Socializing Your New Puppy

It’s a big world out there…

The great big world seems even bigger to brand-new puppies. You can help your pup learn to be brave and friendly by proper socializing him to new people, places, and experiences.

Vaccinations
Although it is vital that you take your puppy out to experience the world, you must wait until he is fully vaccinated to get him out and about. There are lots of dangerous and even deadly diseases that your dog can pick up from other dogs, and even from the ground they walk on.

Safe Visits
Since your not-yet vaccinated puppy really shouldn’t go out into the world until he is vaccinated, you can bring a little of the world in to him. Invite friends, especially friends with well-behaved children, over to play nicely with your pup. These initial interactions with strangers will help to form your puppy’s future feelings about meeting people who aren’t family. Just make sure visitors wash their hands thoroughly before playing with your unvaccinated puppy. Also, make sure visitors leave their shoes by the door. Diseases like parvo or kennel cough can be carried in from the ground on people’s shoes.

Play, Play, Play
Spend LOTS of time playing with your puppy. This is your chance to cement your relationship with your pooch from day one. Show your dog you are calm, assertive, and loving from the very start and you’ll be in good shape. Remember to discourage any behavior you don’t want your dog to display from the very first time. Puppies nipping at your hands may seem harmless, but if you encourage it, or let it continue happen, you may end up with a nipping adult dog, and that isn’t so cute.

Rewards
Figure out what motivates your pup. Some pups are most motivated by food, some by toys, and others by affection. Once you know what really gets your pup excited, use it to praise him for calm, submissive behavior in every new situation. Give him lots and lots of verbal praise every time he approaches a new situation without fear.

Different People
Once your puppy is fully-vaccinated, take him out to lots of dog-friendly places, and introduce him to people. Make sure he gets to meet lots of different people. Try to let him meet men, women, tall people, short people, people with facial hair, and people with different colored skin. This will help your pup be friendly with strangers and avoid aggression out of fear.

Different Ages
Let your pup meet both adults and children. Children and adults generally have a very different manner around animals. Children tend to have less respect for boundaries; they tend to move more erratically, and are often louder.

Different Animals
It is a good idea to introduce your dog to different animals as well. Dogs who are made familiar with animals like cats, ferrets or rabbits as puppies tend to have less prey drive. This means they will be less likely to chase or attack the family bunny or the neighbor’s cat

Vet Visits
Help your dog get comfortable with going to the vet by taking him for visits when he isn’t getting poked or prodded. Give his favorite treat or toy to an employee and let them play with and reward him. If he thinks the vet is a fun place where he will receive praise, he will be a lot less likely to fear it.

 

Puppy Training at Seven Weeks

Housetraining

• The first step in training any puppy, no matter his age, is to establish house rules by housetraining him. Both the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals recommend taking a new puppy outside at least every two hours for at least the first few months after he’s been adopted. A puppy’s bladder is small and needs to be emptied much more frequently than an adult dog’s bladder. Because of this, puppies should be walked immediately after they wake up, eat or drink. Without having instant access to an outdoor toilet, they will certainly go potty indoors. Housetraining a puppy successfully can take weeks or months and usually depends on the dog’s personality and intelligence.

Showing Leadership

• It’s common for dog trainers to tell owners that their dogs will never obey commands unless the dog being trained sees the person giving the command in a dominant position. When dominance training includes physical punishment or verbal abuse, especially with young puppies, the dogs being trained can quickly develop anxiety and phobias as a result. A more gentle way owners can establish leadership is by turning their backs and ignoring the puppy anytime he misbehaves, such as jumping on visitors, biting or barking. If the behavior continues, a trainer will usually put the puppy in a quiet room alone with a chew toy so he doesn’t get overly bored or destructive. After ten minutes, the dog is released. This method teaches puppies which behaviors are not allowed in their home.

Controlling Diet

• Owners and trainers help teach pets who’s the boss by feeding puppies on a schedule. A key rule when training a puppy is to never leave a bowl of food down for the puppy to eat on all day. Instead, owners make sure they are at home every time their puppies are fed and that they immediately take the dogs for a walk afterward. When training a puppy, an owner should also hand feed him for several weeks. If the puppy acts aggressive or growls while eating, it is common practice to immediately take the food away, wait five minutes and try hand feeding the dog again. Feeding on a schedule or hand feeding a puppy teaches the puppy who controls his food.

Praise

• It is important for owners of young puppies to show patience and remember that accidents do and will happen. Constantly scolding a puppy runs the risk of turning him into a timid and nervous pet, according to tips provided by the Humane Society of the United States. Dogs develop their behaviors based on what is expected of them, and praising a puppy helps teach him what behavior is expected. Whenever a puppy does something a trainer wants, the trainer will pet him, call him a good boy and give him a tasty treat or playtime with a favorite toy.

