How Many Shamwows Does One Puppy Owner Need?

Alan and I tend to disagree on many subjects. I won't go into the rather long list of dissimilar concepts and preferences. The basic principles of dog training was recently added.

I have a large, hockey-style training bag that I would bring to home appointments that had every imaginable size and type of lead, collars to fit most occasions, Kong toys, chew toys, penny cans, clickers and all manner of items adapted to dog training. Three of the items I have in this bag are retractable leads. The name brand is Flexi-Lead. These leashes are great... once your dog is trained to behave on a lead and responsive to commands as well as the discipline word No.

Alan, not to be outdone by my own sweater shopping for Daisy, recently purchased a 16' Flexi-lead for our little Daisy. As he opened the package I told him it was not a good idea to use it yet. "Why not? Look how much room she'll have to 'go' when we take her out!"

That is precisely the problem. The further away your dog can get from you, the more independent decision making they attempt. A four month old puppy should not be making ANY decisions on her own. It would be akin to asking my four year old for directions to the mall. Puppies -to be sure pre-dogs- thrive and work cooperatively with humans when consistently led and directed by humans. Keeping them on a short leash makes a huge difference in responsiveness and behavior.

If you recall, I potty train pups to "go" on a Hurry Up command. Well, as a result of the introduction of the Flexi-lead, Daisy now chooses to tra-la-la outside rather than "do her business." A number of times I have brought her back inside only to have her leave a puddle right at my feet. Sigh!

This too shall pass. If you are training your own puppy along with this blog please keep in mind that nerve sensitivty is still developing in pups through the first year and that they are still learning to recognize the physical pangs of potty urgency. The trick is to catch them in the act of potty-ing inappropriately. This is so crucial to successful house training it can not be overstated.

Until then, good luck and good training... and be sure to have a lot of Shamwows on hand!