Adventures Outdoors'
In Wisconsin
Picking the Pup, Socialization, and The Bond
By Rick Spoerl
Now that you’ve researched the pedegree and decided on a litter, it’s time to pick out your puppy.
Some people make picking a puppy quite the chore. Being an occasional breeder myself I’ve seen some pretty weird tests. Between stomping their feet, calling the pup, throwing objects, trying to actually figure these little guys out is more amusing to me then even watching the pups play. If the breeders done their job properly, socializing the litter and raising them, the pups will be basically the same, other then small size differences and dominance. But with that said, one pup that’s dominant today may not be next week. I always like to ask the breeder what they think of certain pups, provided the pups are marked, the breeder will know the most about the individual dogs. Then I tell the breeder what I want the dog for. I may have them pick my dog for me. Then I have someone to blame for the dog’s future mistakes. If that doesn’t work just close your eyes reach down and grab one.
Now that you have purchased the dog you will need a small crate to bring the pup home in. It’s certainly nice to be able to hold the pup in the car to keep the little one quite, but if your alone it’s much safer to transport the pup in a crate. You will also need this crate for the pup to sleep in. These crates are a must when owning a dog. They are a safe means of transportation as well as a place to put the pup when you’re away. He will be secure and happy in his new home.
When the pup gets older you’ll need to purchase a bigger crate as he’ll out grow the small crate. The best type seems to be the plastic airline type. You can also place a towel or blanket over it to keep it warmer. A piece of plywood should be cut to fit on the floor. This will make water in the crate travel under the wood to keep the pup dry. A carpet can also be placed on top of the plywood, and consider yourself lucky if he doesn’t eat it.
You can put newspaper outside of the crate if you must, but I think the house training usually takes longer if you do this because your teaching him its ok to go in the house.
Most airlines require pups to be 8 weeks old. Summer months are hard to ship pups because of the heat, and its imperative information such as your name, address, phone, feeding and watering instructions along with times to feed and water also be on the crate. Also, it’s not a bad idea to have a backup partner to pick the pup up in case of an emergency (flat tire etc.).
It’s not unusual for a pup to whine and bark when you bring the pup home. Remember for their entire life they have been with the litter, so its logical the pup would be concerned. Have patience and spend as much time with the pup as you can. Even sleeping on the floor with them the first few nights or letting the pup sleep in bed with you for a couple of nights will ease them, this will begin the pup’s socialization. The first 6 or 7 weeks of their life they are learning to be a dog. You’re now going to show them how to be a human. Later you will again show them how to be a dog.
For the next couple of weeks the pup will sleep nearly as much as they are awake. The breeder should have given you some food the pups have been eating. Hopefully it’s a high quality food. This food should be continued until 6 months and then you can slowly put them on a high quality adult dog food. When changing foods, start out by giving only about 10% of the new food along with the puppy food and slowly increase the percentage of new food for about 2 weeks, this will prevent diarrhea and stomach problems.
Socializing this pup in the house is also letting the dog know where the dog stands in the pecking order of the house. If the pup bites, stop him say "NO" and try not to give them the opportunity. After several failed attempts a stiff whack in the nose may be warranted. The same with climbing on furniture, jumping up on you, and chewing. The pup should be given chew toys such as a raw hides, and when you take one of the kid’s toys away you should immediately give him his raw hide so he can associate right from wrong.
Don’t give the pup old socks or stuffed animals, as they will associate with things you don’t want them to have. If the pup gets a hold of one of the kid’s toys or your new shoes don’t panic, simply walk over to the pup take it from him say "good, good" and get it out of site. Remember, these dogs are retrievers and retrieving anything now is "good". If you freak out running to the pup saying "no, no", then obviously your teaching them that retrieving is a bad thing. Be careful.
Play games with the pup like throwing a small puppy dummy and calling the dog by name. Play hide and seek with the pup like clapping your hands around a corner where he cant see you, when he finds you give him lots of praise. You’re teaching him to hunt. He’s hunting you. Spend a determined amount of time with him everyday. After a few weeks of being at his new home the pup may think his name is "NO". All kidding aside the dogs name should be used frequently. Keep language simple; instead of get over hear try "his name", then "hear".
Let the pup get used to other people. A trip to your childs school is a great lesson. Getting him used to the sights and sounds of human society is just as important as getting him used to the wilderness.
Take the pup for short walks through several types of areas away from other people. Keep the walks short and if possible off lead, don’t speak too much, just kind of let the pup go. Let him get used to fields, woods, crops, creeks, plowed fields or any other light cover. Most small pups can’t go far, and usually won’t. If the pup starts whining, it’s probably a little concerned. After a couple of these walks the pup should start to explore a little more. Short drives in the crate also will be good for the pup. I don’t like to exceed one hour. Always bring water and treats with you. If the pup wanders away, call the pup, "here" turn and run the other direction, the pup will most likely chase you. When he reaches you, give him a small piece of a treat and lots of praise "good good". I like to start with short walks at 8-9 weeks gradually increasing the walk from about 100 yards on up as the pup gets used to it.
If your dog is going to be in a kennel then you have to gradually make him think the kennel is a good place to be. Start feeding him outside in the kennel. After about 4 or 5 days of this put his chew toys in the kennel, and while the pup is eating, close the kennel and leave the pup to himself for about an hour. Gradually leave him in the kennel for longer periods of time until dark, and then just bring him in the house to sleep. Put him out in the morning, feed and water him. When you put the dog in the kennel say "kennel" give him a small piece of treat while praising "good good". Never let the pup out of the kennel if he’s barking.
Normally with this approach you shouldn’t have any problem with barking. If you do, you need to nip it in the bud quickly. If the pup occasionally whine’s the first few times he’s out, he probably will stop, but if the pup persists you must first try to stop it by saying "no no" in a stern voice then if it continues you must go to the pup hold his mouth closed saying "no no". If it still persists you must go to the pup hold his mouth and rap his muzzle while saying "no no". This must be done consistently and the pup should know this will not be tolerated. As with all training consistency is the most important aspect of training. Soon he will understand he must be quiet. He’s now ready to spend a couple hours in the dark, in his kennel, gradually over the next few days he will be ready to stay in the kennel full time. The whole process should take about 2 weeks.
Now that the pup is in the kennel full time, your wilderness walks and time spent with the pup will be solo. This will start the bonding process.
The trainer/handler of this pup should now be the focus of this pup’s life. 3 or 4 days in a row you should take the pup for walks alone, with no other dogs and no other interference from other people. This time is important, while it doesn’t seem to be much, it will plant a seed for training. I don’t like to put the pup on a lead on these walks, but I do always put a collar on the pup to simply get him used to it. The reason I don’t like the lead on the pup for walks is I am not teaching heel and I don’t want the pup to get used to not heeling properly. Some people may say that they like putting the pup on a lead prior to heel training so when they begin heel training, the pup is used to the lead. Well, yes he is used to the lead, used to pulling, used to running ahead, and used to walking behind (not proper heeling). At 16 weeks we are going to start obedience training, that’s when the pup will learn how to heel properly, that is our next step.