Socialization

• Owners can socialize a puppy by taking him to a dog park or arranging a play date with a friend’s dog soon after adoption. This is critical to his behavioral development. Properly socializing a 7-week-old puppy helps him learn social hierarchy and understand who his master is. It can also help prevent puppies from growing into nervous and anxious canines.

   

Puppy Update-4 Weeks Old!

This litter was born on January 4, 2013! There are adorable, chocolate, fleece-coated, medium-sized Australian Labradoodles. There are 7 puppies in this litter-6 boys and 1 girl. They are all FOUR WEEKS OLD NOW!

The little ones are fine and thriving, and they are turning into real puppies now! They’re up on their feet, wagging their tales, seeing, hearing, playing with toys, romping, and chewing on each other (and biting each other’s ears, which hurts with those sharp puppy teeth).  They’re getting much more 1:1 time with us, apart from each other, and we’re beginning gentle redirection on things like puppy biting and jumping to which they are responding quite well (they are *so* eager to please!).

They’re still nursing, but we’ll slowly introduce them to solid food toward the end of this week with the goal of transitioning them completely by the time they’re six weeks old. They should be weaned by their six-week-old vet visit for check-ups and vaccines.

Just two days ago, on a sunny 65-degree day, we carried each outside to experience the feel of the sun and breeze and the sounds of planes overhead, wind chimes, and bird calls.  All were appropriately timid at first but seemed to relax and enjoy the adventure. They now love to romp around in the grass and follow us around.

Socialization: Four to Six Weeks

From four to six weeks, puppies continue to be influenced by their mother and littermates. They learn to play, gaining needed social skills from littermates, such as inhibited biting (biting to play, not to hurt). The puppies also learn the ins and outs of group structure and ranking within the group.  The puppies are being socialized with humans, have a variety of people interacting with them – young (with supervision) and old, male and female. House-training can begin as early as five weeks, when puppies will follow their mother through a dog door or can be taken out for elimination lessons. At approximately six weeks, puppies can begin in-home training.  His first collar and lead will be introduced, he will be encouraged to come using his name, and reward him with praise and treats. At this age, you can also start training puppies with positive reinforcement methods: using a clicker, praise, and rewards.

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Update from the Whelping Box-Week 3

Though I know well that the third week of a pup’s life is marked by huge milestones. It’s like they turn into puppies (as most people think of puppies) overnight.

This litter was born on January 4, 2013! There are adorable, chocolate, fleece-coated, medium-sized Australian Labradoodles. There are 7 puppies in this litter-6 boys and 1 girl. They are all THREE WEEKS OLD NOW!

Here it is, Day 21 or Week 3, and just look at what’s happened:

• Walking has become the preferred method of ambulation (instead of crawling).  Granted, it’s still a drunken-sailor walk, but they’re up on all fours!
• Elimination and voiding is now something they do on their own. Fiona is cleaning less; the humans are cleaning more.
• The pups get up from where they’re sleeping and waddle over to a different part of the whelping box to potty, then waddle back to the puppy pile. They’re instinctively pottying in places other than where they sleep.
• Their vision is becoming usable. When they “see” things now, they react appropriately with sniffs or puzzlement or growls or barks or pounces.
• They recognize each other (oh boy, litter mates!).
• They play with each other. Okay, so it doesn’t last very long, but they do “play” for short stretches.
• They wrassle. :O)
• They’re feeling secure with their humans, not just with Fiona.
• They can pant and lap.
• They have started to grow in (ouch! for Fiona) teeth!  Their baby teeth are just poking through their gums, and just like human babies, this is uncomfortable for them.  They’re beginning to feel the need to chew (look out world!)
• They can voluntarily sit, stand, roll over, scratch, paw, wag their tails, chew, investigate objects they “see” (still blurry, but visible), and are just beginning to climb.
• This morning, I noticed that the puppies might be responding to sound, so I suspect their ears may be starting to unseal.
• We will be giving the puppies their litter names this weeks also!

We are accepting deposits for this litter now!

Here are some pictures of the adorable puppies!

 

Puppies!!!

Fiona produced a litter of 7 puppies last night-January 4, 2013! There are 6 boys and 1 girl in this litter! They are all medium-sized, chocolate-colored, fleece-coated Australian Labradoodles! Beautiful dogs that are non-shedding, hypoallergenic, and highly intelligent!

As breeders of these extraordinarily friendly family companions we want to extend to others the joy and companionship these dogs bring into our lives.

The Labradoodles are so popular because:

• Extraordinarily friendly family companions
• Non-shedding
• Social with people and other dogs
• Playful and witty in personality
• Allergy friendly
• Eager to learn and please
• Excellent water dogs and retrievers

As a small family breeder our dogs and puppies enjoy socialization by our family. As part of our family, our doodles not only enjoy our property they also join us at all kinds of extracurricular activities, such as football, and swim team, which also allows us to socialize our dogs in the public too.

