Raising a working puppy

So what’s the difference between raising a working puppy as opposed to a pet puppy? Drive. Building and preserving drive is the main difference in their upbringing. All dogs are motivated by the same basic instincts. They come with food and prey motivation built-in. As they grow, they develop the drive to play and earn praise from their owners.

In pet homes, prey drive is highly discouraged. When the puppy chases an object and bites it, that object can easily become a hand or foot or small child. It is difficult to teach him the difference because to the puppy, these items are all fair game. So from day one, playing tug is discouraged, sitting or lying down is rewarded. Over time, these dogs learn that being calm and submissive brings them more praise and attention.

In work/sporting dog homes, the exact opposite upbringing is applied. We want to build more prey drive in the puppy. We give him tug toys and when he plays with them, we praise and praise. Eventually you can train the puppy just by holding one of his toys. He’ll be so motivated to earn a game of tug, food rewards are no longer required. Dobie has already reached this stage. He is as motivated by a toy as he is by food. Unfortunately, to an outsider, a working puppy appears to be wild. Working puppies are corrected minimally when they are little. There is nothing worse than over-correcting a dog and shutting down its drive to play. A dog that doesn’t love playing cannot be trained to work (using reward based method) because we make work the equivalent of structured play.

Things Petsmart trainers have told me:

• don’t play tug with your puppy
• flip him over on his back so he knows you’re the pack leader
• use hand signals, with treat in hand, motion him to do the desired behaviour

Things Schutzhund trainers have told me:

• play play play all the time, teach puppy that playing with you is the best thing in the world
• praise tugging, chasing a thrown toy, fetching
• give commands in a neutral tone and posture, absolutely no hand signals
• don’t let puppy look at treat in hand before rewarding, we want eye contact
• don’t over-correct the puppy, better to under-correct and let them make mistake again
• build self confidence in the puppy, ignore him if he gets startled or scared

Please try to take all dog training advice with a grain of salt. Everyone has their own methods which they think are best. At the end of the day, the best training method is the method that works best for the dog. Each individual dog matures and learns in his own unique way so as a gentle leader you need to choose the best training method for your dog.

Here’s Dobie training with his new frisbee:

4 months - Little dog big bark

I am so proud of Dobie. His barks are usually quite high pitched when he’s hungry or wants attention. But now I know he’s just being a puppy around us. Yesterday, I heard a big-dog bark from his little puppy body for the first time.

It was 11pm, I had put him to bed in his crate and gone to bed myself. I didn’t know our friend was dropping by to pick up an xbox game. Usually Dobie is very excited and friendly when the doorbell rings because he expects us to welcome in more playmates. He must have known the situation was different since the lights were off and I was upstairs, because when the doorbell rang, he let out a series of protective big-dog barks.

I don’t know how he changed his voice, but the barks were menacingly loud with a low growl. He sounded genuinely frightening. Brandon and I ran downstairs to see what was wrong, and when we got there, he instantly quieted down and waited for us to see who was at the door. When we saw our friend, he sensed that there was no threat and went back to sleep. Even though Dobie was in his crate and couldn’t do anything if it was a break-in, he still warned the ‘intruder’ with his pretend big-dog voice to stay away from our house.

So when people say that dogs don’t have the instinct to protect their homes if they are crated on a regular basis, you can tell them that this is a complete myth. My 4 month old puppy had the good sense and courage to use his big voice. He doesn’t just see the crate as his home, he knows he’s part of the bigger home that Brandon and I belong in. I also learned that even though Dobie has accidents inside the house, chews carpet and wets his crate, he DOES see this as his home and feels the need to protect it. I am extremely proud of my little puppy for being a brave doggy. Good boy Dobie!

Dobie at 4 months of age... *wink*

Ear posting success!

Dobie’s ears have only been posted for 4 weeks and they are standing beautifully! The trick my breeder taught me is to post for at least 3 weeks using a cup first. Then switch to the post. The reason this 2-stage process works well is that the cup helps the base of the ear set. If the cartilage doesn’t harden in an upwards position, the ears won’t stand vertically, parallel to each other.

The methodology is to start by developing a good foundation (base of the ear), ignoring the fact that the cup causes pockets. Pockets are easily removed by stretching the ear up the post. I can testify that these pockets were removed after 1 week of posting. And now, Dobie’s ears stand perfectly. I also did not need to bridge the ears. Since he had pockets and the ears leaned too far inwards, I was happy to see that the posts pointed the ears outwards.

