HAVING THE RIGHT SWAG AND A PLAN FOR HOLIDAY PUPPY AND NEW DOGS

Time to review some of the BASICS

Lots of families will be getting new dogs as a gift for the Holidays. Lots of families will not know what hit them . Come February, lots of dogs will need new homes.

Hopefully it will all work out.  Having the right swag and a plan will help make the new dog event a positive time for everyone.

Not all of the equipment on the list is needed for all dogs, but it is sweet to have it all if you can.

EQUIPMENT for normal dog, non-aggressive

1. Leather gloves
2. jacket or long sleeved shirt
3. Outer wear for weather
4. Soft footwear
5. Leather leash 6ft long with a spring clip the correct size for the dog
6. Chain training collar (collar 1)
7. Woven slip collar ( collar 2)
8. Bed sheets for bedding if needed
9. Pillows for beds
10. Dog towels
11. Stainless steel dishes
12. Toy bins 3
13. X pen indoors (8 panel no gate)
14. X pen outdoors (8 panel no gate)
15. Grooming table
16. Dog crates
17. Shampoo
18. Conditioner
19. Eye rinse
20. Ear cleaner
21. Q tips
22. Cotton pads
23. Facial tissues
24. Wash clothes
25. Paper towels
26. Disposable diapers for clean ups (or pee pads)
27. Wet/dry vac
28. Floor mop and bucket
29. Fragrance free cleaners and detergents
30. Slicker brush
31. Coat Rake
32. Greyhound comb
33. Zoom groomers
34. Nail snippers
35. File for nail smoothing
36. Toothbrush (people style)
37. Pet dental foam mint
38. Poop shovels for outside pen
39. Poop buckets (referred to as honey buckets)
40. Plastic bags for buckets
41. Plastic bags for dog walks
42. Rover's Brief Case from RBARK
43. 3 sets of toys suitable and safe
44. Dog kibble
45. Cookies
46. First aid kit
47. Sitting room cushion and blanket
48. Flexi leash
49. Other gear
50. A good paying, reliable job

Leads

ribbon leads for pup training

Select dishes which will be easy for the dog to use, wide enough to accommodate long whiskers or narrow enough to keep ears from dipping in, depending on the dog.

some dogs need an elevated dish but they are awkward to fill and keep clean

INDOOR DOG ENCLOSURE
This is to keep the dog out of trouble while being trained. Freedom is gained eventually as training progresses. The new dog should not be given run of the house and most certainly should not be on the human beds. Once trained cuddle all you want but not until.

Curtains drawn for bedtime

keep pets out of trouble until they know the rules

Puppies should be trained on a pee proof floor

The crate is Puppy's bed den


Indoor enclosure for new pup
Crate
Exercise pen enclosure fence
Water dish
Food dish
Toys
Floor mat
Bed cushion
Cover sheet
Blanket
Xpen curtains (dollar store table cloths work well)
If your crate is the wire sort, cover it to make it more snug for the dog (if your dog eats the covers, explain to him NOT to do that)


GROOMING
Know what equipment your dog will need for everyday care. It is wrong to rely entirely on grooming parlors to keep your dog groomed because your dog will get hurt in the process. Learn to do the task yourself.

Naturally, short coated dogs do not need a full complement of clippers etc. but they must still be groomed frequently. Grooming keeps the endocrine system healthy. All dogs need their ears, eyes, feet, coat, privates and teeth attended regularly. Ears are top on the list. Obedience training helps.

• Grooming table   This is an expense but totally worth it...almost Nana decreed. Life with a dog is much easier if you have a grooming table, yes even for Pit Bulls and St. Bernards
• Shears
• Combs face/ body
• Clippers
• Pin brush
• Slicker brush
• The stuff spray
• finishing clippers
• Nail cutter\nail grinder
• Quik stop for nails that are cut too close to the quick
• Clipper blades

• Shampoo
• Conditioner
• Towels
• Face flannels
• Sponges
• Utility scissors
• Exfoliating gloves
• Hound groomers
• Zoom grooms

• Wash Gloves
• wash leash
• wash collar
• Light
• Wash Apron or jacket and pants
• Tissues
• Paper towels
• cotton daubers
• Cotton balls or pads
• Alcohol 99% isopropyl alcohol
• Witch hazel
• Hydrogen peroxide

