A Guide to Socializing Your Adventure-Ready Puppy

A Guide to Socializing Your Adventure-Ready Puppy

By: Shay Cline & Amber Quann

Positive exposure to things your puppy will experience for the rest of their life during the early stages of development can help ensure you have a happy and confident adventure buddy!

What is Puppy Socialization?

There are many definitions of socialization - almost as many as the opinions you will find on how it should be done! 

Laura VanArendonk Baugh describes the need for socialization in puppies this way: "If we want our dogs to be acceptable, happy, welcome, and safe in human society, we need to socialize them to human norms." And not just any human norms, but your daily norms. Prioritize what your puppy will need to be comfortable with as a partner in your life. At its core, socializing is preparing your puppy to accept and navigate the situations they will likely encounter during their adventures with you.

Socialization isn't about simply exposing our puppies to something until they accept it. It is about teaching our puppies how to cope with the world around them and how to deal with future adventures.

Safety in Socialization

When planning to socialize your puppy, safety should be a top priority. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior recommends starting safe socialization efforts before your puppy is fully vaccinated. (Read the full position statement here.)

• Choose your environments carefully - you can start your socialization in low-traffic areas frequented by known vaccinated dogs (i.e. neighbor’s backyard), and move to higher-traffic areas as your puppy completes their vaccinations. Areas that are familiar to you will also give you more confidence when handling various situations that you and your pup may encounter- this will help them view you as safe and reliable. 

• Think “Observe & Learns” - Taking your puppy on a ride in the car and letting them watch out the window at a shopping mall parking lot is a great socialization experience with minimal risks. Bring a chewy along to help them process all of the new information in a safe, appropriate way.

What Does a Good Socialization Experience Look Like?

Everything should be the puppy’s choice! We should never force a puppy to interact with anyone or anything that they are not choosing to interact with if it isn’t completely necessary. You can always make a mental note of the things that are scary for your puppy and try reintroducing them in a way that feels more comfortable for them later on.

• New things = puppy gets lots of things they enjoy. This could be yummy treats, a favorite toy, attention from you, the opportunity to sniff something new, etc.  This helps puppies maintain optimism about novel things later in life. 

• More than just meeting dogs & people - Realistically, we don’t interact with every person and dog we pass. Focusing on neutrality around most people can also help you reserve interactions for people who are safe, coachable, and open to helping you with your puppy’s training! A good socialization list also includes exposure to different sights, sounds, and smells, so keep these things in mind when setting up new experiences for your puppy. 

• Quality over Quantity - Keep socialization experiences short and sweet!  A good socialization experience leaves your puppy wanting more, rather than being overwhelmed. 5-10 minutes may be all your puppy can handle confidently in a new situation at first. 

• Recover with rest time in between - Nap time is important recovery time between new experiences. A well-rested puppy will be more ready to enjoy the next socialization experience!

Signs That Your Puppy is Comfortable

Body Language - Learning a bit about how dogs communicate using their body language is an essential part of supporting our puppies.  Once you understand the basics of how your puppy communicates, be on the lookout for these behaviors as you are watching your puppy during their socialization experiences.

• Eating Food - Can your puppy eat food during the socialization experience?  If they normally eat food willingly, and they become unable to eat food, this is a good indication that they might be overwhelmed or nearing their comfort threshold.

• Playing with Favorite Toys - Can your puppy play with their favorite toy?  

• Exploring and Engaging with the Environment - Can they sniff and explore the new environment with relaxed body language?  Or are they sticking close to you or looking for a place to hide? 

Let Us Help Socialize Your Adventure Buddy!

Our Adventure Camp for Puppies is designed with all these principles—and more—in mind to help your puppy become an adventure-ready, well-socialized companion.

Each day of our camp includes:

• Social Skills Development: We aim to create a safe learning environment for your puppy to develop social skills in a small group setting of appropriate people and dogs, and learn how to be calm and neutral around strangers.

• Exposure to New Experiences: We introduce new sights, surfaces, sounds, and experiences to puppies in age-appropriate ways, with an emphasis on building confidence, optimism, and trust.

• Naps & Downtime: Every day includes quiet time in individual pens where puppies can chew, rest, and decompress. We also use this time to focus on building settle, confinement, and separation skills.

• Life Skills Training: We start introducing your puppy to a wide range of concepts and skills they will need to be successful in Fort Collins and beyond. This includes leash walking skills, coming when called, relaxing on a mat, greeting politely, and more! You will get a daily progress report that comes with focus points unique to your puppy, as well as private sessions with a trainer to build your skills as a team. 

Are you ready to start your puppy’s socialization journey and create a confident, adventure-ready companion? Our Adventure Camp for Puppies is here to help! Schedule a Discovery Call with the Adventure Camp team today!

See what a day of Adventure Puppy Camp looks like!

Spooky Season Survival Tips: Keeping Your Dog Safe and Comfortable This Halloween

Spooky Season Survival Tips: Keeping Your Dog Safe and Comfortable This Halloween

By: Taylor Heid

As Halloween approaches, many of us are eager to get into the spooky spirit with decorations, costumes, and trick-or-treaters. While this holiday can be a lot of fun for families, it’s important to remember that it can also be overwhelming or even scary for our furry companions. With a little preparation and understanding, you can ensure that Halloween is enjoyable for your dog too. Here are some expert tips to help you and your dog navigate the season. 