I noticed immediately when I switched to the post that due to his low ear setting, his posts did not stand vertically. They pointed at the 11 and 1 o'clock positions. Some people opt to use a bridge (piece of tape to join the posts) to pull the posts into the vertical position, but the ears could easily lean more to one side. The cup is much more stable, doesn't move around on the puppy's head and ensures that both ears grow straight upwards.

TOTAL POSTING TIME: 3 weeks using a cup + 1 week in posts

Here he is, just shy of 4 months, and I have not posted his ears for 3 weeks:

3 months old

They grow so fast it makes me sad. He still tries to climb on my lap, but he’s too big to curl up on top of my legs now. Dobie is adjusting to settling down on the floor beside me instead. He loves cuddling up for a movie, I think more so than playing fetch (a game he insists we play at least 3 times a day). When we’re playing ball and I sit down on the floor, he thinks it’s his cue to come sit in my lap.

Above: 9 weeks old  /  Below: 12 weeks old

When it comes to learning new commands, he’s awesome. Most definitely the smartest puppy I ever met. You would think that pottying in the crate would be a thing of the past by now, but he still has trouble holding it in the morning and when he feels anxiety in the crate. His natural waking time is around 6am. If I’m not downstairs by 6:15, I’m almost certain to find him crying in a puddle. Then when he sees me, he gets so excited he starts jumping and splashing the puddle to my horror, so all I can do is avoid eye contact with him, don’t say a word, and wait for him to calm down so I can clean him up. I have a feeling his bladder control is not as developed as it should be at 3 months. He only weighs 20 lbs, but the general guideline is that a 3 month old should be closer to 30 lbs. I’ll discuss this with our vet next week when he gets his 3rd set of puppy vaccines.

Here he is at 12 weeks of age, after 3 weeks of posting ears. I’m very pleased with how well his ears are standing after only 3 weeks with the cup. I started putting them in posts this week to straighten the tip of the ears and remove the pockets (which cause the ears to lean inwards).

   

Never enough chew toys

Compared to all my friend’s puppies, Dobie chews the most by far. He can’t help it! Dobermans are known to chew everything they can get their mouths around. But I didn’t expect him to love chewing this much. It doesn’t help that he has a very determined personality. If I don’t let him chew the rug, he’ll sneak back to it when I’m not looking and try to chew it again. Thank goodness for bitter apple spray which deters him instantly, thus providing a correction for chewing an inappropriate item. The best way to distract/correct him is to replace the wrong item with one of his chew toys. Then praise him for chewing one of his toys and not the furniture. His favourites are the linked rings and ‘Mr. Gator’.


Bear stealing a kiss while Dobie naps               Rope toy = WANT


Putting up with his owners                              Mr. Gator, I'm too tired to play now

House-breaking woes

I have had Dobie for 2.5 weeks now and I have to say that the most challenging aspect of his training is house-breaking. He learns commands extremely quickly, usually after just 5 repetitions. But his bad habit of pottying indoors has been tough to break. I’m sad to admit though that all his accidents during the first week have been my fault. Either I didn’t take him out quickly enough after playtime or I brought him inside before he was done.

The second week however, I’m certain he was going potty indoors on purpose. One day, he pooped in his crate 3 times. I figured out 2 days later that this trend was the result of wanting to get out of the crate. So his solution was to poop, cry, then we would let him out. My breeder suggested that next time he does this, clean up around him, but don’t let him step foot out of the crate. This worked like a charm. He was tricking us the whole time!

We’re on the 3rd week now, and yesterday we saw great improvement in his behaviour. Since he learned how to go down stairs, he has started indicating the need to go outside by going down the 2 steps to the doorway and sitting by the front door. When I saw him do this, I praised him like he won a Nobel prize. I think the worst is over now, so I’ll share what I learned this week. Here are some potty training tips to help out future puppy owners.

