This game works equally well for puppies or adult dogs who naturally retrieve. It helps stimulate excitement and encourages a dog to chase you, thereby quickly bringing the toy back to you, so the game can continue.
Hunting breeds, whether gundogs, sighthounds, or scenthounds, live to chase.
Tugging
Tugging is a game that has fallen out of favor with some trainers because they consider it a test of strength. The theory is that a puppy that wins strength games often assumes that he is stronger than his owner, both physically and mentally, which leads him to naturally assume he is better suited to be the pack leader. Some dogs may see this as an opportunity to exploit the situation and take control.
Tugging does stimulate or create arousal in some dogs, especially high-drive-type dogs such as terriers and herding breeds. When a puppy gets too wound up or overly excited, his owners usually lose control of the game, and that’s when trouble happens.
That said, tugging is a great interactive game that you can play with your puppy, provided you set some ground rules from day one. First, you must win as often as your puppy wins. If you win all the time, your puppy will get bored and lose interest. If your puppy wins all the time, he may think he doesn’t need to share with you. As dog trainer Sylvia Bishop likes to say, “You win, he wins, you both win.” This gives him the right message regarding his status in the pack.
You must control all the games, including tugging. You determine when the two of you tug, how hard you tug, how long each of you will tug, when your puppy is to release the toy, and when the game is over. If your puppy becomes too stimulated or out of control or begins snatching the toy from your hand or showing any aggression (other than normal puppy play-growling), stop the game immediately. Resume the game once he has calmed down and you have regained control of the situation.
When positive play and training are used to teach your puppy’s first lessons, including games and basic obedience skills, he will grow into an adult dog that is fun to be with all of the time.
Retrieving Games
Keep in mind that retrieving games should be avoided while your puppy is teething. A teething puppy’s mouth will be tender, and vigorous games can harm his emerging teeth and developing jaw bones. During these tender-tooth times, spend time working on other games and come back to retrieving when your puppy is done teething.
Chapter 6: Socialization
While finding the perfect puppy may have seemed like the hard part, your job is just beginning. Think of it not so much as work but rather as an investment in your puppy’s future as you progress with shaping and molding your puppy’s behavior, manners, and personality.
How well your dog gets along with other dogs and people has a lot to do with how he is socialized as a puppy. Behavior comes from a combination of genetics and environment, so a lot will depend on his breeding. Even so, a combination of good genetics and proper socialization is critical when it comes to raising a puppy to become a well-adjusted, confident adult dog that is friendly toward people and other animals.
So what is socialization? Trainers have all sorts of definitions, but in the simplest of terms, it is about classical conditioning: creating an association between two stimuli. It is a learning process in which your puppy is exposed—in a safe, positive, and nonthreatening way—to all of the things he is likely to encounter as an adult dog, such as other animals, people clapping, elevators, stairs, vacuums, trash cans, kids on bicycles, women in floppy hats, and so forth. Introducing your pup to these things and more, without causing him trauma, helps him develop the coping skills necessary to grow into a mentally sound, confident adult dog.
Socialization means getting kisses from kids and adults alike!
Critical Periods
We know from the pioneering work of behavioral scientists John Paul Scott and John L. Fuller that both genetic and environmental influences impact the development of canine behavior. One of their most important contributions is the description of sensitive periods in the social development of dogs, with the socialization period being the critical time between three and twelve weeks of age (some experts extend this to fourteen to sixteen weeks). This is the time frame in a puppy’s life during which a small amount of experience will produce a great effect on later behavior. This is a critical period because once the window of opportunity closes, you will never get it back. Of course, puppies grow into adult dogs who continue to learn throughout their lives, but the positive experiences during these early weeks are critical for development.
If a puppy is properly socialized during this period, chances are good that he will grow up thinking the world is a wonderful, safe, and positive place—and that is what you want. Socialization experiences strongly influence what kind of dog he will grow up to be and how he will react to the world. Will he be friendly and happy-go-lucky; fearful, timid, or shy; or possibly aggressive and intolerant of rambunctious toddlers or other dogs?
Puppies that lack socialization during this critical time are more likely to develop fearful reactions to people, noises, and unfamiliar locations. They tend to grow into adult dogs who are more cautious, shy, fearful, and nervous and who avoid or retreat from unfamiliar objects or situations. As adult dogs, they usually find it more difficult to cope with new or stressful situations.
According to the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy, behavioral problems such as aggression, fear, timidity, and the like, which frequently correlate to lack of socialization, are a common reason many dogs are abandoned or surrendered to animal shelters. While it is possible—to a limited extent—to rehabilitate unsocialized dogs, most of them never grow into the easygoing, confident dogs they could have been.
Young puppies are impressionable and receptive to new experiences. Before the days fly by, take advantage by introducing your blue-eyed baby to as many fun and positive experiences as possible.
Birth to Eight Weeks
From birth to three weeks of age, your puppy is helpless. Puppies are born deaf and blind, but their sense of touch is fully developed at birth. A good canine mother, with little interference from people, will provide everything for her puppies, including food, warmth, and security. Many breeders begin gently handling and weighing their puppies from day one, which helps with the development process and, as some suggest, to kick-start some aspects of neurological development. (Even if there were no neurological benefits, who can resist cuddling a baby puppy?)
Even at this young age, a puppy is learning important lessons through his experiences with the world around him, such as snuggling with his canine mom and littermates and gentle handling from the breeder. These encounters, while seemingly insignificant, are beginning to shape and form the personality and social skills he will possess throughout his life.
Around fourteen days of age, a puppy’s ears and eyes are functioning, and puppies need continued handling and exposure to help process sight and sound. Like human babies, puppies need plenty of rest and quiet time, but when the puppies are awake, most savvy breeders will expose them to adequate visual and audio stimulation to help with neurological development.
Around four weeks of age, a puppy’s needs are still provided by his canine mom, but as he and his littermates grow and become stronger and more adventurous, they begin playing and tussling. At this stage, the breeder can provide safe toys and “obstacles,” such as tunnels, boxes, and wobble boards, for the puppies to figure out, climb on and through, and investigate. Such activities help provide environmental enrichment,