Feel free to contact me at the following for more information!

Phone- 1 (307) 413-5891

Email-clancyaussiedoodles@hotmail.com

Clancy Aussie Doodles on Facebook- www.facebook.com/ClancyAussieDoodles

Pinterest- http://pinterest.com/clancydoodles/

Our pictures on Flickr- http://www.flickr.com/photos/clancyaussiedoodles/

Teaching Children to Care for Pets

 

You’ve finally gotten that family pet that you and your children have always wanted. A pet can be a wonderful experience for children, teaching them about responsibility, love and how to care for another living thing. But it can take some work from you to teach children how to care for pets.

You may want to make a pet care chart in order to keep track of your child’s responsibilities.

Instructions

1. Talk to your child about their responsibilities regarding the pet.  Decide with your child what your child’s chores will be when caring for the pet. Be willing to negotiate and compromise. Perhaps you will take care of cleaning up after the pet, if your children take care of feeding and watering the pet.
2. Make sure your children’s chores are age appropriate. A 5-year-old child may be able to help you clean a hamster cage, but they won’t be able to do it on their own.
3. Make up a pet care chart that clearly explains your child’s chores. Whenever your children take care of a chore, check off a box or put a sticker on the chore chart. Give them a prize, such as a movie out or a pizza night whenever they get a certain amount of stickers or checks.
4. Teach children the benefits of having pets. Not only should they have the responsibilities associated with pets, but they should have the joys too. Teach young children how to pet dogs and cats and show them how to hold smaller animals such as guinea pigs and hamsters. Teach children to be gentle around the pet so your pet doesn’t fear your child. Allow children to feed, train, give treats and play with the pets so your pets become bonded to the children and not only to you.
5. Expect to remind your children of their responsibilities in caring for the pet. In a perfect world, you would not have to remind your children over and over again to do their chores, but children need the repetition. Expect to have to remind them, but don’t expect to have to do the chore yourself, unless your children are very young.

Tips & Warnings

•  A pet that has gone through some training will be easier for your child to care for.
•  If a pet becomes aggressive with a child, separate your child from the pet.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving! May your day be full of joy, family, and dreams of Labradoodles puppies!

This year I am thankful for my awesome friends and family. I thank God every day for them. I am also thankful for my adorable posse of Australian Labradoodles, whose fluffy faces always bring joy to my day. Furthermore, I am thankful for soon to be CHRISTMAS PUPPIES!!

What Can Make a Dog Suddenly Growl at Someone He Loves?

Your well-behaved dog may growl at you for various reasons. A dog growls to provide a warning that something is wrong or to show that he thinks he is in charge. When you know your dog loves you, a random, uncommon growl toward you can startle you. Before you become afraid of your best friend, it is always good to find out what caused the growl in the first place. To prevent growls from turning into something worse, such as a bite or an attack, give your dog proper training to prevent such events from happening.

 

Food

• When you place, or drop, food in front of your dog, the excitement and opportunity to eat can be overwhelming to the dog. Your dog may let out a growl if you attempted to take the food away or if you get too close to it. If your dog is eating around other dogs, a growl can be common, as the dog likely is warning that he will not share with the other dogs. If a growl is directed toward you, it may be startling if the dog has never growled at you before, especially in this situation. Consider a few things before forming a fear. Was it a new type of food, a treat, a bone, something that fell off the counter that the dog knows he should not be eating? Situations like that may cause a growl. If your dog is eating out of his bowl and growls at you for simply walking by, then you may need to hire a trainer, or train the dog yourself, to nip that behavior right away to prevent a bite from happening.

Jealousy

• If your dog becomes jealous, a growl may arise. If you are playing with, or petting, another dog, your dog may see that as unfair, or upsetting, which will cause the growl toward you or the other dog. Your dog may get jealous of another dog around you, especially if you have not socialized your dog with other dogs. Start training to prevent the growl from escalating to a bite or attack.

Health

• When your normally well-behaved dog growls at you while you are petting him, there may be a health issue causing the growl. Pay attention to where you were petting your dog. Look for certain indications that an injury may be possible, such as if there is a cut or sore on the skin, the dog is limping or favoring a leg or if the area is swollen. Bring your dog to your veterinarian as soon as possible if you notice something may be wrong with your dog’s health. Your dog may also growl at you if you are attempting to clean a wound or administer medication.

Scared

• Dogs growl if they are scared or startled, just like a human may gasp or scream. If you sneak up on your dog, you may scare him and cause him to growl at you. If the dog is unaware that you are in the room or approaching him, the surprise may set off a growl as a warning that you startled the dog. If your dog is hard of hearing or losing his sight, you may need to try to let your dog know you are coming into the room by turning on a light or making noise like stomping your feet or talking to the dog.