1. Handle Halloween Decorations with Care

It’s tempting to decorate your home with spooky figures and elaborate setups, but not all dogs will feel comfortable with these changes.

• Don’t ever force your dog to interact with scary decorations. Allow them to explore at their own pace, but respect their boundaries if they show signs of fear.

• Encourage curiosity, but never push. If your dog wants to sniff or investigate, that's great! Just avoid putting pressure on them if they seem frightened.

• Use positive body language and tone to reassure them that these decorations are no big deal. Dogs look to us for cues, so staying calm and upbeat can help them relax.

2. Plan Ahead for Halloween Night

Halloween night can be particularly stressful for dogs with the constant doorbell ringing, visitors in costumes, and outdoor noises.

• Take your dog for a long walk earlier in the day to meet their exercise needs before the evening excitement starts.

• Make sure your dog sees you put on your costume. This can help them understand it’s still you beneath the spooky outfit.

• Confine your dog in a crate or another room while trick-or-treaters are around. This will provide them with a sense of security and prevent any escape attempts if the door is frequently opened.

3. Create a Comfortable Environment

You can create a calm, comforting space for your dog as the evening unfolds.

• Play calming sounds using a sound machine or calming music to drown out external noises like the doorbell or kids shouting "trick or treat!"

• Provide your dog with a high-value chew or toy to keep them busy and distracted while festivities are in full swing.

With these tips in mind, Halloween can be a fun and stress-free experience for both you and your dog. Remember to be patient and understanding if your dog feels unsure about all the spooky changes. A little preparation goes a long way toward making the season enjoyable for everyone!

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👻 If you want to practice your dog’s confidence while in the presence of Halloween decorations, check out our Halloween-themed Beyond Play service this weekend! 

Beyond Play is a fun and safe socialization for small and medium-sized dogs! Beyond Play is a drop-in class perfect for pups who need some extra socialization & for pet parents who are searching for an opportunity to get their dog out of the house! PLEASE NOTE: This is not a training class, but rather a supplemental support option for dogs who are looking for safe and fun socialization opportunities with other dogs.

Beyond Play is offered in two groups:

🎃 October 19th @ 11:00am for small-sized dogs (25lbs and under)

🎃 October 26th @ 11:00am for medium-sized dogs (25-50lbs)

Prerequisites: Attended at least one week of another group class (including Puppy PlaySchool) with us! 

You can find more information and register on our website ➡️ www.summitdogtraining.com/play-groups

Dream Walks With Your Puppy

Dream Walks With Your Puppy!

By Shay Cline

Oftentimes when we bring home a new puppy we have a lot of dreams about taking them for long strolls on our favorite trails or around the neighborhood. Some folks may already have a great walking routine down with adult dogs in the family and are eager for the new addition to dive right in. This may not always go as smoothly as we hope for a few reasons. Puppies run out of gas quickly and still have a lot of development to do physically and mentally. This often leads to one of several common behavior struggles on a walk. 

• Puppy stops walking and refuses to move

• Puppy begins frantically biting their leash, your legs, ect.

• Zoomies!

• Inability to pass distractions calmly and/or confidently

It is important for puppies of all sizes to learn good leash skills! This includes the basic concept of how to follow along with a human while on leash. We also want to start teaching your puppy that the leash is associated with lots of fun adventures and shouldn’t be scary or frustrating. Learning these vital leash skills often looks very different from just going for a walk, like we may do with an older dog. 

Here is a guide of how to keep expectations accurate based on your puppy’s age:

8-16 Weeks:

• Keep sustained leash walking practice to very short busts. Puppies in this age range should have lots of opportunities to just explore the environment at their own pace. You’re there with your handy leash to keep them safe and out of trouble. Think of it more as a safety net than a steering wheel!

• Stop if your puppy stops, and try to end sessions before or as soon as you notice any signs of fatigue.

• Roughly 10 minutes of exploring at puppies pace in addition to maybe 2-3 minutes of any formal training.

4-6 Months:

• We can begin to gradually increase the duration of adventures as the puppy’s stamina increases, but sustained walking (especially on sidewalks or other hard surfaces) should still be kept to short sessions.

6-12 Months: 

• Puppies begin to enter adolescence. With this comes a big increase in stamina, but it is also common for puppies in this age range to struggle a lot with self control and focus. Your puppy may become more sensitive to exciting distractions such as wildlife, people, or other dogs. 

• Emotional shifts are big and can happen quickly! Adolescent dogs are sensitive and can quickly become overstimulated or stressed, leading to pulling, lunging, excessive hunting behaviors, and more!

• Place a big emphasis at this phase on sniffing, enrichment, and low-arousal play for exercise. Adjust training sessions as needed to keep them fun and successful. 

Starting a puppy leash walking routine is crucial for setting them up to be successful for those strolls in the neighborhood or hiking on your favorite trails that you dream of long-term. If you need some guidance or help along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out to Summit or sign up for our puppy and adolescent classes to create solid foundational skills on the leash!