House-breaking DOs and DON’Ts

DO take puppy out often, every 2 hours, after naps, after play, after meals
DON’T crate for more than 2 hours at a time (until puppy is over 10 weeks old)
DO praise puppy exaggeratedly for his potty outside
DON’T bring puppy inside if he hasn’t attempted to potty
DO give puppy a treat as soon as he finishes the potty outside
DON’T give puppy water after 8pm (make sure he drinks enough during the day)
DO praise puppy for indicating the need to go outside
DON’T leave puppy unattended indoors or you can’t correct him for pooping inside
DO bring puppy back outside 5 minutes after a pee break for a chance to poop
DON’T let any indoor accidents leave a scent, clean thoroughly
DO repeat a phrase (command) while puppy searches for an appropriate potty location
DON’T let puppy out of the crate if he poops in it, clean around him

Precocious puppy

Dobie has been home for 1 week and I finally have some time to update this blog while he naps at my feet. He is a cuddly handful, always wants to play or sit in my lap, needs potty breaks every few hours and is a super smart pup. He has already learned that potty belongs outside, although the execution needs more practice. By the 2nd day, I saw him stop playing, go to the doorway and stare at the door. This was his way of indicating that he needed to go. His only accidents in the house have been my fault. The first time, I brought him in thinking he was done. So he left me a present on the mat by the door. At least it was by the door, so I knew he made the connection already.

Day 2 - 9 weeks old - Sleeping soundly in new crate

Day 2 - 9 weeks old - Stretching his legs

I’m going to train him to bark once at the door when he needs to go out to potty. But first, that requires attaching the bark to a command word. To do this, I’m waiting for him to bark, then I say the command word “AUS”, say “YES!”, then reward. After a few times, he’ll associate the command with the action that got him the reward. This is reward based training. I am using the methods taught by Michael Ellis. The key is using a marker to mark the instant in time that is good or bad behaviour. That word for me is “YES!”. Similar to clicker training (except I don’t need to carry around a clicker), I am marking the correct action with a “YES!”, then giving him a reward. He has already barked a few times, and I have marked the action, however, I think he is under the impression that the command is “woof” and not “AUS”! I’ll have to work on substituting the command I prefer this week.

Day 5 - 9.5 weeks old - Practicing his sit for a photo

Dobie is incredibly smart. He has already learned more in 1 week than many adult dogs I have met. He learned ‘SIT’, ‘DOWN’, ‘PAW’, ‘Follow Me’, ‘COME’, ‘woof’, ‘That’s Enough’, ‘Shhh Bedtime’, and ‘NO!’ all in the span of a few days. This week, the goal is to proof his house-breaking, curb his night-time crate whining, and increase the amount of time he spends quietly in this crate during the day. As I return to work next week, I can’t allow poor crate etiquette to continue. And of course, the long awaited pictures:

9.5 weeks old - Smiley puppy invited for a nap on the couch

9.5 weeks old - Just woke up, so cozy!

9.5 weeks old - Good 'DOWN'!

The day before puppy comes home

… is the most exciting but also the busiest day of all. You’re likely scrambling to get everything ready for the puppy. Last minute shopping runs, cleaning the house one last time and making sure hazardous items are safely put into storage. And good luck trying to fall asleep! I know I’ll be waking up multiple times to check the clock, hoping it’s time to get up and visit the breeder.

In preparation for bringing your puppy home, it’s a good idea to make a list of all the things he might need on the way. Chances are you will be so hyped up that morning to visit the breeder that you’ll forget to pack important items like his leash or your cheque book.

Things to bring to the breeder when picking up your puppy:

[   ]  puppy collar (breeder may not give you the collar currently used to identify your pup)
[   ]  puppy leash (puppy should never go outside without a leash)
[   ]  puppy sweater (November in Canada gets quite cold, better be prepared)
[   ]  towels (can be scented with his litter-mates and put into his crate at home)
[   ]  potty bags (get in the habit of bringing these everywhere)
[   ]  box of kibble for treats (to reward him for good behaviour in the car)
[   ]  water bottle (pretty self explanatory)
[   ]  notebook and pen (write down any advice from the breeder, important dates, to-do’s, etc)
[   ]  video camera (record breeder’s ear posting demo so you can refer to it later)
[   ]  cheque (or money order depending on what form of payment your breeder accepts)
[   ]  paper towels (just in case he has an accident on the way home!)

