Training Classes May 24, 2011
Posted by Kirsty in : Uncategorized , comments closedKids and Puppies November 22, 2010
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Kids and puppies are a great combination. Both have endless energy and can use it up more effectively bouncing off each other than bouncing off me!
However, the greater benefit is definitely in teaching children the responsibility of having a puppy to care for, and learning to respect her needs and to train consistently and calmly.
Certainly there need to be some ground rules, for all concerned. Our biggest rule is to respect each other’s sleeping space: Tiegan isn’t allowed in their bedrooms where she might… would… chew up precious belongings. But equally, if she is in her bed, that’s out of bounds and she is to be left alone. Nobody is to put hands into her crate and nobody is to call her out of it! (more…)
Training, Training, Training! November 8, 2010
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Into everything!
For young puppies training all has to be a huge game. Tiegan is about eleven weeks now, and if it can remain a game for the rest of her life so much the better! She has gone past the stage of wanting to be right by me the whole time and has discovered that there is a whole world out there waiting to be conquered. Training is vital at this stage.
Her breeder told me when I got her that cocker spaniels have a mind of their own. You can’t quite train them head on like with other breeds – you have to get around the stubborn streak by making them think it was all their idea in the first place. So that’s what I’m trying to do.
So far with her formal training, we have got ‘sit’ pretty well; downs are a big game and she will drop pretty quickly if she knows there’s food around; her focus work is great and she is starting to get the hang of walking on a lead without tying herself in knots.
But her toilet training… isn’t. For a bright puppy I thought we’d be there by now but I guess you can’t have everything. 
Training isn’t just about the formal stuff though: a lot of it is basic house manners and that is learn as you go type training, with all the family (more…)
Toilet Training A New Puppy October 29, 2010
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I’ve lost track of the days! We are somewhere into the third week and still working on the toilet training.
I have to admit it hasn’t been as easy as it was with Purdy. We got him in June, the back door was open and we were in the garden most of the time.
It’s October this time. It hasn’t stopped raining all month and neither Tiegan nor I enjoy hanging out on the patio!
I did start by taking her out every fifteen minutes or so, but she rarely seemed to do anything, and we both got wet (more…)
Socialising Continues (Day 15) October 29, 2010
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'Walking' a puppy
As said before, socialising a new puppy is absolutely vital – especially in the early weeks, and it is unfortunate that until the vaccinations are completed the puppy can’t go down any place where unvaccinated dogs have gone.
Tiegan is now ten weeks old, and we are working hard on her socialisation. She’s done school, vets, friends, all sorts of different people (my husband even came down in a clown wig and red nose to see what she’d think. I think she thought her dad was barmy… and that his nose was for eating!)
Where she has been slightly nervous of things, it has been useful to have an older dog around. I’ve seen her a few times look over at Purdy to see how he is reacting to the dustbin lorry or the doorbell or the fire alarm… and because he isn’t reacting at all she just ignores it too.
When Purdy is not around she looks to me for guidance over things. It’s really important (more…)
Big Dog and Midget (Day 13) October 29, 2010
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Big Dog & Midget
Introducing a new puppy to an established dog can be tricky. Their first introduction went fine (see day 1) but I did have some concerns about how they would get on once home together.
The first few days Purdy was very suspicious of the interloper, watching her every move and moving away when she came near. We blocked off the patio from the rest of the garden with a piece of wood that he could get over but Tiegan couldn’t, and did similar in the kitchen. That way he always has a route of escape as is less likely to snap at her.
Over the first week he seemed to get used to her being around, and did a lot of sniffing of her, even putting up with her sniffing him. She adored him from the outset, following him everywhere and trying her hardest to play, but he wasn’t having it, and when she dared to climb into his bed he growled a stern warning. (more…)
Visiting the Vets (Day 11) October 29, 2010
Posted by Kirsty in : Uncategorized , add a commentAfter a worrying nine days of puppy diahorrea with blood in it (I was worried anyway), and more than a couple of anxious phone calls to my vet and my dog friends (who were actually more helpful) Tiegan is finally better.
What caused it?
The breeder suggested the pups had been eating sawdust and warned me to expect it at first, but he was a bit concerned when it continued.
The vet initially suggested stress, which can cause puppy diarrhoea, but she never showed any other signs of stress. He then suggested she had somehow damaged herself by eating the sawdust, and a few days later a stone, and said (more…)
Training Your Puppy to Sit (Day 7) October 29, 2010
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Sit!
Teaching puppy to sit is generally one of the first commands. It’s useful at least to stop them wriggling temporarily!
The best way I found to teach sit (and again, I’m using a clicker) is to hold a treat slightly above Tiegan’s nose, and with the command ‘sit’, move it backwards slightly so shy naturally sits in order to reach it. As soon as her butt hits the ground, ‘Click – reward!’ It will be straight up again, but hey! She’s nine weeks old (tomorrow) – I can live with that!
It only took her a few goes before she got that one. Most puppies are really eager to please and once she knows what is expected of her, she does it whole-heartedly!
For a good video on teaching your puppy to sit, check out the link below. I met Howard at a Game and Country Fair this summer, and learnt loads from chatting to him for a while. It’s maybe easier shown than read!
http://www.horseandcountry.tv/episode/hc-how-teach-your-dog-sit-howard-kirby-episode-1
Early Training (Day 5) October 29, 2010
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Focus training
The most important training you can do with a young party (according to my dog gurus) is focus training. If the puppy, and later dog, is completely focused on you, then getting her to obey other commands should not be a problem – she is waiting for them!
I like using a clicker for training. It’s quick, a nice sound for puppy to respond to, and has been proven to work well (with all breeds of animals in fact, but especially with dogs)
All I did to start focus work with Tiegan was to call her name, and as soon as I got eye contact, ‘Click – reward!’. The next step is to move on to the command ‘Watch me’ (in a high, excited voice), and again, as soon as there is eye contact, ‘Click – reward’. Initially there are lots of treats, with not much eye contact required to get one. As she learns this, she will have to maintain eye contact for longer before she is rewarded.
It’s all in the timing! If I miss and click after she drops her head she’s being rewarded for the wrong thing. It’s all about focus, and she already understands that a click means food, and is quickly working out what she needs to get the reward!
Socialisation (Day 4) October 5, 2010
Posted by Kirsty in : Uncategorized , add a commentThe best way I know of to stop an entire school from functioning at the start of a Tuesday is to take in an eight week old
Asleep after a morning of socialisation
cocker spaniel puppy and hand her over to the (dog loving) head-mistress for a cuddle. It was great socialisation for her, meeting children of all ages, safe from too much petting, but observing and greeting everyone as they came through the door. We refused to allow ‘pass the puppy’, which would have been a bit too much, but one thing which is really important in my mind is that she is comfortable around children (as we have many of them through our house all the time). After she had finished her meeting and greeting bit (and her tail was still wagging furiously), she was taken, with great pride, to my daughter’s classroom to meet her teacher and classmates. All very exciting and excellent socialisation.
Next stop was the park where we needed to walk my older dog. She was absolutely desperate to get down, but not being vaccinated it wasn’t going to happen. First lesson of the day: don’t expect a quick walk when you’re carrying a (more…)