The Eight PUPPY P’s

Benjamin Franklin once said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." This is true in life and it's true when it comes to raising our pets. Proper Prior Planning Prevents...

Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performing Puppies

The phone call dog trainers dream about getting, but never do:

“Hello? Yes, I’m thinking about getting a dog, here’s my situation… Do you have any recommendations on where to find one and how to pick the right one? Will you be able to help me raise them to be the perfect family pet?”

The phone call owners wish they had made and trainers only get 5% of the time:

“Hello? Yes, I just got a new dog/puppy and I need your guidance: what dog supplies to buy and not to buy, what’s the fastest way to house-train them,  how dogs think and learn,  how to avoid behavioral problems from ever becoming problems, and how to raise them to be confident and well adjusted members of the family?”

The phone call that trainers get about 95% of the time:

“Hello? My dog isn’t listening to me and has lots of bad habits, can you perform miracles?”

When I first started training over 30-years ago, the majority of trainers and animal professionals prescribed that dogs be at least 6- months to 1- year old before starting a basic obedience class. I was advocating 4-6 months, still WAY off from what is being  recommended today. Animal professionals now all agree (the good ones anyway), that seeking help from an animal professional needs to start before even getting a dog, or right when you bring your new dog home (at the latest). Well, that’s if you want to avoid many of the frustrating and costly problems from happening, ESPECIALLY the big one of having to surrender your dog to an animal shelter where chances of survival are slim. This is not to say older puppies and dogs can’t learn or change to be wonderful pets, this is what we trainers do everyday, and with today’s scientificly proven techniques, along with years of experience, miracles (I use that word loosely) are being performed. Changing some behaviors can take several training sessions and many weeks to get it right, the cost can be intimidating to some, and some people may not have the time to make that happen. A trainer understands that many, if not all, the bad behaviors would have never developed if the dog and owner had PROPER early education.  Teaching someone how to prevent behavior problems from developing is SO much easier, for dog and owner, and the cost would be lower too. For the 95% of you who will call a trainer when you’re at wits end, still call, it’s never too late, just know for next time, Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performing Puppies… and adult dogs.

I’ve posted several blogs regarding prevention… Happy browsing.