When we buy or rescue a pup/dog we begin with all the excitement of the adventures ahead of having a new bundle of joy in our lives.
We eagerly go about potty training, walk training, socialising them to other people and dogs.
At some point around the 6-8 month mark we seem to slow down with the training and feel like the job is down because "fluffy"( made up name) is being wonderful, walking off lead, perfect at home and always happy. So we think our initial development time is complete.
This is where things can go a little wrong.
Because our pup may have developed into a beautiful, well behaved dog but without constant monitoring of behaviour & genetic traits we can miss them going through adolescents to adulthood & "change". This can be when a male dog finds himself in maturity and may start to be more aggressive or I'm afraid to say "dominating" over other dogs or even you.
Our female dogs go through their season and hormones are flying around everywhere.
So to keep an eye on our dogs ever changing and developing behaviours is so important to keeping a balanced life with them.
You may own a guardian breed or a herding breed or a fighting breed & up to now there has been no signs of the genetic traits coming through, then suddenly - WHAM! There it is the "true" breed!
So what yo do?
1) understand what you are dealing with.
By this I mean, when you think of getting a dog, do the research into what the breed traits are and how to train that specific breed. Put in the time to show love , trust & respect with your dog, so they don't feel the need to protect you but looks to you as their guardian figure.
Training -
Put in training sessions all the time. On a walk, put your dog into a sit and wait, watch the world go by.
Play fun games with them but put training in too, for example, if you are playing a tug game, the leave it command is a great lesson.
Don't just drive somewhere and let your dog jump out of the car and do it's own thing. Structure the time. Pull up at the park, they will be going nuts probably with anticipation, but just sit and wait for calm before getting out.
On the walk, do recalls and attach the lead, walk for a while and release again. Letting them know the lead is a good thing and doesn't mean it's home time.
Know their genetic traits -
Whether it's a Cockerpoo, Springer spaniel or a Chow Chow or Cane Corso, understand what your dog was originally bred for. This will help in training and how you take your dog into the world. By embracing & knowledge we can give our dogs the life they deserve ( they already have it good by living with YOU).
So when to stop training?
NEVER 😊😊😊
Thanks for reading
Have a great week
Paul