Managing Puppies
MANAGEMENT AND PUPPIES
The neurotic behaviors that is seen in many puppies can be directly connected to a neurotic approach by dog owners putting their energy into the wrong areas and fussing too much over their puppies. Nowhere else is that more apparent than when it comes to management of your dog or puppy. The topic of management is a difficult one to broach with the average dog owner. The topic is fraught with misunderstandings due to “celebrity dog trainers” and the commercialism that surrounds dog ownership today. Crates, kennels, pens, fences and leashes are all examples of management tools. Most owners want the dog (or puppy) to feel included in on every possible activity, enriched, beloved and cared for. Puppies end up exhausted, with nervous systems punchy and lacking focus, and possessing what looks like like the beginning of real aggression issues.
First and foremost, puppies need LOTS of sleep. Like 18-20 hours a day. When you rotate your puppy through spaces in a day, they have a certain amount of time that they are not sleeping. Keep that in mind if you actually decide to add up your puppy's sleep time. I have had many well intentioned clients come to me and tell me they purposely kept their puppies up during the day so that they would sleep through the night. That is obviously far more time than a puppy can handle being awake and guided to make good decisions. Exhausted puppies can not control themselves and often spin themselves into serious behavior issues.
By simply living with your puppy in a natural way, and rotating them in and out of crate, kennel, dog yard, living room, back yard, etc, you can achieve enough sleep, enough training, enough exercise, enough enrichment and form good toilet habits and house manners. That means NOT including puppies on many of the day's activities. I know that hurts to hear, but it is what is best for your puppy. And you. I promise.
Think about human babies. Think about how much is simply sleep time. Wake up, change diaper, eat, change diaper, sleep. It's not always advantageous to compare puppies and children but it makes sense in this case. Don't treat your puppy like a human child, but think about how much “down time” your puppy really needs in a comfortable crate, pen, or kennel. Your puppy comes out of confinement, goes potty outside, trains a bit, comes inside and practices being in the house (with your guidance) and goes into an x-pen or crate for down time. An activity or two a day outside of that is PLENTY for any puppy.
Many of the families having their puppy out with them all day have to constantly and inconsistently scold their puppies, reward their puppies, teach or not teach things and generally confuse the heck out of most puppies. Especially during this time of many people staying closer to home, puppies are both over and under influenced. The wrong stuff is emphasized and encourages an unstable and unbalanced mindset. There is palpable conflict between dog and the owner or owners. Make sure that when you have your puppy in the house with you that you can provide complete direct supervision.
I go to homes like these, and try to tell them more crate time, and can see in their eyes they are unhappy with the idea of it. Many dog owners are simply letting the puppies live, hoping they love them, and hoping they make good choices on their own. Either that will never happen, or you simply will not get the best out of your dog if this is your plan. Your dog will be with you for many years. Make it right. If you are willing to make a commitment to a dog, make the commitment to take the time to do it right and be the biggest influence in developing your dog.
Rest assured, my way is far more work. So this is not to say that people should just chill out and let their puppies waste away in a kennel, crate or dog yard. When you tend to your puppy all day long, but through management methods and tools, you eliminate the chance of a puppy practicing mistakes and can guide them to better ones. You assure their sleep needs are met and good toilet habits are forming. You train them, you teach them how to be handled, and you have their backs when they need you. Most importantly, when they are at an appropriate age, you hold them accountable for what you teach them and build them up to be the best that they can be through clear communication.
