Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Start with a puppy, add a sombrero, finish with a confident dog.

or, Puppy Socialization 101...expose your puppy to EVERYTHING!


Rico came into my life when I lived in Seattle, and we had the good fortune of going to puppy school at the Montessori of puppy schools...Ahimsa Dog Training, owned by Grisha Stewart, an amazing trainer and a tireless advocate of clicker training. Although Rico often slept through class (he was only 8 weeks old when we started), I learned a lot and we still had fun. Part of each class was spent exposing the puppies to odd-ball things to teach them to accept new situations with grace and aplomb. We would all put on back packs and crazy hats like jester hats and sombreros with fringe; or carry umbrellas; or push baby carriages, carry umbrellas AND wear sombreros.

The bigger the variety of experience you can give your puppy, the better adjusted and more confident and happy he or she will be as an adult. Be creative, and remember to make sure things are safe and fun, and reward, reward reward for calm and confident behavior! Try to give your puppy 10-15 brand new experiences every day. Watch how fun it is for you, too. One day, you just might find yourself running outside in your PJs with your puppy in tow because there is a high-school marching band practicing in front of your house. Or maybe that's just me.

In addition to sombreros, here are some other ideas for you to get you started:

NEW LOCATIONS:
  • variety of staircases
  • boat
  • elevator
  • grooomer (just say hi and get treats)
NOISES
  • garage door opening
  • washing machine
  • vacuum
  • leaf blower
HANDLING
  • hold under arm like a football
  • wipe cotton ball in ears
  • look in mouth
  • hold toenails
MOVING OBJECTS (no chasing, just looking)
  • skateboard
  • bicycle
  • children running
  • cat
MEETING NEW PEOPLE
  • children, children and more children
  • men
  • different ethnicities
  • elderly people
PEOPLE WITH/IN
  • wheelchairs
  • strange gait
  • backpacks
  • walkers
PLAY OBJECTS
  • large ball
  • small ball
  • plush toy
  • hard toy
EATING LOCATIONS (because you never know when you might travel with your pet)
  • back & front yard
  • car
  • under umbrella
  • bathtub
EAT OR DRINK FROM
  • wobbly bowl
  • cardboard box
  • paper coffee cup
  • pie tin
  • Kong
SURFACES
  • metal grate
  • wooden bridge
  • grass/wet grass
  • gravel
Well, you get the idea. There are so many potentially scary things out there in this big world. Start early getting your puppy used to new things, and watch her grow into a well-adjusted, sombrero-loving sweetheart.




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