Owner walks a black puppy on a leash in Old Town Fort Collins

Adolescent & Teenager Dogs

Life With Your Teenager Dog

By Benah Stiewing

Just like in humans, canine adolescence can be a challenging time! Canine adolescence generally starts between 6 months and 12 months and ends between 18 and 24 months, but can fall outside of that period. During adolescence, a part of your dog’s brain called the hypothalamus begins to release a hormone called gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH). Once GnRH is released in large enough quantities, it begins to stimulate the development of your dog’s reproductive organs, pumping out estrogen and testosterone. While critical to your dog’s healthy development, the sheer magnitude of these hormonal changes can cause some difficult behavioral shifts as well! Your dog’s change in behavior may shock or worry you, so it’s important to prepare ourselves and be ready to support our dog during this transition.

First, let’s discuss how we can manage our dog’s environment to help them feel comfortable and relaxed during their adolescence! It’s normal for your dog to have strong emotions about activities or actions that they previously may not have cared much about. For example, if you have family or friends that visit with their dogs, your adolescent may need more breaks and time away to decompress. Maybe your dog has had an excellent recall, even in high-distraction environments, but  now it’s less reliable. You and your dog can stay safe by keeping them on a harness and long-line. Baby gates, ex-pens, leashes, and your dog’s crate will really help you both through this developmental period.

Your dog may suddenly become more nervous around unfamiliar people and dogs. Never force an interaction if your dog is worried, this will only reinforce their anxiety. Instead, watch the unfamiliar people and dogs from a distance to  allow your teenager to collect information with a feeling of security. We do want to note that while behavior change is normal during this period, extreme behavior changes in your dog should be evaluated by a veterinarian and canine behaviorist. If your dog was solidly house-trained and then begins eliminating throughout your home, definitely have your dog evaluated by their veterinarian. If your dog went from sweet and friendly with strangers to suddenly biting your neighbor, seek professional support.

If you haven’t already, adolescence is the perfect time to start Look At That with your dog! Look At That, or LAT, is a pattern game developed by Leslie McDevitt from her Control Unleashed Program. LAT aims to neutralize the trigger (the thing that your dog has strong emotions about, like another dog or a scary thing) by reinforcing your dog for acknowledging the trigger. This exercise occurs in five steps, outlined below:

1. Your dog looks at the trigger.

2. While your dog is looking at the trigger, you say your marker word, such as “Yes!” or “Good!”

1. Your marker word is the sound you make (either verbally or with a clicker) when your dog is about to receive food. Because your dog experiences food as reinforcing, a behavior that is marked and rewarded will be repeated. You want to be consistent with your marker word because we want the word to have a strong positive association for your dog, or else they would have no reason to turn their attention back to you after looking at the trigger.

3. Hearing their marker word, your dog redirects their attention to you.

1. If your dog is unable to redirect their attention back to you, put food directly in front of their nose and try to guide their attention back to you. If you have to do this multiple times, you are too close to the trigger - create more distance and try again.

4. You reward your dog.

5. Repeat this sequence as many times as your dog will acknowledge the trigger, either by looking fully at it, or simply twitching an ear towards it.

Surviving your dog’s adolescence is all about meeting your dog where they are at. The rush of hormones they are experiencing can make them feel a little insecure and nervous, so the best we can do is recognize that and make life as simple and fulfilling for them as possible. Increase your time spent doing decompression activities together, like long, slow walks in nature where your dog is free to sniff and explore to their heart’s content. Instead of feeding meals in a bowl, switch to feeding in puzzle toys, like Kongs and Topls. Overall, we want your adolescent dog to practice relaxation over high-arousal activities, like fetch or going to the dog park. While these activities aren’t bad, we want to be careful to balance them out with decompressing activities where your dog is able to truly relax and you can take some deep breaths together. 

If you’re nervous about your puppy’s upcoming adolescence or currently in the throes of teenhood, we now offer Smells Like Teen Spirit! This is a 6-week virtual class that provides guidance, insight, and support for your dog to not just survive, but thrive during adolescence. The class is bursting with information, presented through recorded lectures, written instructions, and demonstration videos. 

If you want additional support for you and your dog, we offer in-person Private Lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado and Chatham, New York, and virtual coaching right in the comfort of your home. As you experience your dog’s adolescence, it’s critical to remember that your dog isn’t being bad, they are having a bad time. The more we can understand this and meet them where they’re at, the stronger your relationship will be. 

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Resource Guarding

Supporting Your Resource Guarding Dog

By Benah Stiewing

What is resource guarding? Resource guarding is a term that refers to behaviors a dog demonstrates in order to protect a resource from potential loss. The resource could be just about anything, including food, toys, bowls, water, their crate or bed, space in the house or yard, or you. Some dogs resource guard from people, some from other dogs, and some from both. The act of protecting what is one’s own is a very normal behavior for any animal to demonstrate, humans included! We erect fences, install cameras, and maybe even purchase a dog to protect what is ours, while dogs use different means. Resource guarding from your dog could look like growling, snarling, hard staring, hovering, or lunging when another person or dog comes too close to their perceived resource. Though resource guarding is a natural behavior, it can be dangerous for us and our dog to practice, so below you will find some helpful management strategies and training tips to set your dog up for success!

