Hold on Tight
– January 7, 2017 Toby –
Today, I’d like to talk about training. Training us canines is what makes it all work, otherwise you humans will have a problem on your hands: snappy dogs, dogs that destroy things, and dogs that are in general a pain in the arse. So today’s topic is “Hold on Tight.” Listen up humans.
When a puppy seems overexcited and amped up, it is important that you pick them up and hold them saying “Stop” or some other monosyllabic (Hmm. what a nice word, wonder what it means) until they stop squirming. Starting this process when they are young make this easier as puppies are usually small enough to pick up and fully control whereas a four month old Greatoodle might be a handful for a small human.
This training, like all training, must be done everyday and consistently. Everyday because that is how training is accomplished quickly and with a poodle mind, we learn things right away. Consistently means picking up the puppy and hugging us tightly, but not so tight it hurts, and saying your word.
Keep the hug until we stop squirming completely and relax in your arms. If you release your grip and we immediately squirm, hug us until we stop. During the first days that this training occurs, we may never stop squirming when you release your grip. Over time, we will stop squirming and rest in your lap.
The long term benefits of this training make us a better lap dog, easier to control, especially in stressful situations (stressful to us canines) and easier to train for other behaviors. So hug your dog and a belly rub is good too.
