Communicating With Your Puppy
~Darcy Rohats, CPDT-KA
There I was in puppy training class, working my own puppy in another trainer’s class. Being a student rather than teacher for the moment gave me the opportunity to see things and observe students from a different perspective.
A gentleman (Let’s call him “Dave”…) and his small, fluffy puppy were attending their first puppy class together. Dave’s wife was sitting on the sidelines, cheering them on. This is always a good sign that the puppy’s upbringing is a family affair!
This fluffy little guy was anxious around the other dogs and having a hard time focusing, which is not an uncommon challenge. Dave was not accustomed to this environment either and he fussed at his puppy, adding to the puppy’s discomfort. The trainer gently explained to Dave how to regain the puppy’s attention and reward the redirected behavior, instead of fussing at his puppy for the “little kid” excitement.
But Dave seemed a bit embarrassed that his puppy was not behaving like the others in class and moved his puppy off to the side. Okay, maybe not a bad idea, except fluffy puppy immediately took a poop, drawing more unwanted attention. Staff leaped into action, the evidence was cleared away, and everyone moved on. But both Dave and fluffy puppy were still nonplussed and embarrassed … full of angst even. Notice that I said “both.”
Getting Your Dog To Focus On You
Well, I couldn’t help myself. As the class trainer was working with a group on the side and needed to give them attention, I walked over to Dave and gently suggested that he say the puppy’s name and then reward the puppy as soon as he gave a look in Dave’s direction. I explained that fussing at the puppy for being excited in the presence of other dogs may cause the puppy to associate the correction (incorrectly) with other dogs. And we certainly don’t want the puppy to think other dogs are bad now, do we? We humans don’t tend to think of it that way.
As class progressed to puppy recalls, Dave’s wife participated in the exercise, too. Interestingly, fluffy puppy went to her readily, but needed a little encouragement to return to Dave. That suggested there was a connection missing. Maybe the wife is the one who feeds the puppy and is with him during the day. Maybe she was having Dave work their new puppy, so the two could develop a bond. If so, kudos to you, lady!
You see, accurately reading your dog is a learned skill that takes time and effort. Fluffy puppy was in a new and overwhelming situation. He was on a leash (unlike at home) and not sure what to make of all the activity and new puppies around him. He was trying to tell his family about his confusion and at the same time trying to understand. For his part, Dave was likely overwhelmed as well and did not understand what his puppy was trying to tell him. Dave’s own behavior added to the situation.
Successful Puppy Training!
By the time class was ending, fluffy puppy and Dave were settling in and having some success. Not at all bad for a first time class! I congratulate all of you who take your dog to a class to develop good communication together. I can’t wait to see how Dave and fluffy puppy do in the next class. But then again, I probably need to pay attention to my own puppy a bit more!
