Amy's Favorite Cue

If someone asks me what my favorite cue to teach is, I don't think of something fun like shake or spin, I think of Go to mat. 

For those of you not familiar, Go to mat is a down/stay in a place and this place is movable. Essentially, Go to mat means relaxing and stilling the body in the midst of happenings. It means asking your puppy to stay on a spot that’s been conditioned as a positive spot to lay, be, rest, and feel safe, while movement happens in the same room.

In this video, Silas is practicing his Go to mat while I make my morning smoothie. He stayed on the mat for about 5 minutes while I went around and around my kitchen - gathering vitamins, unpeeling bananas, finding the right fruit, blending it up. The kitchen is a great place to use your Go to mat, once it’s ready. I can keep an eye on Silas while I cook as well as giving him practice staying still, while I do a lot of different movements that often elicit following.

At this point, Silas has had multiple training sessions with his mat. Stage one can be seen here, with Sienna learning a “go to bed” with her brother Rory back in 2020. Once they’ve got that down, you want to work with moving about just a bit so they understand that you will move, change position, turn attention away and they will still mat while this is happening. Frequenting treating helps the dog to understand what to do (stay on mat) and builds up a good association with the mat (the mat is where the treats will be, why would I want to be anywhere else?).

Teaching a dog to rest in the midst of things happening is key to having a puppy who travels with you, goes to friend’s or family’s home with you, and can be out while you have meals. It’s also a key component to emotional regulation for your puppy/dog. WIthout having breaks, your dog can be over-extended, over-tired, and struggle.

I love that this skill means that my dog can do more and that they can learn how to separate themselves from happenings and rest. 

What a skill! The human equivalent that comes to mind is a yoga mat or a meditation pillow. It’s something that you carry with you so that when you need a retreat without being separated. What else might fit?

P.S. The best mats for this are crate mats, comfy towels, bath mats, or part of a yoga mat. (We had a client once who had a kid’s yoga mat - smaller size and a cute image of a frog on it). 

P.P.S. Emotional regulation is a skill that your dog/puppy can learn. In addition to having a good relationship with a mat, we want them to have a good spot to rest that is out of the room while things happen, such as a crate, ex-pen, or room where they can relax and rest with less sound, movement, and visual stimulation. We call this a Zen Zone. 

Does this feel impossible for your dog? Give us a call! We’d LOVE to help make the impossible possible!

Building Resilience in Your Puppy

As Silas Clark lays with me on my porch chair, I think about how I can build resilience in this little puppy. He’s 12 weeks old now and I want him to be able to handle life with a bounce-back mentality. If a dog gets angry with him, I want him to not hold onto that for the rest of his dog relationships. If he gets nervous in the bath, I want him to move on and be able to do baths going forward without fear. 

As a trainer, I see dogs with fear, anxiety and reactivity on the regular. It’s easy for me to worry that he’ll become one of those things, so I want to retrain my brain to think of his resilience alongside his fear. Resilience isn’t built from having no hard things in life, rather it’s built from having a hard thing happen and recovering well.

That said, ideally the trials for our puppies are minor, not major. But through them, they learn that life carries on, that good times are ahead and that they are ok. They don’t have to be afraid of the next bath or dog or loud truck.

How do we build resilience in our dogs?

1. Expose them to things, places, experiences, people in small amounts. I often hear from clients, well I thought it was positive but now I’m not sure. For this reason, always take treats. If your dog is taking treats, that is a sign they are not too worried. Treats can also help a dog have a better experience (I mean, wouldn't you like some popcorn with your movie?)

2. Make a list of the things you’d like them to think are normal. For me, this includes nail trims, baths, other dogs, kids of all ages, busy Kirkwood, tall people (my 6’7” friend came over last weekend).

3. Using a calendar, map out when your puppy will be 10 weeks, 12 weeks, 14 weeks and 16 weeks. Then overlay important experiences - ideally exposing for the first time(s) before 12 weeks. 

