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Jumping, Chewing, Biting On Body Parts
If you have a puppy under the age of six months you will want to use a non-restrictive harness instead of a collar. The harness puts no stress on your puppy’s neck; he is very delicate at this stage of his life. Pulling on a collar during the development period can injure his neck and make him 'leash shy'. If your puppy is jumping when he meets you or other people, pull him off the person using the harness while saying “NO” in a discouraging tone. Once your puppy is under control, praise him, but, don’t get too excited. Remember, what goes down the lead comes up the lead. If you get excited, so will your puppy. Don’t let everyone meet your puppy. If your puppy thinks everyone is there to see him he will get too excited every time someone meets you. He is there for you and your family not to entertain everyone that sees him. Meeting everyone that becomes available can lead to over friendliness and jumping.
Puppies have a very difficult time in knowing when play time ends and later begins. We don't make a practice of playing too much tug of war, or hand biting games with young puppies. They have an abundance of energy and can usually sustain such play longer than we care to participate. Puppies show allot of affection by biting and pulling on their loved ones. Puppies don't understand since we haven't bonded all day during work time, or all night, we just don't find it necessary to bite each other when we first meet. Don't suppose that if only one member of the family plays rough with the puppy that the puppy will not see fit to play rough, at his will, with the other members. Rough play with the puppy is not going to turn him into a more protective dog. Have quiet times with the puppy are a must. Stroke his head and speak in soft tones. Scratch his chest and belly.
You can never show too much love to a puppy. Often people say they don't want to spoil the puppy. We don't want you to spoil the puppy either. But too much love to any animal is certainly not spoiling. It's all part of the bonding process. Using a harness you can have quiet time with the children present. This will help teach your puppy that he can remain calm with all children.
Choosing The Right Boarding Kennel For Your Dog
When looking for a suitable temporary place for your pet while you are away, there are many aspects that need to be addressed. You will want to plan ahead, the best facilities will be full during heavy travel times like holidays. This will also give you the time to take a tour of the facility prior to leaving your pet. When taking a tour be sure to lead with your nose, if it smells dirty it is dirty.
If the kennel doesn't’ allow tours, don’t leave your dog there. Make advance appointments for a tour as most kennels will suspend tours during holiday periods. Some kennels will offer a tour and only allow you to look through a viewing window. How can you tell if it is clean if you can’t smell it? When checking out a kennel always follow your nose first.
When getting a price for boarding be aware a lot of kennels have extra charges for everyday needs like exercise, and letting your dog go outside. They will also charge extra for special meals and medications. A conscientious kennel will allow the dogs out 3 to 4 times a day without extra charges. They also realize that your dog will need to eat the food he is accustomed to eating while there.
So, when checking out the local kennels ask a lot of questions and be sure you know what you and your dog are getting yourselves into.
Exercising Your Dog
If you have been keeping up with your dogs exercise needs then he should be in good shape. If you haven’t there are a few issues that might come up in getting started.
For an adult large breed dog, he needs to exercise off-leash 20 minutes twice weekly. We get 'cabin fever', so does your dog.
If your dog is out of shape remember he doesn't think about how this exercise is going to hurt tomorrow. You need to do that for him. For example, your dog may chase a ball until you decide to quit, not him. Your dog is just like us, except he won’t give up. He probably has too much 'heart' to give up on playing with you, but remember he’s the one running.
Also if your dog is not used to being on pavement a lot and you start throwing the ball on the sidewalk or street, he could tear up his paws but he won’t quit until you quit. Be aware of how much what is too much for his benefit. Be aware of large breed dogs experiencing too much hip, leg, knee, and paw impact on hard surfaces. If you want to run with your dog, you will need to train him to go the distance. None of us can just decide to suddenly run 10 miles, neither can your dog. Start will small distances running, then build up.
Lastly, beware of over exertion of your dog especially in warm or hot weather. Dogs have a much higher body temperature than humans, and may overheat easier.
Good luck, and have lots of fun
Food Drive Training
At Florida K9 Services we DO NOT obedience train dogs until they are a minimum of 6 months old. Putting too much information to a puppy at too early an age can and probably will cause problems later. We like for a puppy to have the chance to be a puppy! However, we believe in behavioral corrections earlier than 6 months.
