How one Trainer Prepares
by Diana Logan
It has been a while since we added a young puppy to the family, 2009 to be exact. Skipper was an “elderly puppy” at 4 months old when he joined us in 2019, plunging headlong into adolescence at the time. Astro, our resident dog, was 10, and it was hard on him to deal with such youthful energy and rudeness.
Skipper turns 7 in early April and has no idea that his birthday present will be a 10-week-old puppy. Oh yay?
The Unknown
I’m enthusiastically looking forward to meeting Puppy (we’ll refer to her as “Puppy” for now until we decide on a name). I confess, a certain level of trepidation is mixed in with my excitement. This is normal, even for trainers. No matter how much research, thought, and careful consideration go into making the decision to add a pup of any age to the family, it’s still a bit of a crap shoot. All the virtual boxes may have been checked, but each individual puppy is just that: an individual. She’s a product of generations of genetics, of extraordinarily influential early experiences with her mamma and critical conditioning with the human(s) present early on. Every interaction counts and can have a significant and lasting effect on a puppy’s life. We are crossing our fingers that we’ve made a good decision.
Sit/Down/Stay/Heel: on Hold
Sure, I’ll blend some “obedience” skills into our day-to-day life, but they will all take a back seat to the much more important mission of building trust with our new friend and helping her feel safe in her drastically changed world. I will work on discovering what brings her the most joy and integrate that as much as possible into her life.
Safe confinement options
Crates, pens and gates will be available on each floor of the house, and I will set some of them up in advance, so Skipper gets used to their presence. You never know when a marauding and bewitched knife-wielding Puppy devil will sprout from the sweet and innocent-looking floofball you just welcomed into your home. Confinement of said creature is essential for everyone’s welfare. The emergence of such a devil is part of living with a puppy, but it can be extremely challenging. I want Puppy to learn to feel comfortable separated from the action, whether she’s in a crate, a pen, or in a different room. This will take lots of intentional training and planning. She will already have had a head start at the breeder, but there will be lots more work to do to ensure she’s a happy camper. Separation will help with housetraining, set a pup up to learn how to self-entertain, learn to settle and to feel comfortable when she can’t access family members. Because I work primarily from home, I will have to make a concerted effort to work on separation.
Don’t Forget the Resident Dog
We must take into consideration the skills, temperament, and welfare of the resident dog(s) when we are considering adding another. How can we keep Fido happy? Fortunately, Skipper is accustomed to interacting with puppies on a regular basis and has good dog communication skills. He thrives at playing host to guest dogs, but puppies can be incessant, loud, persistent harassing little monsters, too much to bear for anyone. Unfortunately, he is terrible at setting boundaries. He risks teaching Puppy that she can do anything she wants, without consequence. Without careful management, he will become stressed and have no idea how to detach a little furry shark from his body. He, too, needs some training so that I can save him.
I’m working on teaching him a verbal cue to get onto the couch: a puppy-free zone. He is likely to be crated more often and in different situations, so he’s getting some practice with it.
Aside from the above, Skipper is going to be very jealous. I've started to reward him for settling on his dog bed and to perch in different parts of the house. This attraction will become important when I want to work with Puppy but not him.
Puppy Proofing
I will gate off our shoe rack, pull up throw rugs, and crawl around on the floor in an attempt to identify what a puppy might find irresistible. I want Puppy to get a serious case of Floor Addiction… but not have access to unauthorized items. Prevention is the key to sanity!
Oh, I plan to catch up on my sleep, too.
Phew! There’s so much to think about and do.
Are you looking at adding a pup to your household? How do you prepare?
Happy Training!
Photo: Skipper and Denali, a puppy who attended Puppy Power Hour, practicing duo perch with attention. Perch is a GREAT strategy to use when we want to interrupt our dogs (photo by Diana Logan)