Once your dog begins demonstrating guarding behaviors around resources, it’s very easy for the practice to escalate. If your dog is enjoying a bone and they growl or snarl when you lean down to take the bone, and you understandably back away, the guarding behavior is reinforced. The guarding behavior has worked because the perceived threat moved away. We want to avoid this accidental reinforcement through management! Though resource guarding can be scary and emotional, we never want to punish our dog or take the item from them right there - all this does is reinforce that humans are scary and will take their things. We’d rather our dogs learn that resource guarding behaviors on the mild end of the spectrum are all that is necessary for them to maintain their resource - while we teach them through quality behavior modification principles how to feel better about giving up their resources! 

Management Strategies:

• When your dog is enjoying a resource they typically guard, like their food or a bone, put them in an enclosed space (like their crate) while they enjoy the item. When they are done with the items, release them from their crate and then put them in a different area while you remove the item. 

• If your dog isn’t crate-trained, follow the same protocol but use an ex-pen or baby gate to enclose your dog into one space. 

• If your dog guards toys, put toys away rather than leaving them out in the living room where a resource guarding event could occur. 

• If your dog guards spaces, like a certain room or bed, don’t allow them into that room or near that bed until you and your trainer have a solid training plan implemented. 

• If you absolutely need to get an item from your dog and don’t have them in an enclosed space, do not punish or yell at them to get the item. Instead, grab a handful of high-value cookies and scatter them a few feet away from your dog. When your dog starts eating the cookies, steadily continue dropping treats as you grab the item.

• Please Note: These are general management suggestions; depending on the severity of your dog’s behavior, and other factors (such as if there are children in the home), a more customized management plan developed in partnership with your trainer may be needed. 

Once you have a solid management strategy in place, it’s time to start training! Our first step is to start trading with your dog. Trading is all about switching the narrative! Instead of a human approaching representing a potential loss, we want a human approaching to represent something really good about to happen. 

• Give your dog something special but not special enough that they might guard it (like an empty food bowl).

• While your dog is investigating the item, simply take a few steps toward them and scatter a handful of treats on the ground right in front of their face. 

• If they begin eating the cookies, verbally praise and scatter a few more treats.

• Repeat this cycle multiple times, until every time you approach your dog looks at you expectantly for the handful of treats!

• Once your dog is excitedly anticipating treats when you approach, pick up the food bowl as you do your treat scatter. 

• If your dog continues eating, put the food bowl down and scatter another handful of treats. 

• Repeat!

If your dog has made it this far and is still excitedly anticipating treats when you approach, gradually start to raise the value of the item you are taking. First just add a handful of kibble, or even smother some treats on it so it smells good. Be extremely mindful of your dog’s body language as you escalate difficulty, and stop if you notice that your dog is hard staring, hovering over the item, or moving stiffly. Make sure to space out these sessions over days/weeks, so it’s a gradual learning process. 

Again, please note: if your dog has a history of strong resource guarding behavior (growling, snapping, biting) towards you, you will need to proceed through this carefully, slowly, and with detailed attention to your dog’s body language. We recommend consulting with a trainer before implementing if you are concerned for your safety. Do not give your dog something that they are likely to guard with the purpose of taking it away in the name of “training.” This is setting both you and your dog up for failure. 

In addition to the above protocol, a few times a day simply approach your dog, say “Drop it!” and scatter a handful of treats on the ground in front of their face. You can learn more about this training technique by watching this video by Chirag Patel! We want your approach towards them to equal good things, all the time. 

Rehabilitating and coping with a dog who resource guards is no easy task - it’s a complex behavior that requires a lot of effort to improve. If you’re struggling, consider our Resource Guarding Case Study Webinar! If you want additional support for you and your dog, we offer in-person support for Resource Guarding through Private Lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado and Chatham, New York, and virtual coaching right in the comfort of your home. As you work through your dog’s resource guarding, it’s vital to remember that your dog is simply being an animal and desperately trying to protect and preserve what is theirs - the more we can understand this and meet them where they’re at, the stronger your relationship will be. 

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Puppy Raising & Welfare

By Benah Stiewing

Raising a puppy is very exciting and also a huge responsibility - it’s critical that we, as their guardians, do our best to prepare them for a secure, confident, and stable adulthood. Puppies are born not knowing any human rules or desires - we have to prepare them for the expectations we will eventually have for them and reinforce the behaviors we desire. Below you will find some basic tips and techniques to help you prepare your puppy for being a well-adjusted dog. To dig deeper into puppy training, check out our blog posts for puppy training basics and how to handle common puppy problems. If you’d like more support, consider our webinar Adventure Puppy Basics, which gives a well-rounded, detailed approach to raising your puppy. 

Rest

Make sure your puppy is getting lots of rest! Puppies do not have the same emotional and physiological control as older dogs who will generally nap when they need to. If our puppies are getting extra nippy or loud, they may be over-tired and need to be encouraged to take a nap. By putting them in their crate in a quiet space, we can help them get the rest they need. Below is a video of Amber helping Jamie settle in for a nap in his crate. 

Confinement

Confinement is a very important skill throughout your dog’s lifetime! Whether it’s being home while you’re out running errands or crated for an overnight at the veterinarian, confinement comfort is an invaluable skill for your puppy. Our webinar Separation Anxiety Prevention is an excellent resource for giving your puppy the absolute best start with confinement! 

• Place your puppy’s crate in a quiet area of the house away from the hub-bub.

• Turn on a white noise machine so your puppy doesn’t have to hear all the fun happening without them.

• Inside your puppy’s crate, have a soft towel/bed, a toy, and a couple different options for chewing.