4. Consider what needs more support/time. Silas has had one bath and he wasn’t a fan. He had an offer of peanut butter and chicken (his favorites) and said no to both. So we will be doing another bath in the next day or two to help him have a better experience.

Planning ahead isn’t natural for some of us. BUT it can pay off for years with your puppy. These first four months are critical to building a resilient dog who can enjoy all the things that will be part of your and your family’s life.  

Not sure how to do this? Reach out for help here.

What Things Will My Puppy Need?

I love being prepared. As an anxious person, the prep helps to reduce my anxiety and sets me up for a better experience. I know a lot of puppy things (I counsel clients on puppy to-dos often) but I wanted to marry my knowledge with that of a few experts on what me and my puppy might need to succeed. 

Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS, wrote a book called Perfect Puppy in 7 days: How to Start Your Puppy Off Right. Dr. Yin is a hero in the vet and behavior world, whom we lost back in September 2014. Her work on fear free handling, puppy prep and behavior modification is a legacy. In addition to this book, I recommend her puppy socialization checklist (more on that in a future post!).

When I think of how to prepare a new puppy, I think of things in a few buckets. One bucket is purchases - what purchases do I need to make so that I have what my puppy needs when he arrives. This list includes:

• Puppy crate (or large crate with a divider or some way to block off the excess space - we only want enough space for the puppy to be able to lay down so that they don’t have room for a separate potty area), 

• Puppy food - my breeder is giving me the food that the puppy has been eating - that will be a good start and also help for the transition.but what food will I transition my puppy to in that first week? Feeding a puppy-specific food is a must due to the calorie intake variation between adult dog food and puppy dog food)

• An ex-pen (short for exercise-pen) - when you can’t supervise or crate, you want the puppy to have a spot in the house where they can’t get into too much trouble and you can supervise. This is also helpful for giving the older dog in your home space/breaks from the puppy energy and sharp puppy teeth. 

• Pee Pads - Pee pads are useful for the first couple of months when your puppy doesn’t have bladder control. They can be put into the ex-pen so that when you are working, cleaning, showering, etc, your puppy don’t have to be in the smaller crate and have room to play, potty, etc. Make sure that you are doing your potty training and rewarding with treats and praise for going outside. As the puppy matures and gains bladder control, decrease the puppy pads and start having him/her go outside only. Most puppies gain bladder control between 16-20 weeks but some smaller puppies may take longer. If your puppy is peeing on the pad but no outside, take a soiled pad outside and 

• A puppy leash and collar - a puppy leash is a lightweight leash with a lightweight buckle that’s easy for the puppy to wear in the house or tethered to you. Dr. Sophia Yin recommends a waist leash and puppy leash so that you can have the puppy tethered to you easily, especially the first month in which curbing potty accidents is so important. 

• Puppy kongs, licky treats and chews - Puppies will need some extra to-dos and licking and chewing are big hobbies (especially during teething!). These also make crating a lot easier b/c you give the puppy something to look forward to, and enjoy in the crate that eases them into sleep or separations from you.

• Treats and a treat pouch - a treat pouch makes life SO much easier when you are training. We love this one and highly recommend it!

• Toys - Puppies want and need to play. Grab a variety of rope, plush, balls and tug toys.

• Dog Bed or Matfor them to rest outside of the crate - We want the puppy to have a good napping spot in which they can rest next to you while you work or when you are having down time. Being in your lap shouldn’t happen all the time. Puppies (unlike babies) must learn to self-soothe and be comfortable being separated from their people much faster.

• Nature’s Miracle (or another Enzymatic) Cleaner - when a dog has a potty accident, you want to make sure that the cleaning solution will break down the smell to the dog, not just you (and only an enzymatic cleaner does this).

• Baby gate or standing gate or both - We won’t give our puppy access to the whole house until they are more trustworthy. And we definitely want to block off any areas with carpet and kids’ rooms in which kid toys might be put in the puppy’s mouth.