PET BEDS

• Sheets
• Quilts
• Towels
• Cushions

Save the cost of beds that ruin the washer, fall apart, or choke the pet. Do not use frayed, or unraveled blankets for safety. Be careful of blanket binding that is un-stitched.
If you are purchasing something new, just buy polar fleece from the fabric store, no need to hem ,just cut to sizes you want.
For recycling human old bedding, fold twin sizes in four, queens into half then thirds.  Fold sheet in half and wrap around the quilt, tuck in neatly.  Change sheet daily if needed, for laundering.  Buy bedding on sale in funky colors dogs love. For smaller guys, wrap discarded human pillows in sheets or pillow cases as cushions. Make a cushion igloo.


About the phrase: What a good dog!

The word WHAT clearly and emphatically pronounced, instantly gains a dog’s attention in a distinct fashion. WHAT A GOOD DOG! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?; WHAT IS THAT NOISE?
THIS IS A WORD YOU MUST USE A GREAT DEAL WITH DOG TRAINING
When praising your dog with a pat, pat on the sternum and say WHAT a good dog.
When praising your dog with only a word of praise and no patting, say, “WHAT a good dog”
The manner in which you praise your dog is most important.


About crate training 

The best way to crate train is to start when you are going to be at home for a few days.  The idea is to teach your dog to stay in the crate quietly while you go about your chores or watch tv etc. After you have given him the opportunity to go poo and pee, to have a drink and a snack, put your dog in the crate. Take off the collar or leash.  Be sure the bedding is safe, no strings etc to swallow and tangle the guts up. Once the crate gate is closed, use your voice, a magazine or whatever to persuade your dog to lie down be quiet, in no uncertain terms, in the crate while you are busy.  You must give a pee break every twenty minutes or so until you actually see your dog has gone and will be comfortable locked up. If any screaming is going on you need to be sure the dog is not in distress. Be very effective in telling him to be quiet in the crate.  It seems to take forever but persist and eventually, he will quiet down.

The crate is a safe haven for the dog and in will be used throughout the dog's life

A Puppy crate that wheels to the door and outside is the Cadillac of housebreaking equipment

Pup must be calm and quiet in the crate

After dogs are trained , their crates can be kept open in bedrooms

Water dishes
When it comes to providing drinking water for your dog at home, the type of water dish is important. The shape should not only work for the dog, but since you have to pick it up and wash it out a lot, it should be easy to grasp and carry. If your dog has long ears that dip in the water when he drinks use a tall narrow bowl that lets his ears hang on the outside when he drinks from it. Seeing their own reflection in shiny stainless steel bowls, disturbs some dogs to where they will not drink. Dishes that look earth natural are ideal. Dogs prefer them too. Get in touch with your community pottery clubs; sometimes they have left overs or rejects that are perfect for water dishes. Dogs with short or flat muzzles need a wide bowl type of dish, pointy faces can use a narrow dish. The material is important too. Stay away from any type of plastic, especially ice cream buckets. They can affect the pigment on a dog’s nose and lips so that just can’t be a good thing.
Keep the water dish freshened. Just because there is water in the dish that does not mean the water is fit for your dog to drink. If he has licked out of it at all, it most likely saliva you are looking at and not water. The water dish needs to be emptied out and refilled at least twice a day if not more. ANNA LEE changes water dishes AM NOON PM and before bed. The water dish needs to be washed daily with hot soapy water and rinsed thoroughly. If you let scum and mineral deposit build up around the dish rim expect to be cleaning up tummy bug messes. (puke and poop) Yes dogs drink out of toilets and puddles and so would you if that was the only water you could get at. Dogs to not turn on the water tap (I had a Doberman who did but that was one dog in how many?) and I suspect if they did they would use water from the tap before water from the toilet.