The following information is currently free to the public. Please realize these suggestions are general techniques and are not necessarily precise for all breeds of dogs.
(It is very important to use the following training in conjunction with Housebreaking Techniques)
To use the Florida K-9 method of feeding your dog, you will need to measure his food with a measuring cup. This will assure you exactly how much he eats, so if his food intake sharply decreases you will have a signal of possible medical or emotional stress problems.
The first signs of a dog not feeling well are lack of appetite and being lethargic. So it is very important that you know how much your dog eats.
*Your dog needs to eat approximately the same amount for 2 consecutive meals, before you increase 1/2 cup each meal.
We want your dog to leave a couple of bites of food after approximately 20 minutes following the food being presented. This means he is getting his maximum intake of food. If he is a new dog in your home, you may experience an initial period when your dog won't eat well. A way to entice him to eat is to mix 1 tbs. of canned food for each cup of dry. What a dog smells he thinks he is eating. Therefore the canned food provides a strong aromatic base.
If you have purchased your dog from Florida K9 or Global K9 Group and he does not eat for 2 days call our office. He should eventually consume around 5 to 7 cups daily. Remember, you will only need to leave his food down for 20 to 30 minutes. This method will help to motivate your dog to eat more immediately when his food is presented.
Puppies under 3 months old should be fed twice daily, with dry food available continuously. Puppies between 3 months and 1 year old should eat 2 meals a daily. Adult dogs may eat 1 to 2 meals a daily, depending on your dogs habits.
Puppy Toys To Buy
We all want to let our puppies have the coolest toys, and we hope that they will want those toys over our stuff. Pet toys have increasingly gotten more expensive and less durable.
Here are a few guidelines that will make picking toys easier, and save some money :
Squeaky toys- be sure that the squeaker is part of the toy not a separate insert in the rubber. If it is a clear plastic insert it can come loose and be a choking hazard. The little fleece or stuffed toys are basically all the same. So don’t buy the most expensive. They all rip and eventually stop squeaking anyway.
Chew Toys- We like to use polypropylene rope (the yellow rope) customarily found at Home Depot. This is a great toy for a puppy or adult, When your dog chews on this rope it makes a crunch noise which is very satisfying. It also woks like dental floss and will help keep your puppy's teeth clean. The store will cut it for you ( approximately 7 feet long and ask them to burn the ends so it does not fray as easy. Pet store ropes are much more expensive and are usually a cotton type rope which will shred and leave a mess.
Balls and Fetch toys- We suggest that you use a solid rubber ball, (not a tennis or racquet ball) the hollow balls can pop and be swallowed. This can lead to many expensive veterinary visits; it could also choke your dog to death. The 'Kong' is a great toy; it is made out of hard rubber and is hollow so you can put treats in it. When you throw it, it bounces in many different directions. During quiet time you can put a little peanut butter in it, and your dog will spend lots of time quietly trying to get all the peanut butter out of it. To clean it just put it in the freezer then once frozen you can knock the peanut butter out of it.
Choosing The Right Veterinarian
Choosing a vet can be as hard as choosing your family doctor. You want to find someone who cares and can talk to you as a person instead of a textbook. Also, when first making your appointment don’t be afraid to ask what the charges will be for visits. You also want to find a vet that has lots of experience with your breed of dog. We always suggest our clients find a vet that handles local law enforcement K-9 dogs.
When you first take your puppy to the vet for his initial shots, this is a good time to get to know the vet. See if the vet is willing to take the time to answer your questions, and can explain the answers in terms that you can understand.
If your veterinarian clinic offers a wellness plan, be careful. These plans are designed to make money. There will be a savings shown on your receipt, but you are required to bring your dog to the vet much more often then necessary. They have made a schedule so that they see your dog more often than usual, and give your adult dog shots staggered out over multiple visits.
If you have a healthy pet it should not need to go to the vet more than one or two times a year, unless your dog shows signs of illness. Most vaccinations are good for a year. Some vets like to have semi annual boosters depending on the area of the country you live.
Your dog can receive all of it’s vaccinations in one visit once you have completed the puppy series of shots. This is truly a series and needs to be completed by the age of 16 weeks. At that time your dog is old enough for his adult vaccinations.