SPEAK!

I am hearing more often in my conversations with puppy owners phrases like "we've owned dogs for many years, but we have never had a puppy this challenging", or "she just does not act like our previous dogs", and "we loved this dog like our others, did all the same things, but this dog is now too much to handle."   

I believe the mistake came in basing the new relationship with the new dog on the memory of the previous pets.  There are dogs in every breed and mix of that are exceptions to the typical drives or instincts found in that breed.  For example:  I have seen Border Collies with low energy levels and low prey chase or toy drive.  That is the exception to the breed.  If that is the only Border Collie the owners have experienced, then they are ill-prepared for the new puppy they adopted that is half border collie and half Labrador.  If the new owners create a foundation those first few days or weeks of little structure, and more time spent in cuddling than training, then the owner soon is overwhelmed and frustrated. 

Statistics show that when owners attend even 1 month of puppy school they are less likely to re-home that dog, and dogs they acquire in the future.  I believe by the numbers of our clients who have come back to us with their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pups over the last 18 years, that the owners recognize how much easier their dogs are to live with after the right socialization and training foundation.  We have written a training guideline called "The Rules" for Canine Home Management.  When owners use this structure for the first few months of ownership they shape a balanced, happy, and compliant companion forever.

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