Pet Punter

Posts Tagged ‘puppy’

Overcoming travel sickness is or should be a matter of early learning but unlike some children those that are can nearly always be taught to overcome the problem. You must act immediately when the problem arises, otherwise the puppy starts to associate cars with vomiting and will salivate as a premonitory symptom as soon as you put him into the car. If travel sickness is allowed to persist, the puppy will learn to hate and fear car travel. Simply taking the puppy on plenty of short journeys may be sufficient. If the puppy learns that he can go for a ride without being sick, especially if there is a walk or a game at the end of it, he may overcome his early nervous reaction. If the short journey cure doesn’t work, there is no substitute for travel sickness pills and a much longer trip.

Bear in mind that travel sickness pills take some time to be absorbed and to work. They need to be given about an hour before the journey. To a considerable extent, the longer the journey, the more effective the treatment. Bear in mind almost that most travel sickness treatments induce sleepiness, so giving the pills before going off for the family holidays can be doubly useful. Most dogs will learn to overcome their travel sickness after a few remaining training trip, but the longer the problem is allowed to persist before attempting a cure, the slower will be the response.

Dogs are pack animals, which explain many behavioral characteristics. When you are having problems think “pack leader” and act accordingly. One of the pack-behavior features that all dogs bring to their relation-ships with human beings is hierarchy and, consequently, dominance. Puppies spend a great deal of their time trying instinctively to establish where their position is in the hierarchy, and they can only do this by attempting to establish their own dominance. Some breeds are more dominant than others. The terriers, for instance, tend to be so; generally the gundogs do not try so hard. Being in the dominant role is not necessarily comfortable for a dog, particularly when the signals from their human companions are mixed and confusing. Most dogs settle happily in the submissive role once they are clearly placed there and learn that they do not have to attempt to keep everyone under control.

Feeding: The leader eats first. It is convenient to feed the dog before you eat, but if the dog observes this, you are sending one of those confusing signals. Puppy-feeding times are best arranged well away from your own meal times, which will avoid sending this signal. From the start, it is useful to make the puppy come to you for his food and wait until you are ready, perhaps by teaching him to sit before you put the bowl down.

Grooming: Touching and handling are potent signals to a dog. Daily grooming under proper control will indicate who is in charge. Some puppies will resent the handling involved – dominance again – they may react as though they are being hurt. Ignore it and insist. All puppies are capable of learning very quickly whether you really mean it.

Nipping and Biting: Most puppies will “mouth: things, including your fingers, when they are very young. This will progress to a nip. Mouthing is normal behavior in the young as they learn with their mouth and nose. Nipping is the first step in learning dominance. It is not amusing; stop it immediately, by a sharp reaction – the “No” it has already learned – and a tap if necessary. Remember your pack leader role!

Game and Fighting: All puppies like to play games; they are part of the puppy’s education, and in the light of that you should think carefully about them. Avoid contest games with your puppy. Tug-of-war is fun, but can easily develop into a contest of dominance, with the puppy either winning the tug, or glowing or snarling while hanging on. If you must play tug-of-war keep it on the very lowest key and stop immediately if the puppy starts to become too excited. Simply to stop and go away after retrieving the tug is probably as good as lesson as any. Running after a ball can be fun for the dog. Teach your puppy to bring the toy back to you by not running after the dog to get the ball. Show indifference if the puppy runs away with the ball, and reward him with praise. You have started obedience training, congratulations!