Every time we dog people get a new puppy, we say, “ This time I’ll really do it right!” Inevitably we don’t do a perfect job of puppy raising. There is more and more good information available to help us, but still we fall short of perfection. We live in an 1. imperfect world. But as I plan to take on my next new puppy, I’ve come up with a helpful way of thinking that you may also find useful.
In the conformation world, we have breed standards. These describe the ideal dog in terms of appearance, structure, movement and temperament. We aspire to breed dogs who conform to the standard.
So with this new puppy I am developing a Behavior Standard. This is a list of things I want him to do and things I do not want him to do. What are my priorities in terms of his manners?
My puppy won’t beg at the table or at the counter when I prepare food. So I will keep this in mind from the get go.
My puppy will come onto the couch only by invitation. My puppy won’t jump up on people. My puppy will learn to rest in his crate. This forms a list of behaviors I will establish for myself!
Often we tell our clients to be proactive rather than trying to fix behaviors when they have become habits. Train an alternative behavior, we tell them. Well, I intend to take my own advice THIS TIME.
I plan to write more in the coming months about Billy’s and my efforts to make ourselves understood to each other.
All the best to you and your dogs!
