I have had so many great dogs in my classes. AKC STAR puppies, Canine Good Citizens and Graduates of my Puppy and Adults classes and more. These are recent great dogs (and owners!)

 

 

*Judi Pepin and her pug Bella just passed their Delta Society Pet Partners Evaluation with flying colors. Great job!

 

AKC STAR Puppies: Bailey, Kiko, Lady, Charley, Rex, Izzy, Max, Shelby, Louie, Wrigley, Sienna

 

Canine Good Citizen: Bear, Snowflake, Petey, Beckett

  

Graduates of Puppy Class:Sienna, Louie, Bailey, Rex, Zoey, Taylor 

 

Graduates of Adults Class: Bear, Snowflake

 

If I forgot anyone, let me know.

Congrats to all the owners and dogs! Great job!

 

P.S. To all I owe paper work on the AKC STAR puppy test, I received the blank forms and will try to get them to you. You can email me if you want and I will try to get to them sooner. And if anyone is interested in testing their puppy for AKC STAR puppy that did not get to in my puppy class, email me and we can possibly set up a day/time for that.

 

Puppies bite - and thank goodness they do. Puppy biting is a normal, natural, and necessary puppy behavior. Puppy play-biting is the means by which dogs develop bite inhibition and a soft mouth. The more your puppy bites and receives appropriate feedback, the safer his jaws will be in adulthood. It is the puppy that does not mouth and bite as a youngster whose adult bites are more likely to cause serious damage. -Dr Ian Dunbar from www.dogstardaily.com "Puppy Biting" 

 

I like several methods to help with biting. Every time they bite, say "no bite" and replace a toy in their mouth instead of your hand and say "take your toy". Also giving them plenty of good things to chew-frozen filled kongs, bully sticks, nyla bones, big dog biscuits, appropriate bones for their age and frozen wash cloths.

 

I also stop the game I'm playing with him if he bites. Teeth on hands=game over. You can also say "ouch" loudly when they bite but for some dogs it just excites them more. I also teach them to settle and gently restrain them for just a second till the biting stops. It's not a forced hold but a gentle restraint in my arms or lap with my face away from the shark teeth while telling them "no bite-settle". When they relax for a couple seconds, I let them up and say "good pup-go play". It is not something for smaller kids to do with them but but mom or dad or older siblings till the puppy knows what it means.And you can always use a timeout in the crate for times when nothing works. Don't call him "bad dog" or get mad at him. Just calmly put him in his crate with a chew toy and calming walk away. Come back five minutes later and calmly let him out.

 

It will get better. When those shark teeth finally fall out, the biting will slack off and you will have the best dog ever.

 

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When you look at behaviors or habits you don't like in your dog, one thing you can do is look in the mirror. Am I doing all I can do to change or help my dog be successful? Owners expect dogs to know automatically the things they expect of them. Dogs really do not have a clue. We need to show them from day one the good behavior we need from them. 

 

I recently had a little German Shepherd puppy Board and Train. From day one, I did not let him jump on me, he had to wait at all doors for me to go through first and he could not pull me on leash. He could not bite me either. Did he try? Of course, he was a puppy with lots of puppy behavior. Did I get mad and yell or hit him? Of course not. He was a puppy that did not know better. But every day I showed him the behaviors I needed from him and rewarded him generously. Within 4 weeks, he practiced 28 commands. He was almost walking off leash right next to me and did 20ft stays a good portion of the time.

 

Can you do this with your dog or puppy? Yes you can. Look at yourself and say "What do I need to do to be a great owner?" It will be different for everyone because every dog is different and every owner is different and has different expectations of their dog. But be sure you are doing all you can do to be the best owner ever. Your dog will appreciate it.   

Your thoughts and opinions are important to me. I have been creating and sending newsletters for about 6 months. I'd love to know what you think. Are they helpful? Interesting? Any topics that you would like to see addressed? Shoot me an email at playfulpooches@msn.com and let me know what you think. I try different formats all the time. Some are probably easier to read than others. If the newsletter is helpful, I will continue to send it out. I love helping you and your dog succeed. 

 

Some dogs are tough to rollover for several reasons. You can try rollover when they are already down and you are giving them a tummy rub anyway. They are relaxed and it is easier. You can also try teaching it at the top of a gentle slope in your yard or park. Let gravity help you. Just watch so they don't go rolling on down the hill. Whoa doggie!