Building Better Relationships
Part 2 of 3 by Curtiss Lanham, CPDT-KA
I’m Home! Now what?
Your new puppy or dog has been home for a few weeks. She has sponged up all the love you and the other household members have dished out. She seems like the absolute angel you thought she would be… she is starting to get the routine of the household. She plays hard, eats well and hangs out with the family. She really seems to have adapted to the change well over the past few weeks.
But you’ve noticed something very interesting: she sits and watches everyone and everything. She watches every move, every activity, and every routine…watching and learning.
Then something very strange happens…
ATTENTION! The Honeymoon is officially over
…your wonderful new canine companion begins to transform into Cujo…El Diablo…Destructo Dog…Hide and Seek Pooch…’Fraidy Pup’…The Thief…Chewmonger…
“How can this be??? Why has this happened??? She seemed so sweet…she didn’t seem like a dog that would chew things or jump on us or run out of the doors or ignore us when we call. We didn’t know she was afraid of (insert fear du jour here). She didn’t seem that way at the shelter…she just wanted to get out of the kennel and cuddle and play.”
The ‘honeymoon’ period is over. This honeymoon period is the time it takes for a dog to adjust to his/her new home and surroundings. It is that period when the pup learns the new routines, begins to understand what the ‘rules’ are and what the boundaries and limitations are. It is also the time to figure out who the leader(s) is/are. Based on the assessment the dog makes, he/she begins to adjust its behavior accordingly.
Train Early, Train Often
To ensure that the dog makes the desired transition during this honeymoon period and on into its life with us in our home, we need to begin to set proper boundaries, limitations, structure and routine. By instituting this about a week after we bring the dog home, we can stop many of these ‘unacceptable behaviors’ before they become problematic. For those things that do crop up, it is much easier to mitigate them because we have trained acceptable behavioral activities (life skills) to redirect to, such as sit, down, stay and recall.
We often do not know the history of the dog we adopt. We often do not know what factors may have influenced how our new family member relates to his world. As our new family dog begins to adjust to this new world he is brought into, we see glimpses of how he may have been treated in his previous life. Training helps the dog to overcome the negative behavior shaping that took place before and helps grow positive behavior shaping in this present life.
Training builds better relationships with our dogs. Training builds a bond that cannot be built any other way. Once built, it is the glue for an incredible life-long relationship. Train early, train often, train regularly and consistently…train like your relationship with your dog depends on it…it does.
Next Month: Building Better Relationships Part 3 of 3: Cheap Insurance
Curtiss Lanham, BS, CPDT-KA is a nationally certified professional dog trainer who specializes in life skills training and behavior modification. He and his wife Melba own dogsmart, a Fulshear-based company that provides dog training and behavior counseling in the homes of dog owner families in Katy, Ft Bend and surrounding areas. Please visit them at their website: www.WeAreDogsmart.com or contact them at cmlanham@WeAreDogsmart.com