Pet supply stores too have no shortage of food and water dishes, so consider your dogs needs before you purchase. There are slow feeder dishes, anti-tip dishes (difficult to pick up for refilling) portable dishes, and dishes on stands for tall dogs. There are low profile dishes,  anti-chew dishes, raised sloping dishes, anti-ant dishes. There is no shortage of dog dishes and new ones are developed daily as companies jump on the pet product band wagon. Base your choice on the shape of your dog, his habits, the material the dish is made of, and how easy the dish is to look after.
Keeping your dog healthy with good food, fresh water at all times, exercise, love and clean bedding, establishes the trust needed to build a solid obedience training relationship. If your dog cannot trust you to provide clean water, bedding, food and exercise, he will not trust you at all. Obedience training is a discipline and a learning experience.

earth tones and clay looking human bowls are nice

Stainless steel water dish is easy to clean with vinegar and hot water

stainless steel dish with hanger for inside crate or pen

Have lots of safe toys available for the pup and be sure to supervise. remove damaged toys and replace them.

REVIEW WITH ROVER OVER AND OVER

Review for Novice Obedience competition but this is applicable to all dogs with smart handlers

Outside walk time used for heeling practice, fantastic! but keep it short: under ten minutes

A word of praise and a discrete pat is sufficient; no silly jumping about, please

Practice where there are distractions AFTER the dog gets the idea, go slow

• in order to learn the dog must be under emotional control, no pain, no fear
• is chain slipcollar on the right way
• is leather leash 6 ft long and in good repair
• soft shoes for handler
• leather gloves
• no food in obedience ever for any reason (decreed by Nana)
• Praise for reward and Play for release

Play and praise are the best reward

In obedience work, use praise and play for  reward and release

• Review important points
• correction is a leash shake from the wrist, not a choke or jerk
• all corrections in moving exercises are accompanied by praise
• the correction must happen in the direction of travel
• the collar must never be closed tight with dog tugging at it
• for stronger correction a whip like action is employed followed by profuse praise
• have a mental picture of what you want the dog to dog
• get someone to video you as a team and make adjustments
• if the dog is not doing it, you are to blame, smarten up
• keep your head up and smile pleasantly, as if you are enjoying yourself
• hands and arms should appear relaxed and carried naturally
• present a pleasant picture; It is after all, a DOG SHOW
• dress smartly and be respectful to the officials, the audience and other competitors

• pay attention to your footwork
• to leave dog on stay signal stay with right hand, always step off with right leg
• to heel away always step off with left leg
• step around about turns

No corrections are allowed in the competition ring, only a word of praise for reward (no food or profuse patting) No double commands are allowed,  no dogs relieving themselves in the ring, and you must complete all the exercises including the group long stays at the end of the class even if you disqualified at the very beginning of the class and you want to go hide yourself. 

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How the chain should look from in front of the handler

Putting the collar on with dog at heel on left of handler

ring that goes to the leash comes from across the back of the dog's neck when he is on your left

training collar and leather leash

Off to travel the world

Under control in public and around strangers

Ready to enjoy the day

Recreation is a pleasure with a well heeled dog

Training benefits; ease of grooming

 A little bit of brain works relaxes a dog for the day

TRAIN THE STAY EXERCISE, SAVE MONEY, BE KIND TO YOUR DOG

One major reason to teach the stay exercises to your dog is that you will be more effective with grooming. Hence your dog will be healthier. The only way to clean your dogs teeth for example is if you can make him stay put for you. The other options for the dog are eventual gum and jaw disease or anesthetic dental work which does not always end well. Better to be a good owner and look after your dog's teeth and grooming yourself if possible. Once a dog knows the stay exercise firmly, you can save thousands of dollars in vet bills for dental work and when you do need to take the dog to the vet  for yearly checkups the examination will go much smoother and the doctor will be able to be more thorough.

her healthy clean smile was worth taking time for a bit of training

well groomed, healthy and happy 

neglected, before scaling

after scaling brush with water twice a day to maintain clean and healthy mouth

before picture shows gums inflamed and receding from build up

Note build upon tooth on left compared to cleaned canines and front ...without anesthetic ... dog knows the stay command

Grooming...knowing the stay... ears and eyes get regular attendance

Safety...knowing the stay firmly, she will not bolt through the open gate

STAY EXERCISES and why you and your dog must learn them

STAY EXERCISES and why you and your dog must learn them

There are many, many reasons why we need to include these commands. Most of all, with them, your dog will have a more complete life.