• Build a positive association with the crate! Click here to watch a video of Amber teaching Jamie about his crate.

• Feed all your puppy’s meals in their crate to continue building that positive relationship!

• Before putting your puppy in their crate for a nap, make sure their needs have been met to the best of your ability. If your puppy needs to potty or is hungry or thirsty, they won’t be able to settle.

• Use technology! A baby monitor can be used to keep an eye on your puppy while they are resting.

Potty Training

Teaching our puppy where to eliminate (and where not to!) is usually one of our first training goals. It sounds daunting, but with a combination of management, training, and physical development your puppy can master this challenge! Your new puppy is eliminating in the house because it doesn't know any differently yet, and it has a really small and still-developing bladder. Management is necessary to help your puppy make the right choice every time by removing most of the opportunities to make the wrong choice. Giving your puppy the ability to free-roam in your home means that they may potty indoors or get into something they aren’t meant to.

• When your puppy is awake: set a timer to take your puppy outside every 20-30 minutes during the first few weeks of a new house training regimen, even if you think he doesn’t need to go that often.

• When your puppy wakes up from a nap: Take him outside immediately! Every time!

• Puppies often potty after eating, drinking, and playing, so be certain to take them outside after these activities.

• Join your puppy outside to ensure that they have eliminated AND so you can reward them for making the choice we desire.

• If you are certain your puppy needs to potty (they just woke up from a nap, for example) but it’s just not happening, bring them back inside and put them back in their crate for 5 minutes (set a timer!) and then bring them back outside to try again. Repeat until you get the desired behavior. 

• Once you have been accident-free for a few days on the 30 minute increments, you can expand to 40-50 minutes between potty breaks.

• Never punish your puppy for pottying inside - they are not dirtying your floors on purpose, they are doing the best they can.

Biting/Chewing

Chewing is a normal behavior for dogs, especially from 8 weeks to 6 months. During this period, puppies lose a whopping 42 baby teeth and replace them with adult teeth!  Additionally, while humans explore the world through our hands, dogs explore through their mouths. Together, these two factors turn puppies into chewing machines! While this behavior is very normal, that doesn’t make it pleasant or fun and there are concrete steps we can take to help our puppies chew appropriately.

• Have lots and lots (and lots!) of safe toys and chews around your puppy at all times. Your puppy should always have access to something appropriate to chew, like Benebones, antlers, hoofs, and toys. 

• Use every meal as an opportunity to let your puppy chew! By using puzzle feeders, snuffle mats, Kongs, and Toppls, you can meet your puppy’s innate need and burn some extra energy. 

• You can use sweet potato, pumpkin, canned food, raw (if you feed a raw diet), or kibble soaked in water to stuff in the Kongs and Toppls.

• Rotate your toys/chews/feeders so that your puppy doesn’t become bored with the same items.

• Plenty of regular rest for your puppy throughout the day - puppies that are overtired are often the most bitey puppies!

• If your puppy begins to chew on something inappropriate (like your hand or the couch), simply grab an appropriate chew item and give it to your puppy.

• Teach your puppy appropriate ways to interact with your hand instead. Our favorites are teaching a Hand Target or teaching “Lick not Bite”

• Lick Not Bite: Put a small amount of a delicious lickable treat, like yogurt or sweet potato puree, on the back of your hand. Present it to your puppy to lick off your hand.  Praise them while they do this!  If your puppy changes from licking to nibbling, calmly remove your hand for a few seconds, then represent your hand for them to lick again. 

Grooming/Handling

Whether you have a poodle or a labrador, all dogs will require a certain level of grooming throughout their lives. For a poodle, that could be a full groom every 6 weeks, while a labrador may only need their nails trimmed bi-weekly. Grooming is an important part of our dog’s welfare, so we want the experience to be positive and stress-free. Building a positive relationship with grooming is something we can start from day one with our puppies. If you want to learn more about preparing your puppy for grooming and handling, check out our webinar Cooperative Care for Better Veterinary and Grooming Visits!

• Prepare for your puppy’s first nail trim by slathering a Licki-mat with some peanut butter or wet dog food.

• Make sure your puppy has recently eliminated so they aren’t uncomfortable throughout the process.

• Offer your puppy the licki-mat on a towel or blanket - once they begin licking, reinforce with extra cookies tossed onto the licki-mat.

• Start very gently touching your puppy’s back, neck, ears, legs, toes, etc.

• If at any point your puppy leaves the mat/towel, stop touching them and do not force them to get back on the mat. This is your puppy’s way of declining the touching - though we want our dog’s to be comfortable with touching, we never want to force it on them and from a young age we want the puppy to understand that they can decline by simply moving away. If your puppy comes back on the mat/towel, give them a few seconds to just lick before you begin touching again. 

• If your puppy is doing really well with just touching while licking, in your next session bring a metal spoon and gently touch it to your puppy’s nails while they are licking. This metal sensation starts to prepare them for the actual nail trim.

• Once they can tolerate the spoon well, begin actually trimming one foot. Don’t try to trim all 4 feet in one session - aim for quality over quantity. Stay very far away from their quick (the pink part of the nail closer to their actual toes) so you don’t risk hurting them while you’re building a positive association.

• Once your puppy is doing well with their nail trims, practice at least once a week until they are around 6 months old - then move to bi-weekly. This is a sensation we want your puppy to be very comfortable with and look forward to because it means lots of yummy snacks for doing basically nothing!

