Did you KNOW that YOUR fear AFFECTS YOUR puppy? (Photo: pug wrapped in a blanket looking like very sad version of E.T.)
Are you nervous every time your new puppy says hello to a new dog friend? Do you hold your breath, worried that the other dog may hurt your puppy? Do you pull your new puppy away from other dogs? Pick them up?
Here’s how all of those things are BAD for your puppy.
FEAR. We live with too much fear. The media spreads it on your morning toast like peanut butter. We’re eating poison for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you aren’t fearful from watching the news, you’re afraid because of misinformation you consumed from online dog groups. You’re terrified of parvovirus, dog fights, and of your puppy getting stepped on by other dogs and people.
If you bring a new puppy into your life and YOU are nervous, tense, and fearful about every interaction she has, she will become your pack leader. Most puppies are not born leaders, so they find this new job VERY stressful. They have to take care of YOU and protect YOU, and while you may feel all warm inside thinking about that — how about you imagine my client who recently allowed all of this behaviour and her puppy ended up biting EVERYONE who came near her. Kiss your family, friends, and dating life goodbye until you FIX what YOU okayed as cute. It’s costly, time consuming, and frustrating. Don’t go there.
If your dog becomes your body guard, friends and family will have trouble getting close to you (Photo: woman on a couch holding a puppy over her face and kissing it)
The very first thing you need to do before walking your puppy anywhere is BREATHE. You need to be a calm person for your puppy. You need to be a confident person for your puppy. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your puppy. They NEED you. You’ve got this! Calmness travels right down your leash — make sure your leash is nice and loose (no tension, no pulling.)
Before introducing your puppy to other puppies, they should have had their first set of vaccinations. It’s okay to ASK approaching puppy and dog owners “Is your dog vaccinated?” BEFORE their dog is nose-to-nose with your puppy. Your puppy doesn’t have enough immunity yet — advocate for your puppy!
Do NOT take your new puppy to a dog park. There will certainly be dogs who are not up to date in their vaccinations present. Dogs shed all sorts of things in their poop as well, so a sick dog doesn’t need to be present to make your puppy sick. Before this becomes a dog park blog post, I’ll say one more thing — most of the time, dog parks are full of dogs who are WAY too excited/aroused and excitement leads to dog fights.
Are dog parks safe for new puppies? That’s a no. (Photo: Pekingese dog stares through a fence)
Do NOT pick your puppy up EVERY time they meet a new dog. This is VERY DANGEROUS! Your puppy will learn that dogs make YOU nervous, and will defend you by growling down at other dogs. Some dogs won’t care. Some will. Those dogs can go after your puppy and your fingers will be right in the way.
Dogs are not human babies. Cuddling is lovely, but be very careful doing this around dogs you don’t know. (Photo: woman cuddling a beagle while holding him like a baby)
Do NOT pull your puppy away from every dog you meet. Putting tension on the leash sends the wrong signal to your puppy. They pull against what holds them back. It frustrates them and tells them “It’s go time!” They will keep pulling toward the dog you are trying to pull them away from.
Instead, encourage your puppy to follow you away from dogs you don’t want to meet. Ask them to heel (if they know how,) or make a kissy noise to encourage them to look at you. Walk away with NO leash tension. You don’t have to meet and greet every dog you pass by.
This is leash tension. Please stop doing this. (Photo: a dog on a leash with tension on the leash)
If you gasp every time your puppy meets/plays with a new dog (even YOUR own other dogs at home,) you are sending out a strong message to all of them that you are nervous and they have to sort it out ON THEIR OWN. Your own dog doesn’t want that pressure, and your new puppy certainly isn’t equipped to handle that either. Take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, stand straighter and BELIEVE that nothing bad with happen. You need to provide direction and protection for your new puppy. You WANT them to look at you before making terrible puppy decisions.
Do NOT replay stories in your head about dog fights you have seen in the past. That happened BEFORE. You are here today in the PRESENT.
Do NOT think “If my puppy gets stomped on or bitten, I’ll have to go to the vet and it’s after hours, so it’ll be closed and what will I do?” This is in the FUTURE. It hasn’t happened, so don’t worry about it.
Living in the moment is the BEST gift your puppy could EVER give to you. Let them be your teacher, but NOT your leader.
It’s okay to need help. If you’re nervous about introducing your puppy to other dogs, seek help from an expert. Read reviews before just selecting a random puppy kindergarten class. I’ve heard many horror stories from clients who went down this road before finding me. Some “trainers” will actually say “Let the puppies work it out on their own.” If you think the play is too rough, it probably is. Follow your gut instinct and leave (better yet read EVERY Google review BEFORE you sign up, and go attend a class before you even have your puppy…oh, and if a company won’t let you come for a drop in visit BEFORE you have your puppy, they don’t deserve your business. Shady with a capital S.
Our in-home sessions provide help in the areas YOU need it. If you’ve aced crate training, but are struggling with leash walks, that is where we will focus our attention. If you’re nervous because your puppy whines and pulls toward other dogs, we’ll help you through it.
While we’re exploring your neighbourhood together, we’ll teach you how to read approaching dogs, so you can understand dog body language and know which dogs will be well-behaved while greeting your new puppy, and which ones are too excited. Come learn with us!
Are these three ready to meet your puppy? Come learn with us! (Photo: three dogs on leash)
Before you schedule a FREE call with us, read all of our reviews too. Check out our TESTIMONIALS page here: https://beyonddogtraining.ca/testimonials
Find the BEST fit for YOU and YOUR PUPPY. We hope it’s us, because you read the entire blog post and that means you have patience (even if you never realized you had it!) We can’t WAIT to meet you and your puppy and help your relationship become harmonious!
Have a wonderful weekend, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: Matthew Henry (pug wrapped in a blanket looking like very sad version of E.T.,) Roberto Nickson (woman on a couch holding a puppy over her face and kissing it,) Marcelo Harassen (Pekingese dog stares through a fence,) Artem Beliaikin (woman cuddling a dog while holding him like a baby,) Mirko Sajkov (a dog on a leash with tension on the leash,) and Spencer Davis (three dogs on leash.)