The wait command and the stay command work together, and both should be taught. Wait is taught first at the very start of training and Stay comes at the end of novice. Both require the dog to know how to sit on command and to sit and accept praise and to sit and pay attention (watch me)

WAIT means just hang close around here

STAY means do not move anything not even your eyes or something intensely dreadful will happen. The stay command carries a sense of dire urgency and emphasis.So you can see that stay must be given only in very specific enforceable situations until it is firmly understood by the dog. Also if you were at the vet, let's say, you would tell the dog to stand and wait while he was examined not to stay, because you cannot enforce a stay command at that point. A firm request to wait can be repeated several times whereas a stay command occurs once and if broken it is immediately corrected. Same when you go into the service station to pay, you leave the dog in the car, do not say stay (you will not be there to enforce it) you say wait, I will be right back.

Two different things, WAIT or STAY

In the beginning, the wait command with our wizard fingers extended, helped the pup to stay in place while he waited for what happened next, for example, "go through the door now" or "head down the stairs now" or "come out of the crate now".

The stay command, whether sit, down or stand, requires the dog to remain unrestrained in the place and position where he is, while keeping attention on you (watch me), until the next command is given. The demand for eye contact is of import in utility and field competitions. 

Leather Leash and chain slip collar on... check to see collar is on correctly i.e. when dog is on your left the chain goes across the back of the dogs neck to the leash clip, not across the throat to the leash clip

This is not a chain collar but it shows how the collar should come across the back of the neck to the leash

putting the collar on from your left side

the chain looks like this when the dog is in front of you

how to assemble the slip collar

WAIT REQUEST

If dog will sit, work from a sit position. If dog won’t sit, work from a down or stand position

Maneuver yourself in front of dog, back up arm’s length extended with fingers spread out and extended like a wizard. Say wait and swirl your hands to keep dogs attention.  Keep eye contact and keep saying wait slowly. When and if he moves step in with sharp no follow with wait back up again and continue wizard hands. Do this for a brief moment, three times a day. In three days the dog should know what you want when you say wait and you can begin to diminish the gestures. Apply wait in the crate at the door before snacks before play practice before getting into car or anywhere at home.

wizard fingers

STAY COMMAND

 Leather Leash and chain slip collar on... check to see collar is on correctly i.e. when dog is on your left the chain goes across the back of the dog’s neck to the leash clip, not across the throat to the leash clip

Dog on your left in sit position

Swing open right hand in front of dog s nose firmly and command stay

Pivot yourself in directly in front of the dog, both hands clasping leash at waist level in front of you, eye contact. Be quiet unless he moves, then say no, followed with slight sit correction to stay position. If the sitting dog at stay moves, he has broken a stay not a sit, so do not say sit again but say no, stay. If he keeps slouching into a down, he does not get the sit at all and you need to go back a bit and relearn the sit before going on with stay. 

Once you get it going, gradually increase the distance you back up until you can leave your dog with the six foot leash extended on the floor and be backed up six feet beyond that, indoors if you have the room.
So command stay, pivot in front, back up and count measured paces one to twelve, set leash down on the way, then pause for six counts, then back twelve paces to in front picking leash up on the way, circle around the back of dog, do not step on tail,  holding leash above dogs head and go back to heel position. Heel out and praise dog with discrete pat and WHAT A GOOD DOG!

Gradually extend the work territory outdoors and around distractions. The final idea is to RELIABLY work off leash, outdoors or in the obedience trial ring forty feet away from you to perform a recall command, “Fido Come!”

It is very easy to confuse dogs with cross over of commands. Be aware that a sit stay and a recall should not be taught at the same point in time because from the dogs position at a distance, it is impossible to tell if this will be a sit stay or a recall exercise until he really gets the human language. That is also why you must not work too long or on too many exercises at once. Keeping sessions under five minutes will stop you from adding too much material too fast for your dog, and will stop both of you from getting bored. 

The sit stay is a formal obedience exercise and you can find a description of it on the AKC and CKC obedience sites (American and Canadian kennel clubs) http://www.akc.org/dog_shows_trials/

In the field practicing the stand stay

group down stay

Gradually add distractions into the training time. Once your dog is confident at home and in quiet surrounding, practice in busy locations and with other obedience students. Get a secure foundation first, before you go into groups.

concentration on a sit stay

Zee practicing stay off leash

easy cheesy graduate