• To help your puppy become acclimated to bath time, start building positive associations with the bathtub way before a bath is required. 

• Put down a non-slip surface in your bathtub to keep your puppy safe and help them feel more comfortable, then practice placing them in the bathtub and immediately giving them their prepared licki-mat.

• Stay with them as they enjoy their licki-mat and periodically scatter a few extra treats as they are enjoying the licki-mat. 

• As your puppy is successful with this exercise, start to gently turn on the water and allow it to flow into the drain as your puppy eats. If they seem uncomfortable, slow down the water flow or move it farther away from your puppy. 

Socialization

Socialization is about teaching our puppy how to cope with the world around him and how to handle future adventures. Our puppies are constantly absorbing information about the world around them so it’s vital that we ensure their first few months of life are as positive as possible. While it’s important for your puppy to be exposed to different dogs and people, think about quality over quantity and what skills you want your future dog to have. If you walk your puppy down the street and allow them to pull you towards every person and dog for a greeting, you’re going to have a much more difficult time teaching focus, attention, and loose leash walking. 

• When you’re out in the world with your puppy, think about neutrality and the reaction you eventually want them to have towards a change in environment. 

• Grab a coffee at your favorite shop, get your puppy out of the car, and sit outside the coffee shop with treats and your puppy on-leash. 

• Bring a comfortable mat for your puppy to settle on and some low-value chews like an antler or a Benebone. 

• As the world passes by, reinforce your puppy for the behaviors you want (lying/sitting down, attention on you, chewing on their antler, and watching stimuli pass by) and use the leash to prevent them from approaching people passing. 

• If someone wants to greet your puppy, ask them to wait until you have your puppy’s attention, reinforce with a treat, then release them with a “Go say hi!” cue. 

• If your puppy offers attention on you during the greeting or after it’s finished, reinforce your puppy with a treat.

From 7-16 weeks of age, puppies are in a critical socialization period that offers us a fantastic opportunity to help them acclimate to our world. Remember that learning is always happening, so what goes on in our homes, backyards, and friend’s homes is just as important as the trip into town. If you are central to Fort Collins, CO, our Adventure Puppy Camp is an excellent learning opportunity for your puppy and a chance for you to take a break!

Raising a puppy is so much fun! You get to learn about this entirely new life and build a relationship together from the very start. At times it can feel overwhelming and challenging, so take lots of breaks and ask for help when you need it. If you need extra support, don’t hesitate to contact us today and get started with in-person or online training to help you feel better prepared to raise your puppy. 

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Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!   If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Management & Training for Common Puppy Behavior Problems

By Benah Stiewing

Welcoming a new puppy into your family is loads of fun, and brings laughter and joy into any household! However, puppies are also a lot of work and can often feel quite overwhelming and exhausting.

Remember throughout your puppy raising to give yourself and your puppy lots of breaks - rest is critical to everyone’s success. Check out our blog from a few weeks ago for training basics, including a discussion of why management like a crate or pen is so important to setting our puppies up for learning the behaviors we want them to learn!

Below you will find our recommendations for common puppy problems that can arise while raising your puppy.  Many of these are normal, and different puppies may face different challenges based on their unique combination of genetics, early learning history, and individuality.  Sometimes, puppy behavioral problems can be unique and require special attention, and we are always here to help if you find yourself experiencing any of these - or other - issues with your puppy. (Check out our Puppy Raising Private Program package for one-on-one puppy raising support - available both online and in-person in Fort Collins, CO!)

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Biting/Chewing

Chewing is a normal behavior for dogs, especially from 8 weeks - 6 months. During this period, puppies lose a whopping 42 baby teeth and replace them with adult teeth!  Additionally, while humans explore the world through our hands, dogs explore through their mouths. Together, these two factors turn puppies into chewing machines! While this behavior is very normal, that doesn’t make it pleasant or fun and there are concrete steps we can take to help our puppies chew appropriately.

Management: 

• Have lots and lots (and lots!) of safe toys and chews around your puppy at all times. Your puppy should always have access to something appropriate to chew, like Benebones, antlers, hoofs, and toys. 

• Use every meal as an opportunity to let your puppy chew! By using puzzle feeders, snuffle mats, Kongs, and Topls, you can meet your puppy’s innate need and burn some extra energy. 

• You can use sweet potato, pumpkin, canned food, raw (if you feed a raw diet), or kibble soaked in water to stuff in the kongs and topls.

• Rotate your toys/chews/feeders so that your puppy doesn’t become bored with the same items.

• Plenty of regular rest for your puppy throughout the day - puppies that are overtired are often the most bitey puppies!

Training:

• If your puppy begins to chew on something inappropriate (like your hand or the couch), simply grab an appropriate chew item and give it to your puppy.

• Try not to pull your hand away quickly or sharply as that will only encourage your puppy to chase as you’ve made it more exciting. 

• If your puppy is unable to transfer from an inappropriate item to an appropriate item, ask yourself if your puppy has an underlying need that isn’t being met. Are they tired? Hungry? Do they need to potty? Excessive teething can often notify us that our puppy may have an unmet need.

