Why are we sharing this article?..., this is a bit of everyday advice we give to all of our Southernwind puppy new families. For us, it's extremely important our new families understand how to manage and structure the puppies' surroundings, environments for the best possible outcome. When you set everything for success, the pup's life is less traumatic and he learns to react the correct way and learns to anticipate the actions that can bring him into trouble.
Set up your dog for success by not giving him/her the opportunity to fail. Know your dog's limitations. Be certain what startles him or make him reactive and try to keep him away of those situations.
Learn your dog's body language. This a basic success for the dog owner, they need to lookup for educational information on what is Dogs Body language and even tho we read we also need to watch and check reactions. why my dog head is lowered, why his tail is low, why his shoulders and leaning against me, why he doesn't look at me, his body posture can tell you a great deal of what is going on in your dog's head. we need to create a positive mental structure and one of the most important issues is to never set him up in places or environments that can make him react in a non-positive way.
Provide exercise and mental and physical stimulation for your dog on a daily basis. This is a must! you can organize a list of games and puzzle games where you know your dog can be successful, work his mind as well as his body. we have an Article in our Blog sections that talk about this.
Keep your dog leashed when in public. Not only is this the law, but it prevents your dog from taking off after a child running down the street, the neighbor's dog, or a squirrel in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps even tho you have done the Obedience training structure, he may be distracted that day and decides not to pay attention, so it's like the saying, better Safe than Sorry!!
Keep items and objects that can cause trouble if your dog is a chewer, as well as keep him supervised if it's still a puppy (some adult dogs are also chewers) and like to chew on things (imagine chewing in an electric cord or outlet).
Teach your dog to greet people at your door, teach him the procedures, he needs to sit and wait for friends or families to come in the house, needs to learn not to jump on people or to run away through the door when the door is opened.
Teach him to sit-stay when a gate is opened, or any door that leads to an outside area unless its a protected area. many dogs are lost due to this lack of control and management.
Check your dog's walking equipment to make sure it is well-fitted, sturdy, and appropriate for the temperament of your dog. Let him enjoy your company, enjoy the places you visit and make sure you are taking him to areas he feels comfortable.
Make sure your fence is secure. Check your fence for any areas that might need reinforcement, where your dog might be able to go under, over or through the fence. Supervise your dog while outside, even in your own yard. I recommend having video cameras in your yard, that way if you have to enter your house you can watch what is happening with your dog while he is in the yard.
Supervise your dog's interactions with children. Dogs and children usually get along just fine. But children don't always know to leave the dog alone when sleeping or eating or there could be a misunderstanding about food or a toy.
Continuously go about doing training sessions were he ends up being successful, don't get him into doing commands you have not taught him and then he messes up, this failure sensation can hinder the rest of the training sessions, be consistent and train in building blocks system up to where he can master all the steps.
Important Commands like "Stay," "Leave It," and "Drop It" can help prevent many unfortunate circumstances. Be certain he really understands them and is well imprinted.
At Southernwind we are always in search of the building and increasing our educational Program for our Families, we have a
great interest in all of our Southernwind Family members are up to date in the different systems and educational programs to be able to offer the Path for Success!!!