Hello Reader!

In This Edition

• Dogs Who Jump Up On People - Four Helpful Tips
• New Puppy Meets Resident Dog
• Classes And Drop-in Sessions

I hope you've had a wonderful summer and are enjoying this incredible fall. I don't ever remember a warmer fall season than this in the Lower Mainland. Get outside and let your dog roll around in the leaves before the rain comes.

Dogs Who Jump On People- Four Helpful Tips

I'm sure that we've all had a dog jump up on us at some point in our lives. Some people love this, but other people are horrified or frightened by this behavior.

It's important to understand some of the reasons why dogs jump up on us. It usually starts in puppyhood when they are little, adorable balls of fluff. They jump up to try and get close to our faces in order to greet us, and to get the affection they desire. We reinforce the behavior when we give that pup petting and attention. We humans often encourage this and enjoy it... when they are pups. Once those same pups grow up to be big dogs, and continue to jump up on people, we often don't find it as endearing.

Here are 4 tips to help with this behavior.

1. Be consistent in terms of training and managing this behavior from the beginning. Behavior that gets rehearsed and positively reinforced will likely get repeated. As well, behavior that is intermittently reinforced can become even stronger. So if our dogs jump up and some people reinforce it some of the time, the practice may occur even more often.
2. Keep your pup or dog on a leash during outdoor greetings so that you can help them not to jump up. Hold the leash low to the ground or stand on it, if it's long enough. Ensure your dog can sit or stand for the greeting, but is just not able to jump up.
3. Before the greeting, let people know that you are working on training your dog not to jump up. Ask them to help you out by waiting until your dog or puppy is sitting before they pet them. Most people understand that perspective and are happy to help out.
4. When friends and family come to your home be sure to utilize baby gates, tethers and exercise pens to help manage your dog's jumping. Ask your visitors to wait until your dog is sitting before greeting and petting. If the dog happens to jump up during the greeting, your guest can easily step away and resume petting only when the dog has four paws on the floor.

New Puppy Meets Resident Dog

I have exciting news! I have brought a new puppy into my home. My little Sheepadoodle Cooper, came to live with us on September 4th (see his picture below!). You can also see more of Cooper on YouTube.

This special time has been fun, and rewarding, but also quite challenging. Most of the difficulty has come from Daisy, my resident adult dog, who was not very welcoming to the new puppy. Well, that's actually a bit of an understatement... she downright hated him. Things are slowly getting better, and after 6 weeks there has finally been some brief play sessions and tail wags, in place of the growling and barking.

In terms of introducing the new pup (or dog) to your resident dog, it's very helpful to have the first meeting(s) on neutral territory, away from the home and yard. Dogs can be quite territorial when it comes to their homes, yards and even neighborhoods.

It can take anywhere from several weeks, to several months for a dog to accept another dog or puppy into their home. Puppies can also be rather irritating for adult dogs. It's important to give the adult dog space from the puppy so they can have some quiet time away from the frenetic pup energy. Gates and exercise pens can be used to allow for separate spaces for meals, playing and sleeping. Remember to give your resident dog some special alone time with you.

Try to ensure that the interactions with your new puppy start to mean something positive for your dog. For example, deliver amazing treats to your dog whenever the puppy is nearby. Going on walks together and letting your dog and pup sniff together will help to build a bond. Once you feel more confident that a positive relationship is starting to develop, make space for some short, closely monitored interactions or play sessions in the house. Try to be patient with your dogs (and yourself) as this novel relationship develops.

If you don't already have a good understanding of reading dog body language, I encourage you to take the time to learn this important skill as it will help you traverse the relationship between your pets. Here is a great article on body language from renowned trainer Victoria Stilwell. Don't hesitate to reach out to a local positive trainer for advice and help.

Group Training and Socialization

For anyone looking for group training classes, we currently have puppy (8-18 weeks) and basic manners class for dogs (5 months and up), running in Vancouver and Richmond. Check here for class dates and locations.

​Puppy socialization drop-in runs every Thursday at Wesbrook Community Centre.

If you're looking for some fabulous pet products that I recommend, please visit here.

If you have any questions, feedback or recommendations for training tips that you'd like to see in the newsletter, please email me at hello@daisydogtraining.ca

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Cooper the adorable Sheepadoodle