• Teach your puppy appropriate ways to interact with your hand instead. Our favorites are teaching a Hand Target, or teaching “Lick not Bite”

Lick Not Bite: Put a small amount of a delicious lickable treat, like yogurt or sweet potato puree, on the back of your hand. Present it to your puppy to lick off your hand.  Praise them while they do this!  If your puppy changes from licking to nibbling, calmly remove your hand for a few seconds, then represent your hand for them to lick again. 

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Introducing Your Puppy in a Multiple Dog Household

It’s important to remember that we made the decision to add a new puppy to our household, not our current dogs. It’s our responsibility to make sure everyone’s needs are met, and it’s not our older dog’s responsibility to babysit or parent the puppy. It’s normal for your older dog to go through an adjustment period when you bring home a new puppy, and they may not behave towards your puppy the same way they behave towards strange dogs out in the world. Below are some steps we can take to alleviate stress and meet everyone’s needs. 

Management:

• Do not leave your puppy and older dog unattended together. Puppies can be very pushy and relentless, and you might only hear the sixth correction that the older dog has given the puppy, not realizing that the puppy ignored the first five. 

• Make sure both dogs get to enjoy solo activities with you, solo naps, solo meals, and solo time in general. They should not be together 24/7. 

• Use puppy pens, crates, and baby gates to manage the space.

• Remove resources (toys, bones, etc.)  if both dogs are present in a space.

• Have a leash dragging from your puppy so you can prevent them from pestering the older dog if that’s a possibility.

• Always have treats on you to reinforce the behavior you want!

Training:

• When your dogs are together, have them simultaneously practice calming behaviors, such as sniffing. If they are struggling to relax enough to sniff, tossing cookies for each of them in separate directions (foraging) can help. 

• Simply delivering treats to your dogs simultaneously can be helpful! Have your puppy and your older dog sit in front of you and deliver cookies to them as they continue to perform the behavior. 

• Make yourself more interesting! By building value for engaging with us, we can make the older dog less exciting and have a puppy more interested in us. 

• Focus on Quality of interactions over Quantity. Give both your puppy and older dog break time away from each other, so that they are feeling positively about the time spent together. 

Resource Highlight: Our colleague Katie at Wise Mind Canine has a lot of wonderful content on creating positive introductions between a new puppy and existing dogs.

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Resource Guarding

Resource guarding can occur on a spectrum with a variety of objects, including yourself or others. To a certain extent, all beings are protective of their resources, so it’s normal for your puppy to have some level of resource guarding tendencies. The advice offered below just skims the surface - to dive deeper into this topic, check out our online webinar Puppy Resource Guarding. 

Management:

• Remove all food and toys from a space if multiple dogs are present (this may include empty food containers).

• Use barriers and confinement to separate your dogs while they are eating or enjoying bones. This helps your puppy learn that meal times are a time for them to focus on their own meal, rather than investigating what the other dogs have.

• Don’t take bones or toys away from your puppy without their consent unless it is an emergency situation. If it’s not an emergency, think about trading your puppy for something else (high value treat, another toy) when you have to remove something from their possession. 

Training:

• Teach a Supercharged Name Cue, which will be your first response when your puppy grabs something off limits. Call your puppy and reward with a handful of treats tossed on the ground. Continue reinforcing until you are able to put your puppy behind a barrier to quickly remove the object, then let your puppy back into the space. 

• Practice walking towards your puppy, tossing cookies towards them and then simply walking away. We want your puppy to anticipate good things happening when you approach.

• Allow your puppy to enjoy a low-value chew (like Benebones), approach with a handful of cookies, toss the cookies at your puppy, and then walk away. 

If your puppy is demonstrating significant resource guarding behavior, such as growling and snapping, towards you or your family members, we recommend getting connected with a trainer for a Private Program as soon as possible so that you can start working on a quality behavior modification plan for this behavior.  Much of the common advice you may hear about how to respond to this behavior has the potential to make the behavior worse instead of better; we recommend connecting with a professional trainer for the best support on resolving this challenge!

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Fear Reactions

As puppies physically mature, they begin to notice more in the world and be surprised by novel objects or people. A fear reaction generally presents as barking, hackles raised, front approach, and running away. During these moments, it’s critical that we support our dogs and be their advocate - do not laugh at your puppy or force them to move closer/interact with the object or person that is scaring them. We always want our puppies to know that they can trust us to keep them safe. 

Here is Jamie the Papillion working through being startled by a statue:

Management:

• Go slowly! Do not overwhelm your puppy by exposing them to too much, too fast. If you are exposing your puppy to something new, start at a distance and gradually move closer if your puppy is calm - always staying far enough away that your puppy can feel safe and calm. 

• Reinforce calming behaviors, like sniffing, rolling, and shaking.

• Keep your puppy on-leash! Do not allow your puppy to get too far away from you and run into something scary.

Training:

• Click here to watch a brief clip about training your puppy to interact with unfamiliar objects.

• Train your friends and family to ignore your puppy and sit quietly while your puppy adjusts to their presence.

• Click here to watch a brief clip about teaching your puppy the Look At That game. 

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Confinement Stress

Throughout our dog’s life, it’s critical that we are able to safely leave them confined or behind a barrier. Whether we are out running errands or the dog has to spend an overnight at the veterinarian, confinement comfort is a critical skill. To give your puppy an excellent foundation in confinement comfort, consider our webinar Separation Anxiety Prevention Starts Now! 

