Weekend touring and puppy pains of author, Diana L. Guerrero "Puppies are a pain!" said my South African pal. It has become a mantra over the years. Recently, young critters have filled my days and nights. At the moment I have an eight week Afghan puppy sleeping beside me as I write. Tomorrow I am guessing that I will be tormenting Kashmir, but for the moment I am enjoying the peace,
Earlier today I tormented Molly. Molly is ten and a half weeks old. We worked on "no biting, "upstairs," "downstairs," and shaping dad's behavior. This was our third lesson--housetraining was a snap on the first lesson, she knows how to sit to get what she wants, doesn't chew the wrong things, accepts a collar and leash, and comes when called. She has been taught to accept grooming behaviors and is going to visit the professional salon for the first time on Friday. Molly has also learned to boss her humans around.
Puppy training is exhausting since it is non-stop behavior shaping. It is constant work and play. Unlike older dogs, pups have no attention span and we don't work too much on commands. Manners are important, then building vocabulary, and establishing clear communication between human and animal. These early efforts establish a firm foundation for the future of the pup.
Molly has decided to use her personality and good looks to boss non-animal training types around. She is very small and very head strong. I noticed her long retention at eight weeks of age. Her dad is learning how to notice good behavior and reinforce them. Molly is learning how to shape behavior around the household. Most pups get out of line when they are ignored. The only time they are reinforced, or get attention, is when they are vocal or feisty. Capturing good behavior is easier if people learn to notice it.
For instance, Molly knows to sit when she wants to be picked up or get up on a lap. Unfortunately when someone is reading the paper, they don't see it. So, Molly began barking and jumping. When we are in class, attention to detail prevents mistakes. Today, we did a simulation--often called a "set-up." We created the same circumstances to get the undesirable behavior. However, since dad noticed her sit, she did not have to jump or bark. She sat every time, now we just have to get the household to reinforce the good behavior before it escalates into the bad.
Puppies remind us that living beings are more important than reading a paper. We just have to realign our priorities!
