NEW DOG AT HIS NEW HOME

FEEDING AND HOUSEBREAKING:
Feed twice to three times a day depending on the age of the dog; then forty five minutes after feeding, take for a walk or leave loose in the back yard for the dog to go to the bathroom. Make sure you use a specific word (like "potty" or "break") so he knows it is time to go to the bathroom and not time to play around.  Don't take the dog for a long walk immediately because he needs to know what you are expecting and when, like immediately when you go outside. Pick a certain area of the yard to take him directly to and then give the "break" or other bathroom command.  Never feed too close to just after or before exercising.  Wait at least two hours.


WORKING THE DOG:
Be sharp and firm but do not have to shout. Once you say the command, do not keep repeating it, give the dog a chance to respond, if he does not respond then use a leash correction.  You want the dog to learn that he has to listen to you on the first command and that you are not going to keep asking for the dog to do it, and then finally give up, thus, the dog now knows how to win the game.  The dog must know you expect it and he does it immediately because he respects you.  Make sure the dog is responding to your verbal command and not the jerking of the leash.


INTRODUCING THE DOG TO YOUR HOME:
For the first couple of days, keep him with you all throughout the house as you do your daily things.  Introduce the dog to each room and the items in the room.  This does not mean to just walk into the room and walk out, instead, walk the dog all around the perimeter to show him what is in the room but remember to allow him time to smell or check things he is curious about.  Do not do it as a command when he goes to check or look at the various items along the perimeter. Let this be a relaxed atmosphere. Do NOT yell at the dog when he puts his head inside a box to inspect something closer. Only correct the dog if he goes to take an item with his mouth which you do not want him to have contact with, yet, do not yell, give the appropriate correction word.

TEACHING YOUR DOG TO BE PROTECTIVE IN YOUR HOUSE:
Pay particular attention to when you are inviting guests into the house.  When the dog has alerted that someone is at the front door, then use whatever alert command he knows for the on guard signal, such as "Watch".  Then tell the dog "Good Watch".  Next use the correct word for the turn off command, such as "aust", followed by the "heel" or "faus" command for the dog to heel next to you, so you can move the dog back away from the door approximately six feet putting him on a "sit" command with the word you are using for the mental mood to be nice, such as "friends".  Now, let the person in the house that is outside the house because the dog now has his positional command of sit and his mental command to be friendly, but have the person wait at the door because you are to take the dog to the person.  Understand that when a person approaches a dog, the dog then goes into a defense attitude and without a command from the handler or owner, the dog has to guess what is expected of him. Next, "heel" the dog towards the person you accepted into the house, with a "sit" command when you reach in front of the person, while repeating the "friends" command.  Tell the person to pet the dog from underneath the head on the chest area, not rushing their hand downwards towards the head. You must remember not to allow strangers to do things which will put the dog into a defensive attitude, such as rushing up on you, swinging an item, yelling and screaming, or fast sudden movement.  Then when the person moves into the house, remember to give the dog its "friends" word and if there is another word you use for when you turn him loose, then utilize this word at that time, such as "free".
 

PUPPY RAISING PROCEDURE
Normally, my pups are introduced to loud noises at 5 weeks by doing blank gun fire, and doing the kiddy pool for water acclimation, playing with stuffed animals to learn the bite and playing with tennis balls. If they are introduced at an early age the training more naturally happens easier when they are older and they do not have the mental problems other litters tend to have.  Also, teaching them to climb small steps/stairs and to jump off of low tables at different heights to teach the jumping and not be afraid of heights.  In the house, I open dresser drawers and encourage the puppies to look in the drawer but teach them not to touch or pull things out.  I do not tell them "No" when they use their curiosity  to check things out. A lot of people mistakenly yell at the dog when the dog starts to look into something or be curious at something the owner is afraid the puppy is going to grab and tear up. We don't yell at the dog, we correct the dog only after it has touched/grabbed the article when it was not told to. Also, we start the obedience totally off leash so the dog does not think of the leash as a negative or as the only time it has to listen to the owner.  It is so much easier as a puppy.  The foundation between 5 weeks to 18 weeks is the main foundation time for all puppies. Most of the books will tell you this.  So please take the time to work with your puppy when you first get him home because his basis for acceptance of the thought of learning new things is imprinted at this time period in his life.

I know that some of the trainers and breeders get upset when I freely tell the rest of the world about what to do with the puppies to make them more social, but I am looking to have dogs in our society that do not create a bad name for the dog world and become more readily accepted in public places.  In Europe, it is common to see dogs at the shopping malls or in restaurants or the finest hotels. You must take the time to teach your four legged children.

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