (human and canine), fire hydrants, trees, bushes, gopher holes
• normal dogs eat poop
• normal dogs tear up the garbage, counter surf, and eat expensive panties or heels
• normal dogs roll in poop and dead things
• normal dogs do not like every dog they meet
• normal dogs do not want to be hugged, kissed, touched, or stared at by every person they meet in every situation
• normal dogs don’t like having their nails trimmed, mats removed from their coat, or grooming
• normal dogs don’t naturally love being crated
• normal dogs don’t naturally love wearing sweaters, being carried in purses or strollers, or wearing booties

Looking at all these things that normal dogs do, how many of you want one? All of these things are NORMAL DOG BEHAVIORS. If humans did not intervene, these are the things that dogs would do naturally. I’d argue that very, very few humans would even know what to do with a truly “normal” dog if they came across one. Normal dogs do not make good pets.

What we want in a pet dog is abnormal behavior. We want a creature which has evolved for millennia as a hunter to act like prey doesn’t matter. We want dogs to learn to go potty outside the house, even when we bring doggy bathrooms (trees) into our homes as holiday decorations. We want dogs to like every dog and person they meet. We want dogs to be silent animals. We want dogs to walk politely on a loose leash, even though our walking pace is comparatively very slow. (Have you ever been caught behind someone who moves slowly when you’re in a hurry, either walking or driving? Frustrating!) We want dogs to never bite, no matter what, even when they are harassed, abused, and neglected.

What we want from dogs are behaviors which are ethologically incompatible with their evolution as a species. We like dogs, but not their “dogginess.” Normal dogs end up in shelters for just this reason. Abnormal dogs get to stay in their homes.

Part of the problem is also in what is defined as “normal dog owner” behavior. “Normal” dog owners:

• don’t take their dog to class
• don’t go out of their way to socialize the dog extensively and appropriately during puppyhood
• place their dog’s physical and mental stimulation needs somewhere around #894 on their list of priorities
• don’t manage their dogs to prevent rehearsal of bad behavior
• focus on what their dog is doing “wrong” and ignoring the dog when he does the “right” things
• don’t train their dogs and then blame the dog for misbehaving
• expect dogs know the difference between “right” and “wrong” naturally
• look for a quick fix to behavior problems
• choose to confine the dog to the back yard, turn him into a shelter, or have him euthanized before consulting with a behavior professional to address the problem

Normal dog owners get normal dog behaviors. Abnormal dog owners are proactive about preventing behavior problems and address any new problems as soon as they are noticed. If they don’t know what to do about a problem, they research to find a good trainer who uses dog-friendly training methods. They exercise and train their dogs, even if they are busy. They make spending time with the dog and helping him thrive a priority.

While no dog is perfect, realizing that virtually everything we expect of dogs is unnatural for them highlights the need for training. Part of what makes dogs so wonderful is the fact that they are generally more than happy to exchange behaviors which are rooted in hundreds of thousands of years of instinct for an owner that will spend a few minutes a day training them to offer alternative, incompatible, and socially desirable behaviors.

Dogs don’t come “perfect,” whether they are brought into the home as puppies or as adult dogs they need training. Well-behaved dogs rarely happen by chance, they are usually well-trained dogs. “Bad” behavior in dogs is not bad behavior to dogs, it is simply normal behavior. I think that society does dogs a disservice with the assumption that “good behaviors” are the norm and “bad behaviors” are aberrant. It is the dogs that pay for this misunderstanding, often with their lives. It’s like something out of the Twilight Zone.

Carefully review the list of normal dog behaviors above. If these are not the behaviors you want, you need to train your dog to offer abnormal behaviors. In doing so, you will leave the ranks of “normal dog owners” and join us crazy folks in the “abnormal dog owner” realm.

It’s not so bad – we have lots of treats, toys, and fun here with our “abnormal dogs!”

The 10 Most Important Things to Teach A Puppy

WDJ is an excellent resource for all things dog! Another great article below... (see link):

It shouldn’t surprise me but it does, still, that there are far too many people out there who don’t seem to have a clue about how to properly raise a puppy. Whole Dog Journal readers are not likely to fall into the “completely clueless” category, but in case you haven’t had a puppy for a while – or ever – and recently adopted or are thinking of adopting, here’s a refresher course for you on the topic of the 10 most important things you should teach your puppy.

The 10 Most Important Things to Teach A Puppy https://www.whole-dog-journal.com/puppies/pre_puppy_prep/the-10-most-important-things-to-teach-a-puppy/