How to use these toys as Teaching Tools

Try to keep in mind during your interactive playtimes with the pup, that every action, word or command carried out can become a valuable part of the pup’s schooling and education. For example, simply tossing a toy for the pup actually has the potential to teach your puppy to retrieve on command, recall or return to you on command, sit on return to you and give up the article without a struggle or fight. All of these situations are basic, meaning that the pup will use these commands over and over again all through its life. The earlier you start to focus the pup on these commands, the easier you and puppy will slide through the puppy months.

Breaking Down The Segments Of The Retrieving Exercise

 

1. Have a flat leather or nylon collar on your pup for this type of session. You also need a 30 to 40 foot energy burn off rope, (if playing outdoors) and attached to his collar (See energy burn off in topic #5). This is crucial to insure a safe playtime and accurate training session s well.

 

2. Next, get the puppy excited over the toy or article. Toss it out a couple of feet from where you are to warm the puppy up. Command to the puppy “Take It”, (while it is still moving), using a fun and energetic voice. As soon as he takes the article, turn and start running from him so that he has to run to catch you. Start off by making these catch-up distances quite short, about 10 to 20 feet. As he’s closing in on you, turn and face him, calling out his name and the command “COME“. Coach him with lots of “GOOD PUPPY“ praise.

 

3.            When he’s almost to you, bend down to his level with open arms. Remember, if the pup gets too silly or out of control at any time, the long line is there to reinforce your commands. Should he refuse to come to you, simply reel him in like a fish line and praise heavily with voice and hands when he gets to you.

 

4.            Once within arms reach, command “SIT“ to the pup. If he’s facing you, lean forward over him while he’s still in the we are having fun frame of mind. If he still resists, just apply a bit of pressure on the indent spots near his hips. (Feel along the pups backbone and just before the hip bones you will feel 2 indent areas. Place your thumb in one and your middle finger in the other, on the opposite side. These I refer to as the indent spots). Do not press straight down or firmly. Your puppies bones are growing and you don’t want to put unnecessary pressure that could perhaps contribute to future problems. Rather then pressing, guide the puppies rear end back and down in a 45-degree manner towards the floor, into a sit position.

 

5.            Once in a “SIT“ position, command “GIVE“ to the puppy. Now most puppies want to hang on to the article and start the tug- of-war process. If this happens just pry his mouth open, using your

 

thumb and middle finger over the top of the muzzle. Push his own lip in-between the jaws and guaranteed, your pup will gladly spit out the article. This method eliminates the possibility of the pup putting tremendous bite pressure on one of your fingers while teaching him the command “GIVE“.

 

6.            On the release of the article, instantly give tons of “verbal and hands on praise”. Repeat the process a few more times gradually adding a bit more distance for the recall each time.

 

7.            Depending on the breed that you have will determine the number of repetitions you need to do in a session. (i.e. a border collie can go on endlessly, where as a laid back personality may only tolerate 2 or 3 reps at one time.) The most important thing to remember is to keep this playtime fun for both you and your puppy. Stop when either of you have had enough so that neither party sours on the activities. There is nothing wrong with teaching the puppy the “ENOUGH” command. This is another verbal, growl type of command that your pup is familiar with as he has heard it from his mother at very early stage. When she had “ENOUGH“ of the puppy silliness, she would growl in a disciplinary tone that basically told the puppy to back off and entertain itself for a while. Hence the reason for the growling tone.

Now a good tug of war game is lots of fun for your puppy, However there is a right and wrong way to play the game. You can play tug of war type games with your puppy, if the article is a doggy type article. Not the towel off the kitchen stove. You see, you must win at the game and the trick to success is to force the pup to release the article to you with the “GIVE“ command, then toss it away and allow him to retrieve the article himself. If you were to give in and release the article to the pup in the heat of the game, then you are teaching him that he is stronger than you, both physically and mentally.

 

This is a terrible foundation to start the training process from. He would already disrespect you as a strong leader in his eyes. If you choose to play this game, ensure your winning then return the article to the pup for his use and amusement. Otherwise, avoid the game altogether.

Proper and Appropriate Toys

You will find it very handy and convenient to have a toy box or basket in each room that the pup spends the majority of it’s time in. (i.e. Living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom, or the room where the pup sleeps.) One of these entertainment boxes may not be needed in all rooms, but certainly the most frequently used rooms do. Four or five articles in each basket is a good plan. The puppy needs a variety of textures and sizes to vent out different areas of canine instinct. For example, soft , plush type toys simulate small mammals to your puppy. Remove the toys eyes & noses for safety. If the pup was still with it’s mother instead of with you, she would be teaching it how to stalk, hunt and even perhaps ingest small mammals to survive. Those instincts are still active even though we humans provide them with an expensive, balanced diet. Therefore by allowing them to have access to furry, little stuffed toys it enables them to vent this natural instinct.

