To raise a good Australian Labradoodle dog, you need to know how to set boundaries when they are a puppy. You need to know what to expect before you pick up your puppy. I have provided a list of key points for you to think about prior to picking up a puppy or even being added to a waitlist for one of my lovely pups. Before you read those points, check out the normal Developmental Stages of a Puppy. Your puppy will come with challenging behaviours that have nothing to do with their breed or their first few weeks with Chase Creek. I highly recommend early obedience training, even if you are a previous dog owner, but especially if you are a first time dog owner. Early challenging behaviours are normal, but will cause a lot of frustration for a very long time if you don't educate yourself early on how to set the boundaries and properly train your puppy into a well-behaved adult dog.
“Training a puppy is like training a child, every single interaction is a training opportunity”
Find a positive reinforcement trainer and enroll your puppy in obedience classes as soon as possible. The first 16 weeks are critical for developing a well-rounded, confident puppy. I have worked very hard the first eight weeks utilizing ENS, socializing, and the AVIDOG program to ensure your puppy starts off on the right paw.
For a respectful, social dog, you need to socialize your puppy. When you get your puppy, they have met quite a few people already, but the ball is in your court from that point until they are 16 weeks of age. A puppy should meet 100 people in the first 16 weeks of their life. Take them everywhere! Schools, stores that allow them to come in like Winners, Home Depot, or Canadian Tire. Take them on supervised walks in the neighbourhood. Invite family and friends and your children's friends over to play with puppy. You can work with them on correcting behaviours like jumping up or nipping during this time too.
Count on a puppy having accidents the first few days. Have pet- specific cleaning products on hand. Also be prepared for other transitional behavioral problems. A puppy doesn't know the boundaries when transitioning to your home. Any accidents a puppy has aren't the puppies fault, they are yours. Follow our sample schedule to avoid these accidents and unneeded frustrations.
That Australian Labradoodle you saw that was well-mannered and a great dog, was trained to be that way. It's a great responsibility to own a dog and they need daily care and exercise, vet visits, early obedience training and many years of commitment. Are you ready?
Owner knowledge and training is the key to success. Be knowledgeable on what to expect with the puppy stages and you won't be surprised. It's all up to you. No one training approach is right for every dog. These tips help reflect a variety of approaches based on positive reinforcement - the essence of effective training and behavior modification.
Keep an ID tag attached to a snug buckle collar on your dog at all times. This should have your information so that if they are found, they will be returned quickly.
During the first few weeks or months, a puppy needs time to adjust to the rules and schedule of your household and they need your leadership! A puppy is a pack animal looking for guidance, and it is up to you to teach them good, acceptable behaviors. If you do not take charge, the dog will.
A puppy cannot do damage unless you let that happen. Keep your puppy close when they aren't in a puppy proof area in the home. When you can't supervise your puppy, keep them in a kitchen, crate or other secure area with chew toys.
Keep your puppy on-leash when outdoors in unfenced areas, otherwise, you'll have no control if your puppy if they get really excited, curious, or scared. They may have prey drive instinct and chase a squirrel into the street, tussle with another dog, or run after a child.
Supervise even when the dog's in a fenced yard. If there's a way to escape, most dogs will find it.
Beware of letting your puppy on your bed or furniture, if you haven't established all human family members as the leaders ("alpha").
Don't yell a command unless you are in a position to enforce it. Telling a puppy to do something, then not guiding them to obey, if they choose not to, teaches your puppy to ignore you.
Beware of sending mixed signals that bad behavior is cute or entertaining.
Teach puppies good house manners from the start and be consistent. For the first few days you have a puppy, keep them in the same room with you, so your are ready if the puppy needs to potty, then you can rush them outdoors. You also want to keep an eye on them to establish boundaries on whats appropriate to chew and not chew. If puppy engages in unapproved behavior, you can instantly correct your puppy and substitute a more positive behavior. For example, removing the shoe from puppy's mouth, then substituting a toy and praising. If you can't supervise your puppy, put them in puppy-proofed place, so you don't set them up for failure.