• Grooming supplies - One of the benefits of getting a puppy is the ability to get them used to things such as grooming, brushing, teeth brushing, baths, and more. We want to use their socialization window to our advantage (more work now pays off big-time for many years). 

Keep in mind, puppies grow out of things (and chew them up) so don’t break the bank on their first beds/collars/and crates. That said, if you want to splurge - go for it! If you’re on a budget, look for items on facebook marketplace or ask friends and family.

Puppy is here! What next? - Here’s what to focus on first!

Our ideal scenario is that the puppy is with their mom and siblings until 7 or 8 weeks. At this time, they join your home home and begin to learn that this new home environment is NORMAL. This is hugely important for the dog’s emotional well-being. Many of the rescues that we work with (including my own girl Sienna) grew up in a rural setting with an unknown background.  Intentional socialization and/or exposure to varied environments, people, groups, and interactions as puppies was not part of their first few months. , and therefore are fearful, reactive and have a high-startle. A HUGE benefit of getting a puppy around 8 weeks is that the socialization window is open and things that the puppy is exposed to can enter the “this is regular, normal, no biggie” bank if they have a neutral or positive experience.

This isn’t a rule for every puppy (some are fearful in disposition or from other circumstances). Silas Clark has been with his mom and siblings now for 7 weeks and was picked up, just after turning 7 weeks old. He came to my urban home and we’ll begin working through positive exposures. I’ll share them with you as we go!

Whenever I have puppy clients, I tell them that there are three things that I want them to focus on with their puppy in the first two months. Those things are:

• Potty training

• Crate training/separation training

• Positive socialization and exposure

So in addition to setting up my plan for socialization/exposure, I’m also 

• Taking up all my nice rugs

• Getting a puppy crate that Silas Clark can travel safely in (I’ve got a big wire one at home that he will have only ½ use of until he’s bigger), 

• Talking to my vet about setting up our first appointment.

Nature and nurture both play a role in your dog’s growth and temperament - and taking advantage of natural developmental windows is one way to combine those forces! 

Prepping Your Current Dog to teach your puppy good (not bad) habits

To my clients, I often say, your new dog will be learning both from you (the humans) and from the current dog in the home. Dogs love to learn from other dogs, and will watch one another to see “how to dog,” especially when they are young. If you’re getting a second dog, ask yourself these questions in prep:

• What behaviors does my current dog do that I do not want them to pass on to my puppy?

• What is my current dog afraid of that might teach my puppy to be unnecessarily afraid? 

• What struggles might my current dog have with integrating a puppy? 

• What will I do if I want to separate my puppy from my current dog? Does my current dog have the skill set to settle in a crate, behind a gate or in a room on their own? 

For my girl Sienna Ruth, we are addressing her reactivity in more proactive ways. She’s a fearful/reactive girl who struggles with unfamiliar dogs in close proximity, and at the fences around my property. With distance she can ignore or disengage from the dog, but when she encounters a dog outside a fence, she goes into reactive dog mode - hackles up, growling, leaning, lunging, and barking. She also has occasional leash reactivity if she’s in her UP zone from something else or if the dog surprises her around the corner at close proximity 

Our plan for the 3 weeks before puppy has been:

• Bring treats back on the walk and encourage Sienna to ignore dogs as well as use the treat for looking at a dog and then moving away.

• Adding a standing fence 4-5 feet inside my front yard fence to create a buffer of space between Sienna and dogs passing on the sidewalk. This keeps her 10 feet from the dog passing rather than 5-6 and she can succeed there, not go into fear and leaning, lunging, barking.

• Reducing unsupervised time in the backyard and using both an additional standing fence for more space and some recall practice with “go find it” as a bonus for coming over when I call her (her favorite game).

While 3 weeks will not resolve these issues completely, it will help Sienna and I get into better habits of managing them, so that her new little brother won’t be observing them on a daily basis.