You may see your puppy stalk or sneak up on this type of toy, then pounce on it, play with it by tossing it around the floor or through the air then pounce on it again. They can spend several minutes on this procedure at one time and literally be having a ball. They will mouth the object and may even shred it pretending to eat it. If this happens, remove the article and give him another. Certain breeds of dogs will exhibit this behavior much more than others, so experiment a bit with your individual puppy. Most puppies tend to go through several of these stuffed toys during the teething months so I suggest picking up several from garage sales, yard sales or second hand locations to keep the costs down.

 

Rawhides are a good pacifier until the puppy starts eating them like candy sticks. When the puppy is under 6 months he probably will use them up slowly, but once the adult teeth come in, cut back on the amount you’re allowing him, as this could lead to digestive problems. Rubber toys in various shapes are available on the market as well. These come in all shapes and sizes and make super entertainers. Of course, no toy box is complete without a ball of some sort in it.

 

Tennis balls, the orange ball hockey balls, soccer balls, footballs and big soft baseballs seem to be favorites to the medium to large size sized breeds. For the smaller breeds, squash balls and tennis balls seem to be their favorites. Certain breeds like border collies, labrador and golden retrievers, etc. seem to enjoy Frisbees as toys. This is not necessarily a favorite of all pups. Without access to the items mentioned above, your puppy will find his own toys amongst the families belongings. This could include slippers, mats, shoes, cushions, couches, chair legs, cushion flooring, woodwork, etc.

 

We have all heard the horror stories of people coming home to find that “FIDO” ate through their living room sofa. Why?? Because he had free access to it, plus a reserve of energy that needed to be burnt off and no toys were left out for him to devour while mom and dad were at work.

Puppy Proofing Your Home

For the first couple days when you first bring your new puppy home, it probably won’t get into too many dangerous situations, but once he feels a bit at home, brace yourself, the curiosity level will start to overcome your sweet little puppy. Therefore, some preparations around your home need to be taken to insure safety for the pup and your belongings. Usually, a veterinary clinic can provide a list of poisonous houseplants. Certain ones can be deadly to your puppy. The movement of the leaves of the plant is very motivating to your puppy, so it’s a best bet to move all plants out of his reach, especially in the rooms where the pup would be unsupervised.

Also, Place all breakable or valuable ornaments or treasures up out of his reach. Removing the items eliminates the possibility of frustration and destruction of these articles, however if you choose to leave them within reach, you must be prepared to make the appropriate corrections when the pup investigates. For correcting the pup for handling inappropriate household articles, I have found that sound and voice corrections work the best. When you see your pup interested or involved with an off limits item, stomp your foot, or clap your hands and use a very stern and growly “NO” command.

The pup almost always will immediately stop the behavior and look at you providing you do the correction properly. If he’s not leaving the item, then you must go to him and remove him from it. Urgent tones in your voice are usually enough to distract the pup from his own curiosity interests. However, if you’re short on training time or patience, perhaps the prevention method would be best for the early stages of the pup’s home life.

 

Soft clothing articles like sneakers, leather shoes, socks and other assorted undergarments simulate soft animal like objects that are irresistible to your puppy. To a puppy, these are play items that if left laying around, are there for his or her enjoyment, so prepare the family members to keep things off the floor as they are fair game to the pup. Now remember we are talking about a puppy. As the dog gets older and starts bonding, these items begin to replace your presence when you are not home due to a stronger human scent that accompanies these items.

Of course, there are many, many household items that need to be removed from the puppy’s reach. Items such as pin cushions, sewing needles, household cleaners, soaps, candy dishes, pens, pencils, thumb tacks, paper clips, yarn, paint, modeling clay, crayons and the list goes on and on. Puppy proof your home for your new puppy in the same way as you would for a toddler aged child. That would be the best guideline anyone could give you.

Decide where you would like the puppy’s bed to be. If you choose the mat beside your bed, that’s fine. If the laundry room is your choice, that’s OK too. The important thing is to have a plan before the pup comes home. Gather a few old blankets or large towels together so that you have a reserve stockpile to pull from. Don’t choose your next to best linens (to honor the new arrival), as the puppy will probably eat them or at least chew interesting patterns in them. All puppies chew. It’s nature’s way of reducing painful cutting and growing of baby teeth. They also chew to relieve stress from built-up energies within themselves or from simple boredom.

Depending on the breed you choose, puppies will chew anything from toilet paper to gyp rock to wallboard. Preventative measures are the best method of correcting the problem, which leads us into the next topic of toys.