Do not keep puppies in dark places such as basements, garages, locked in crates all of the time, or in non-family areas, this would work against you in your efforts to raise a socialized, well-behaved, house-trained adult dog.
Avoid using overly desirable treats such as rawhides or pig hooves. Dogs will often fight with each other over them.
Play nice. Don't play tug-o-war, rough-house, or engage in other combative play. These practices encourage aggression and teach your dog to challenge you or other people or children, who may not be prepared for that encounter.
Avoid separation anxiety-related problems by practicing the tips in this guide, as well as consulting other sources at the end of this guide.
Start day one by teaching your dog appropriate behavior through consistent, positive reinforcement.
Avoid carrying your puppy everywhere when they are young, as this can lead to unwanted jumping up on everyone they meet.
Realize there is always a solution to any problem - read and consult trainers.
“By the way, dogs don’t do things out of spite, which is a human concept. They do things that, right or wrong, seem like ways to cope.”
When puppies nip or chew on things they shouldn't, people often excuse this as "puppy behavior." But it's unacceptable behavior that will continue, and grow worse, if not corrected. Like a child, a puppy will test the limits and to see who's boss. The root of a puppies's biting may be due to teething, lack of early socialization that established appropriate behaviours, fear, dominance, confusion over his role in the pack. By reading books and consulting a professional, you can alter this behavior.
If your puppy tries to nip during play, command "no" and immediately stop playing. If the leash is on, you can give a correction if they don't comply. Turn their eyes to meet yours to emphasize the point. You must feel and convey a leadership role. As soon as they calms down, say "good dog." Use your puppy's name when giving praise; don't use it when in the act of correcting. Replace your hand with something to chew on to redirect the behaviour.
If your puppy is chewing on things they shouldn't like shoes, your cords, etc, redirect them by giving them what they can chew on.
Jumping is often behaviors dogs choose to seek a higher rank in the pack; sometimes they just jump out of excitement. Keep people from exciting your dog to the point of jumping up, barking or nipping. Often, jumping can be discouraged by simply ignoring the dog until he settles down. Just turn around and wait until your puppy sits. You also can carry kibble and provide a treat and attention only when the dog sits calmly on command. Avoid carrying your dog around like a baby when they are a puppy to help curb their need to be up at your eye level.
Figure out the key triggers of your puppie's barking. It could be mailman, neighbourhood kids getting off the school bus, the neighbor coming out to mow his lawn, or people going for a run. As with many common puppy behavioural issues, aim to reduce the opportunities as well as the incentives to misbehave.
“The barking cycle is: “Detect trigger person/event ... barkbarkbark...feel good and useful...the trigger leaves...my barking works great...I’ll do that again!””
If trigger events occur outside, bring them indoors before the triggers appear. They'll be less likely to bark when shielded from the opportunity. When they barks and the targets bypass or leave your property, this reinforces the barking behavior - and your puppy knows they did his job well.
If you can't avoid the trigger events, be prepared to re-focus your puppies attention on you. You can do this by using small treats and praise. Or before they focuses on the target for his barking, re-direct their attention to you. Try to catch and stop them before they let out their first bark. Give the correction "no!" or "quiet!" When they attend to you, immediately praise him verbally and use tidbits to reinforce the praise. Keep this up and he will learn it is more pleasant not to bark.
Most often, there is nothing wrong with reportedly hyperactive puppies. Puppies need attention and exercise, both physical and mental- and when people don't give them enough, the puppy has to do something with that excess energy.
If you leave your puppy for long hours on workdays (PLEASE DON'T LEAVE IN CRATES), consider doggie daycare or a mid-day dog walker. In some cases, misbehavior results from stress between the human members of the home, or another environmental change such as the arrival of a new household member. Lastly, a change in diet may be needed.
These behaviours are usually typical behaviours of a puppy whom is developing and aren't breed specific. These behaviours do not necessarily reflect a problem in their temperament, but more so the training involved early in their lives. The first eight weeks you have your puppy are critical in their training. You are responsible for the training of your puppy. Please follow these guidelines or take your puppy for early obedience training, if you aren't sure how to best follow these practices.