Pet Insurance

There are many pet insurance providers available and they all offer multiple tiers of coverage. Try to select the plan with the best value that suits your financial needs. The whole point of pet insurance is to ensure your pet receives the care he needs when accidents happen. If you can’t afford to pay the regular veterinary bills, you should not be a dog owner in the first place. That’s something that more people should consider before buying a dog. Insurance companies work because they make money off uneducated people paying for inflated plans that are filled with loopholes. Here are some comparisons for the least expensive plans offered by the top 3 pet insurance providers in Canada:

PetCare - Overpriced, too many exclusions, poor value, insurance has many loop holes to deny you coverage. Take a look at this:

Their least expensive plan is mainly for accident insurance. If you read carefully, you’ll realize that this QuickCare First Aid plan for dogs only covers $1000 for 7 types of accidents. If your accident is not one of the 7 types, they can deny you coverage. Their QuickCare Optimum plan is $38.15 per month but it only covers $1500 first-time illnesses per year.

SPCA Pet Insurance’s Intro Plan - hardly any coverage ($1000 per year) for $35+tax per month?! Ridiculous!

PC Financial’s Value Plan - only covers $2000 for SELECTED illness over the pet’s LIFETIME. How is this good value? Saving $40 a month for 5 years will give me over $2400.

PC Financial’s Accident Plan - $1500 per accident, $100 deductible, no annual limit for $10 a month. For half the price of PetCare’s plan, you get $500 more per accident. Doing the math, $10/month for 10 years is $1200. Just one accident during the lifetime of your pet and this plan is more than paid for. This is the clear winner. This plan works for me in combination with saving for rainy days. Instead of signing on for a $50/month plan, I can save $40/month for illnesses and have accident coverage.

Finally, a pet insurance policy I can live with!

Critical Socialization Period: 10-14 weeks

There is a period of development in all puppies which determine how they perceive new experiences as an adult. This is known as the Critical Socialization Period and it usually occurs between 10 - 14 weeks of age. During this time, the idea is to expose the puppy to as many new experiences as possible so that when the dog comes across a similar experience in the future, it will be able to adapt more quickly and with ease. In a way, we are establishing the baseline in the puppy’s mind for what are considered normal activities and behaviours.

Dobie will:

• meet LOTS of people of varying age, gender and ethnicity
• be exposed to a vacuum cleaner, hair dryer, dish washer, laundry machine
• hear me dropping things on the floor, plates into the sink, letting cutlery fall on the counter
• experience video game sounds and sights, television, radio
• learn car riding manners
• visit my parent’s house and yard
• go to a mall, visit pet stores
• go to cafes, patios, bubble tea take out
• go to parks and playgrounds
• experience grooming, taking baths, brushing teeth, trimming nails
• listen to different types of music
• visit the vet and get his shots

I have highlighted in orange the experiences which require extra caution and sometimes carrying the puppy to prevent him from coming in contact with other animals and their feces.

Here’s the catch, usually puppies are not fully immunized from diseases such as parvovirus and distemper until 16 weeks of age. However by then, the window for critical socialization is closed. My breeder likes to vaccinate at the early end of the accepted schedule in order for proper socialization to occur. Dobie will get his first set of shots at 7 weeks, the second set at 11 weeks and the 3rd set at 14 weeks instead of 16. Between the second and third vaccines, we need to be very careful where we take Dobie, but he will still be able to venture outside and his risk of infection is greatly reduced after receiving 2 vaccines. He still won’t be allowed to visit high dog-traffic areas such as pet stores or the vet office though. It is advised to pick up and carry your puppy when visiting these places. They still gain socialization from being in a new environment, without the unnecessary risk of contamination.

This one!

Dear Dobie,

Trying to find you in a litter of seven puppies was not an easy task. You gave Waldo a run for his money. I almost chose another puppy because you were too busy sniffing the floor. I hope this means that you will excel at tracking in the near future. Not to mention, when all the other puppies piled up to take their afternoon nap, you sat by yourself and chewed on an orange bear thingy. I don't mean to brag, but let's face it, I'm so proud of you already. Thank goodness you eventually came around to say hello and shoved the smaller puppy out of the way. When I picked you up I knew you were Dobie. I'm embarrassed to admit you're not the first puppy I put a collar on though. For over an hour I deliberated and felt that something was wrong until I removed his collar and gave it to you. Only then could I let out a sigh of relief and bring myself to leave the kennel. Here you are, at 6 weeks old with your very first (temporarily pink) collar!

I promise to take care of you to the very best of my ability. See you in 2 weeks!