Management:

• Before confining your puppy, do your best to ensure they are tired and ready for a nap, so this could be after some playtime or a walk. 

• Make sure that your puppy doesn’t have any underlying needs, like being hungry or needing to potty.

• Have your puppy’s crate or pen in a quieter area of the house with some white noise playing and a few chews available. 

Training:

• Train entering the crate to make it fun and familiar! Click here to watch a brief clip about shaping Get in The Crate. 

• Support your puppy! Stay present as they’re settling in and wait until they’ve relaxed before you start moving away.  Here’s a video of Jamie learning how to settle in his crate for nap time, with his human’s support.

• Here’s a great video from one of our colleagues on teaching puppies to love their confinement management.

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As your puppy grows and develops, it’s normal for their behavior to fluctuate as hormones impact their body and brain. During this period of rapid growth, it’s critical that we act as their advocates and meet them where they are at with their needs and difficulties. Understand that your puppy is an animal in a world that may seem very normal to us, but is all new and foreign to them - your puppy will need your compassion and understanding as they use their behavior to have their needs met. Adequate rest is enormously important, for both you and your puppy. If you are located in the Fort Collins, CO, area, our Adventure Puppy Camp is a great opportunity for your puppy to experience positive, gentle socialization and training while you take a puppy break!   If you are feeling overwhelmed by your puppy’s behavior, don’t hesitate to contact us today and get started with in-person or online training to help you feel better prepared to support your puppy.

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Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!   If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Puppy Training Basics

By Benah Stiewing

When we bring home a new puppy, we usually have an extensive list of behaviors we eventually want our puppy able to perform. However, before we begin teaching specific behaviors, such as a recall, sit, or heel, there is a certain way we can build the relationship between you and your puppy to set you both up for success for a lifetime of fun and understanding. First and foremost, we want a relationship with our dogs that is founded in trust, positivity, and effective communication. From day one, we have the ability to begin building this bond! 

Putting genetics aside, puppies usually come to us as a blank-slate and we are able to shape their world to help them make the choices we value. We want our dogs to consider us the very best thing in the world! To do this, we want our interactions to be positive and rewarding, and use management to set our puppies up for success whenever possible . What does that look like? In general, with puppies under 6 months, we want them either:

1. In their crate or puppy pen

2. Directly supervised by you/someone you trust

3. In a restricted area with leash dragging

Here are some example puppy playpen set-ups for good management when you can’t be supervising your puppy directly!

If we give our puppy complete freedom, they are guaranteed to begin making mistakes, whether that be pottying in the house, chewing up your favorite shoes, or stealing snacks from the counter. Instead, we set our puppy up for success by preventing the mistake in the first place, so that we don’t have to be the bad guy and end the fun activity that your puppy has found for themselves. Instead, reinforce the behaviors you do want! 

How do I reinforce good behaviors? 

The very first exercise you start with your puppy should be the introduction of a marker cue. Your marker tells the dog that they have done the correct behavior and will be reinforced. We love using clickers as our marker cue, but you can also use a word, such as “yes” (if you opt for a word, be careful to keep your tone and intonation consistent).

We teach our marker cue by clicking (or saying the word) and then delivering a treat to our puppy. The delay between marker cue and treat delivery should not be any longer than 1-3 seconds. The marker cue should always be followed by reinforcement, or else the cue will lose its significance. Repeat the steps outlined above for a couple minutes a few times a day to load your marker cue. If you see your puppy begin licking their lips or widening their eyes when they hear the cue, it’s working!

Once we have established a marker cue, we can begin using it throughout the day to let your puppy know they have done something good and will be paid for it. If your puppy is jumping on you for attention, wait for them to naturally lean back into a sitting position - mark and reward. (Here’s a video of this!) If your puppy runs to you excitedly, mark and reward. If your puppy offers attention while people are walking near your house, mark and reward. If your puppy hears a dog barking next door and looks to you for information, mark and reward. If your puppy comes back inside when you open the door from the yard, mark and reward. Quickly, your puppy will begin repeating behaviors that are paid, and we can then begin pairing the behavior with a verbal cue. 

Excluding genetics, puppies offer us the opportunity to shape the adult dog we want. We want our dogs to orient to us, their handler, regardless of circumstances, location, or distraction. Upon noticing a change in environment, such as a stranger approaching you during a hike, we want our dogs to check-in with us and wait for more information. We have the opportunity to shape this orientation from the very beginning! Set your puppy up to make the decision you desire, and mark and reward when it occurs. If we want our dogs to pay attention to us around other dogs, we can take our puppy to a local park, on-leash, and mark and reward every time a dog passes us. Our puppy will begin anticipating the reward and looking at us when they see a dog passing. Armed with your high-value cookies or toys, you will be the most reinforcing item in the environment. 

We have endless opportunities throughout every day to reinforce desirable behaviors! Make yourself the most fun, rewarding person to be around, and teaching specific skills as your puppy grows will be much easier and more rewarding. To learn more about training your puppy using this philosophy, check out our Adventure Puppy Basics online class! It dives deeper into marker training and shaping our puppy’s behavior, and is an excellent resource as your puppy develops. 

And if you are looking for in-person puppy training in Fort Collins, Colorado, check out our Puppy Basics 6-Week Class at our Training Room!

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Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!   If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.