Passing Away

• An elderly dog may growl when it is close to his time to pass away. Your dog may not feel well due to old age or because he is getting weak. A growl may happen as a sign that the dog is dying and wants to be left alone. At this time it is up to you to decide if you want to let the passing happen naturally or to euthanize your dog. If the dog is not in pain, you may decide to let the passing happen on its own, but if the dog is uncomfortable or suffering, euthanasia may be a better choice for your dog.

General Care for a Yorkshire Terrier

Care for a Yorkshire Terrier

 

This alert, intelligent terrier, like other dog breeds, has special characteristics and, therefore, some special needs. It is a spirited dog with a generally even disposition. Yorkshire terriers can be very noisy, so think about your neighbors when considering this breed as a pet.

Be prepared to spend time on grooming and bathing this breed. Because they have long coats, Yorkies must have baths and their coats must be trimmed short or shaved for convenience and hygiene.

Brush your pet’s hair daily to keep it free of tangles. Bathe him only when he is dirty, usually weekly. Brushing will keep the hair clean, except on the side of the body where urine collects on a male. Wash this area daily with a damp cloth and warm water. Brush the dog dry in front of a small hair dryer if you have one handy.

Wash mucus from the corners of the dog’s eyes, daily if needed, with a cloth or wad of cotton soaked in warm water. Mucus will rot your pet’s hair if it’s not removed. Dry him off carefully.

Take special care to keep the hair around the Yorkie’s anus clean. It is common for this hair to become matted with feces.

Keep the hair on the top third of the ear flaps trimmed very short. This way, excessive hair won’t weigh down the ears before they are firmly “set,” at around six months of age.

Get your dog’s ears checked regularly for excessive wax and mites, and ask your vet to pluck the hair from inside his ears. Hair on his feet will need trimming occasionally.

Pay special attention to the Yorkie’s eyes and teeth. Long hair should be kept out of his eyes. As with most toy breeds, Yorkies may have tartar buildup on the teeth ‘ so they need regular brushing. Ask your veterinarian to recommend the best products and method.

Get a little dog coat for the Yorkie for cold weather. Yorkies do not have an undercoat to keep them warm. A store-bought coat will keep your pet warm and cozy.

Invest in nutritious food for the Yorkie. These dogs eat very little, so their food needs to be healthful.

Note that terriers typically have little tolerance for other animals, including other dogs. Their ancestors were bred to hunt and kill vermin. Many Yorkies are eager for a spirited argument.

Expect a Yorkie to live a healthy 15 years if all goes well.

Do not use a nylon brush, which will break the dog’s hair. Use a soft comb with small teeth at one end and large teeth at the other end. Use the small end for whiskers and brushing around the eyes. Use blunt-nosed scissors for trimming hair on your dog’s ears and feet. Use any good shampoo that you would use yourself and finish with a good conditioner, rinsing it out thoroughly. Wet tangles with warm water and work them out with your fingers as you bathe the dog.

This is not a breed for young children, but it is an ideal choice for stay-at-homes. The Yorkie does make an alert watchdog, and its exercise needs are minimal.

How to Determine a Dog’s Age in Human Years

 It has always been commonly believed that each year of a dog’s life is equivalent to seven in human years. However, this isn’t exactly accurate, since a one-year-old dog can give birth, whereas a seven-year-old child cannot. And how would you explain the world’s oldest living dog on record making it to 29? (That would be 203 in human years!) Then, of course, there’s your 11-year-old dog that sure seems frisky for 77. That is why veterinarians have determined that 77 is the “new 60″ and have come up with a more accurate way to calculate a dog’s age in human years. The following steps will show you how.

 

If a dog is a year old, that is the equivalent of 15 in human years (not seven as we always thought).

When a dog reaches the age of two, he is already approximately 24 in human years (not 14 as commonly believed). But not to worry, read on.

Add four years to every year after age two. For example, a three-year-old dog is equivalent to 28 in human years; a four-year-old is 32, a five-year-old, 36, a six-year-old, 40–and so on.

Take the dog’s size into consideration, since smaller dogs generally have longer life spans than larger dogs, with toy breeds tending to live the longest and giant breeds, the shortest. For example, according to the above method, a six-year-old dog is considered 40 in human years, when in fact a larger dog may actually be closer to 42. However, veterinarians consider this a good general chart to follow for all dogs.

Fun Facts

•  The average canine life span is about 12 years, but varies by breed.
•  Most dogs are considered seniors when they reach the age of seven, however it’s generally a year or two older for toy or smaller breeds and a year or two younger when a giant breed becomes a senior.
•  A border collie in Britain lived to be 27 on a vegan diet, although there is no conclusive evidence that a vegan diet will make a dog live longer.