Fear Imprint Period: 8-11 weeks

This is a tricky socialization period as it affects some dogs much more than others.  Dogs bred with stable temperaments and brave personalities may not be affected by the fear imprint period at all!  These are dogs where nothing seems to scare them.  But the vast majority of dogs will experience fear imprinting to some degree.  Between 8 - 11 weeks of age, the puppy is extra sensitive to fearful events.  If something frightens the puppy and his fear is confirmed by your actions, then he will remember for the rest of his life what frightened him.  He will also be careful to avoid the object or person who frightened him.

For example, say your puppy is following you around the kitchen and you accidentally knock over a baking sheet that makes a loud clash beside him.  This noise and the baking sheet falling from the sky would definitely scare the puppy.  If you laugh, pick up the baking sheet and ignore your puppy’s reaction, he will learn that there was nothing to be scared of.  However, if you drop what you’re doing and coddle the puppy, you have just confirmed his fear of the baking sheet.  From then on, he will avoid the baking sheet or that area of the kitchen.  This is the danger of the fear imprinting period.  Getting him to overcome his fear of the baking sheet later will be very difficult. So the best thing to do is avoid reassuring the puppy when he gets startled by something.  We can also be extra careful of our actions around the puppy.  Try to keep all learning experiences as positive as possible.

Thanksgiving visit to Garshangan Kennels

There is a lot to be thankful for this year.  For one, all the puppies in Dobie’s litter are healthy.  They have been weaned from Abba already and are eating a kibble and water mixture.  Abba is gorgeous again, her tummy has tucked up and it’s hard to tell she had a litter last month.  Jackson has a handsome face with kind eyes.  I will definitely keep an eye out for the puppy who resembles him the most.

In two weeks, I’ll be visiting again to choose my puppy.  They will be 6 weeks old, at which point their personalities become more evident.  The pups can also be ‘stacked’ (show dog stance) to check which dogs most conform to the breed standard.  I’m looking for a puppy with the following personality traits: alert, curious, neither the most dominant nor submissive pup of the litter, interested in chasing a ball, interested in playing tug and seeks interactions with me.  Basically, I am looking for a highly trainable dog with good drive for Schutzhund training.

Here is a video of the puppies at just 4 weeks of age.  They are already exploring outside the whelping box.  We had been playing with them for an hour prior to this footage, so they were all struggling to stay awake.  Some of the puppies fell asleep while sitting up!  As you can see, they all resemble each other in size, head shape, bone structure.  This is typical of line-bred dogs.

Dog food debate

It’s easy to get confused by all the marketing ploys that dog food companies use to fill our heads.  Unfortunately, the biggest names with the most television commercials (Iams, Pedigree, etc) are also the worst things we can feed our dogs.  Those brands are cheap, $30 or less for a 30 lb bag because the quality of the food is cheap.  A lot of it is filler and your dog will end up eating more of it.  So is it really saving you money?  Experienced owners will argue that dogs eat less of a higher quality kibble because they get full sooner and it works out to be about the same cost as each bag lasts longer.  Don’t fall for the commercials with the cute puppies!

On the Doberman talk forum, there is a general consensus that the 2 best dog food brands for Dobermans is Taste of the Wild and Acana.  Of these brands, the formula giving the best results is the fish based kibble.  The fishy formulas have higher omega 3 and 6, which improves dry skin and gives dobes a shiny coat.  Also, some dobes are allergic to poultry so it is best to avoid experimenting with poultry based foods altogether.

The second major dog food debate is whether or not to feed a “puppy” formula or start them off on the “all life stages” formula.  Here’s where it gets tricky, most vets will recommend the puppy formula, but at the same time, they will also admit that they are not nutritionists.  We have to remember that vets look after all breeds of dogs.  What works for other breeds may not be what is best for Dobermans.  Contrary to what your vet will likely recommend, most Doberman breeders will tell you to skip the “puppy” formula because this feed is too rich for the dobe puppy’s digestive system.  They raise their dogs on the “all life stages” formula.  From their experience, the “puppy” formula often gives loose stools, which means that the puppy was not able to absorb all the nutrients while the food passed through their system.  As knowledgeable as veterinarians are about dogs, they are not Doberman specialists.  When it comes to Doberman health and nutrition, there is great value in taking advice from Doberman breeders who have raised many generations of dobes.

