Fri 25th Aug: Would I want a puppy again?

 I can't help it, I always get excited about weekends and the potential adoptions, even if it means feeling deflated on a Sunday evening when my expectations haven't materialised.  Still, once again, here we are with the weekend ahead, and I'm already imagining which dogs or puppies will be leaving with their new families.

The empty square represents Toyah

I should mention the three "T" pups, because the adopter of Toyah-now-Sunny, the first and only lucky one of the litter so far, sent us an update letting us know how well she was doing: "Sunny is amazing , she is two steps from toilet trained and she's also got her own sofa now, plus a hand-me-down toy mountain. Someone needs to adopt her siblings, I’ve never had such a laid back puppy, and so quick to learn."  

Sunny and her sofa 

I sometimes wonder what it would be like to have a puppy and to be able to start right from the beginning, but then I look at the remains of the furniture I had back in the old days and think maybe not.  Puppies are sweet, smart, funny and amazing, but they also love to chew on everything!

Still, over the years the whole concept of dog training and understanding of dogs in general has changed so dramatically, and I have also learnt so much, both from my own dogs and from our trainer Cactus.  I read what she says to adopters who have asked for help, many times just about basic behaviour and training, because I know that Cactus keeps right up to date with all of the latest research, and she's happy to share her knowledge.  For example, we talk about the need for a dog to be able to exercise properly, but exercising the brain is just as important.  This is something that Cactus wrote to the adopter of a large and energetic doglet, and remember that every adopter from HKDR receives free support and advice from Cactus as needed.  

"Exploration and sniffing are two great ways for brain and sensual stimulation. It is absolutely good to allow lots of sniffing during her walks or hiking, or just sitting to watch the world go by. You may also use a longer leash to increase her freedom (while still under your management) to explore around. We recommend using harnesses rather than collar-type walking equipment, because the pressure can be distributed around the body instead of solely on the vulnerable neck/throat area. 

During the day, you can play some indoor mental games such as: 

• training basic commands
• treasure hunt (let X stay inside a room and you hide treats in different corners or shelves, then ask X to search)
• stuff food inside food toys (X has to figure out how to get the food)
• snuffle mat (for treats search)
• licking mat (paste food puree on the mat to prompt for licking, which is a great way to relieve stress)

These activities not only consume her brain power, but can also occupy her for a while which can give you some alone time too."

 

Another aspect of understanding dogs is to accept that they are by nature pack animals that live in family groups.  That means that isolating a dog in a room, or a crate/cage, is unnatural for them, and that allowing a dog to live as part of the family achieves the best results all round. Again from Cactus:

"Dogs are highly social animals. A study shows that if given a choice, over 86% of dogs would prefer group sleeping with their family. We also highly recommend including dogs inside human bedroom, not necessarily on your bed, it can be on their own bed on the floor. Dogs usually sleep better and deeper if they are around their humans, which make them less sensitive to the noises outside."