Let’s welcome the New Year with positive Resolutions for your dog.
If you just bought or adopted a dog regardless of the age begin professional training right away. If you have a puppy younger than 3 months, then you must wait till they are of age. Best age for training is when they are 3 months old, that way you will be working with a blank sheet of paper. An older dog that you adopted can begin training right away; don’t wait till they form bad habits in their new environment (home). The quicker you start, the less problems you will have. In the beginning they all seem to be the perfect dog, however once they get comfortable the takeover begins. The longer you wait for training the more they become settled in their ways.
Begin a routine with your dog for walks; some dogs need more exercise then others. Go according to the breeds needs. The best routines are not precisely timed, what that means is altering the times you take them for walks.
The reason being is in case one day you can’t take them out at the routine time they will become agitated and misbehave. But when they have no idea when they will be going out everyone becomes happy. A timed routine that must be held to the best possible is, for potty and feeding. Keeping a close routine will prevent mistakes in the house.
Dog parks are not the best place to take your dog, if you do be very vigilante. I have seen and heard from many people about how their dogs have gotten into fights then have become aggressive with every other dog. Other issues are they can catch illnesses, bacteria, fleas, ticks; get hurt by bigger dogs and the list goes on…
The best is to take your dog out for a walk, if you have mobility issues then take them out several times a day for 20 min. instead of an hour or several miles of walking. Plus it helps the owner stretch their legs instead of standing and watching their dog run around.
Don’t ever think you will tire out your dog, in the beginning yes but later with time they only build endurance.
Best way to tire them out is through mental stimulation, example on your walks implement many times the obedience command you have been taught.
During the holiday if your dog received treats as gifts, try not to over give all the goodies. We all love to give treats because we love them, but it can cause health issue in the long run.
Try giving your dog different healthy treats, see if they like it; example carrot slices, cucumber, watermelon and whatever you think your pet would enjoy. Everything should be in moderation, and you can always freeze it first and give it to them. You can even make it into a game; take 3 paper cups hide the treat under one of them. Then move the cups around and let’s see how fast they will find it.
If your dog received many toys, hide a few put it away. A month or 2 later bring it out and he will be super excited.
At the same time put away one of their other toys, and repeat the process just like you did with the first.
Wishing you all a super New Year 2021
Have a woof woof of a month.
Harry Kalajian
M.D.T. With over 32 years experience
All Aspect of training, Behaviorist, Ethologist & Psychologist
Executive Dog Training Inc.
941-447-8234
www.executivedogtraining.com