The food I have selected for Dobie is Acana Pacifica.  It contains 3 types of fish, all fresh caught, never frozen, contains no preservatives and is made in Canada.  It is also grain free with the following botanical inclusions: juniper berries, angelica root, red raspberry leaf, dandelion root, peppermint leaf and marigold flowers.  To be quite honest, I have no clue as to how these ingredients are beneficial to dogs, but I am a strong believer in natural herbal remedies.  I like that Acana uses natural ingredients in place of chemical compounds.  There are many good dog foods out there, but beware there are just as many bad dog foods.  When choosing a food for your puppy, the most important selection criteria is to screen the ingredients list. The ingredients below are used by manufacturers to cut costs. Some of these are harmful to your dog and feeding him these is the equivalent of slowly poisoning your dog. Do your dog a favour and read the ingredients label on every treat and kibble before you decide to buy it.

Never choose a food that has any of the following listed in the ingredients:
Animal By-Products, Meat and Bone Meal, Poultry Fat, BHT, BHA, Ethoxyquin, Soya, Sugar, Salt, Brewers Rice or Beet Pulp.

Why?
“Meat and bone meal is prepared from the wastes materials associated with slaughtering operations (carcass trimmings, condemned carcasses, condemned livers, inedible offal (lungs) and bones) and also from the rendering of dead animals. There can be a wide variation between plants and batches in what goes into the meat and bone meal that is being prepared. If the ash content is high, this indicates that it contains a higher amount of bones and is referred to as meat and bone meal. If the ash content is lower it is referred to as meat meal.” - FAO
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/FRG/AFRIS/Data/316.HTM

Butylated Hydroxytoluene- BHT, and Butylated Hydroxyanisole- BHA
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (part of the World Health Organization) considers BHA and BHT carcinogenic.
http://www.canadiancontent.ca/issues/0499bht.html
Long-term exposure to high doses of BHT is toxic in mice and rats, causing liver, thyroid and kidney problems and affecting lung function and blood coagulation.
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/issues/health/science/toxics/chemicals-in-your-cosmetics---bha-and-bhti/

“Ethoxyquin is registered for use as an antioxidant to control scald (browning) in pears. It is applied post-harvest by spraying/drenching, paper wrapping, or a combination thereof.” - EPA Pesticide registration
http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/REDs/factsheets/0003fact.pdf

Grossed out yet?  It's a harsh reality.  On the bright side, checkout the full breakdown of Acana Pacifica's ingredients and nutritional content analysis on their website:

http://www.championpetfoods.com/acana/

Puppy proofing the house

The count-down to Dobie's arrival has finally begun.  In the next few weeks, I'll be spending a lot of time reorganizing and cleaning my home.  Puppy-proofing is very similar to baby-proofing. We want to keep dangerous items and our valuables out of reach of the puppy.  Here is my to-do list:

• Put cleaning chemicals in a closet with a door the puppy can’t open.  Safety first. 
• Put away decorations that can be knocked over and broken, such as vases. 
• Roll up and put away your rugs until puppy is house broken.  No point getting mad at the puppy when he has an accident on it.  It was our fault for leaving the rug there. 
• Put all small items away, even if it is on the coffee table.  Remove anything that the puppy can possibly swallow or choke on. 
• Remove any material that the puppy could become tangled in when playing.  Such as nets, string, power cords, or the cables to your gaming console, etc.  Loose cables should be tidied in a cable organizer or wrap. 
• Close the door to all washrooms when the puppy is unsupervised.  We want to avoid the bad habit of drinking out of the toilet.  Yuck! 
• Put away all people food in cupboards.  Don’t leave anything you don’t want the puppy to eat on the counter or kitchen table.  They will find their way to it and there are foods which are toxic to dogs.  I’ll upload a list of toxic foods in another post. 
• Put away your valuables.  The puppy hasn’t learned that these are not chew toys yet. 
• Give the puppy a safe area to play in, fence off the dangerous areas such as the kitchen.  Fill this play area with his toys to help him learn which toys are his and which items belong to you. 
• In addition to cleaning the house, make sure the backyard is puppy proof as well.  Some examples are getting a garbage can with a lid that locks, making sure the lawn is clean of debris that the puppy could potentially ingest and making sure that dangerous weeds have been removed.

Dobie Birth Announcement!

I am overjoyed to announce that Dobie and his litter-mates have been born!

On September 11th, 2011, Garshangan’s Take A Chance On Me “Abba” gave birth to 7 healthy black puppies. All 7 born in this litter are male, one of which is my dearest Epic Dobaru Time “Dobie”.  Abba and the puppies are all doing well.  Their tails will be docked tomorrow.

I have been waiting so long for Dobie to be born that I can’t find the right words to describe how happy I am at the moment. Even though I haven’t met Dobie yet, I love him already.

Congratulations Sheilah & Abba, and many many thank you’s!

Household rules for humans

Have you ever seen those people whose dog runs wild, jumping on all the guests, barking non-stop, and the owners don’t bother correcting the dog anymore because they are so fed up with its behaviour? It’s not a pretty sight, and guess who is to blame! Not the dog, it is always the owner’s fault for the dog’s poor behaviour. When bringing a puppy into a home, there must be basic rules that everyone in the house follows. Even all guests to the home MUST follow the rules because dogs learn through repetition. It is crucial that consistency is maintained in the puppy stages.

Here are the 10 rules I have set for my household. Some are for the puppy's safety and some are for the puppy's training. Most of these rules are just common sense. To make sure these rules are followed, I will print and frame this list to ensure all guests to my home understand how to act around my puppy. Since I am training for a perfectly behaved Schutzhund dog, I cannot allow the reinforcement of unwanted behaviour when my attention is diverted. I already know ahead of time that I will receive negative feedback about these rules. I'll be told that I’m being unreasonable or insensitive to my guests. But to be perfectly honest, it doesn't matter to me how guests feel about the rules.
Don’t be afraid to establish household rules and reinforce them.  Serious dog owners put their dog’s well-being first!

10 Household People Rules

1. Do not feed Dobie anything other than his kibble (NO TREATS, NO PEOPLE FOOD)
2. Do not leave any food out, eat it or put it away, drinks included, except water
3. Close all doors when leaving a room unsupervised (washrooms, bedrooms, office)
4. Do not leave cleaning supplies/chemicals out, put away in closets
5. Do not use chemicals near Dobie, put Dobie in crate before cleaning
6. Do not pet Dobie if you have not washed your hands
7. Ignore Dobie if he jumps up on you, say “NO” and turn away
8. Do not let Dobie on any sofa or bed, say “NO” and push him off
9. Do not let Dobie scratch his ears, say “NO”, hold his foot, give him a chew toy
10. Do not let Dobie chew on anything other than his toys, say “NO”, give him a chew toy

Smart shopping for a puppy

There are so many things a puppy needs, and so many products available, it can be a bit overwhelming trying figure out what to buy. So I wrote down some key points for the items below, along with a picture of what I purchased.

Crate: Choose a crate with an adjustable divider. Reason being, dogs don’t want to mess where they sleep. When crate training, you want to provide only enough room for the puppy to stand and turn around. It is more cost effective to buy the adult size crate instead of a smaller crate for house-breaking and upgrading later.  [Petsmart: $120]

Puppy’s first collar: I went with a simple double-layer nylon collar instead of a harness because I want to start walking my Doberman properly from the beginning. A harness promotes pulling on the leash because the weight of the handler is coming from the dog’s shoulders instead of from the dog’s neck. It gives the handler less control of the dog.  [Petsmart: $10]

Leash: The best advice I read was to start with a short training leash, 4 to 6 feet tops. I went with a double-layer 4 foot nylon leash that matches the puppy collar. The goal is to teach the dog to walk beside you in a relaxed manner. Long extentable leashes make it easy for the dog to run ahead of you, which is behaviour we want to eliminate from daily walks. The leash I picked also has a padded grip for added comfort. I expect the puppy to pull on the leash for a while before he learns to walk on a slack lead.  [Petsmart: $15]

Food/water bowls: Opt for stainless steel as ceramic and plastic are porous, which overtime become difficult to clean and experience more wear than stainless steel. I chose a 2-in-1 bowl with a stainless steel insert. This way, when it is not meal-time, the outer bowl can be left out with some water. When it is meal-time, the water will be removed and the food bowl goes in its place. This prevents the dog from drinking too much water after eating. Dobermans and other large breeds are prone to a fatal condition called bloat. One of the causes is excessive drinking immediately after eating, causing the stomach to expand rapidly. By having this 2-in-1 bowl, the dog won’t have water with his meal, until you remove the food bowl and fill the outer bowl with water again. This can be done 15-30 minutes after the meal, giving the dog time to digest properly.  [PJ's Pets: $30]

Toothbrush and toothpaste: Dental bones and chew toys will not get rid of your dog’s bad breath. Buy a dog toothbrush and clean your dog’s mouth at least once a week. Make sure you buy the dog toothpaste as well. Human toothpaste has fluoride which is toxic to dogs since they don’t know how to rinse and spit it out. Dog toothpaste comes in delicious chicken flavour so they will learn to enjoy having their teeth brushed.  [Petsmart: $15]

Potty Training Spray: I decided to purchase a potty training spray as well. This is for indicating where you would like the puppy to go on a daily basis. For example, if you are an avid gardener and you don’t want your dog watering your plants, this spray will train your dog to always go in the same location you picked for him/her.  [Petsmart: $8]

Pet Stain & Odour Remover: Last but not least, don’t forget to buy this important cleaning item! It is inevitable that your puppy will have an accident in the house. Clean it up as thoroughly as you can so that the puppy does not smell the spot later and think “that’s where I’m supposed to go potty!”  [Petsmart: $12]

Some bad news, some good news

The bad news: The litter I was waiting for had some complications. Only one puppy was born, and it was a red male. When this happens, the mother usually has difficulty giving birth because it’s hard to push out just one pup. She needed a c-section, but good news is that both mother and pup are well.

The good news: A litter of all black puppies is due September 8th. This litter has the same pedigree as the first, except in reverse. The sire of this litter is the brother of the dam in the first litter. And the dam of this litter is the sister of the sire in the first litter.

Now it’s time to cross my fingers again and wait patiently for Dobie to be born. The upside to all of this is now I have more time to prepare for Dobie’s arrival and develop a plan for puppy Schutzhund training.

These are puppy pictures of (hopefully) Dobie’s parents! If Dobie is even half has handsome as these two I would be extremely happy with him.

Sire: Garshangan's Union Jack AKA Jackson (Ch. Wrath's Soldier of Fortune x Ch. Garshangan's Legendary Dyna)

Dam: Garshangan's Take A Chance On Me AKA Abba
(Ch. Dobereich's One Of A Kind x Ch.Garshangan's Legendary Dyna)

Pictures courtesy of Garshangan Kennels

Finding The Right Breeder

Once you have determined your favourite breed of dog, it’s time to do more research. This is the fun part, but also the most important part.  As hard as this is to believe, choosing the right breeder is actually more important than choosing the right puppy.

In the case of Dobermans, this breed has a predisposition to many genetic defects such as Von Willebrand’s disease, hip dysplasia, cervical vertebral instability (wobbler syndrome), as well as heart defects and skin problems.  The good news is, if the parents are tested clear of these defects, you can be sure your puppy will also be in the clear.  It is also observed that some aspects of temperament are passed along as well.  If the parents have a problem with aggression, the puppies will also display aggressive behaviours that may not be acceptable to you, so make sure you find a reputable breeder who will answer your questions honestly.

The first thing I noticed when I was searching for Dobie’s breeder is that good breeders have as many questions to ask me as I have to ask them.  Don’t be offended if the breeder wants to “interview” you. This is a very good thing. It means they are a responsible breeder who wants to ensure their puppies go to good homes. I wanted a local breeder that I could always contact if any problems came up. Of all the breeders in southern Ontario, I chose Garshangan Kennels:
http://www.garshangan.ca/

Frank and Sheilah are wonderful people who breed their dogs with health, temperament and longevity in mind. Breeding is a hobby for them, they are not breeding for profit, so they only have 1 or 2 litters available each year. Good breeders always have waiting lists for puppies because they don't over-breed their dogs. Infact, I’m on Garshangan’s waiting list at this time.

Here are some of the questions I asked when I was choosing a breeder:
1. What type of health testing is done on your dogs?  Can you provide documentation certifying the health of the parents?
2. How old did the dogs in your bloodlines live to be?
3. How are the puppies socialized while in your care?
4. Will I have continued support throughout the puppy’s lifetime should any problems arise?
5. Do you have a contract guaranteeing the health of the puppy and whether it must be spayed/neutered in the future?