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Pandemic Puppies!

3/15/2021

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So you adopted a puppy during the pandemic?

Congratulations!!!

There are few things more wonderful than the addition of a brand new darling to the home. They will enrich your life in ways you would never expect. 

The decision does come with a heavy weight of responsibilities. I've written this blog for all the pandemic puppy owners as a way to prepare yourself for what's coming in the next few months. 

Developmental Deadlines:
When you adopt a new puppy, there are six developmental deadlines you must meet before your puppy is six months old! If you think that's a tight timeline, you're absolutely right. That you're here, reading this blog, puts you and your puppy partner ahead of the curve. What's the risk of not meeting these developmental deadlines? Playing behavioral catch-up for the rest of your puppy's life. So without further ado, let's dive into the first three developmental deadlines you must meet with your new puppy before she or he is six months old. 



Deadline #1 - Your Education

You may not realize this, but it is critical that you first complete your education about puppy education before searching for your puppy. You need to know how to select a puppy well, and how puppies work and function in daily life. This is an awful lot like buying a car: it involves tons of research and a "test drive", and in a perfect world, you'd do this with a wide selection of puppies before narrowing down to just one. 

In terms of puppy education itself, you must know how to teach your puppy some very critical behaviors:
  • Where to go to the bathroom
  • What's good for chewing
  • When barking is appropriate, 
  • Where the digging is good
  • How to walk well on a leash
  • How to settle down and quiet down
  • How to inhibit biting
  • How to enjoy being alone
  • How to enjoy time spent in the company of other dogs, and other people (especially strangers and children!)
.


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Deadline #2 - Learning How to Evaluate Your Puppy's Progress. 

Understanding how to assess your upcoming puppy's current socialization and educational development. This is regardless of breed or breeding. Allow me to repeat. 

Your puppy's socialization and education development at the time of your meeting is what it is regardless of breed or breeding.

 If
 socialization, errorless housetraining, and basic manners are not well underway by eight weeks of age, the puppy is already developmentally disabled. 


Let that sink in for a minute. 


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Deadline #3 - Perfect Housetraining and Chew-toy Training

​It is your responsibility to ensure that an error-free housetraining and chewtoy program is in place from the very first day that your puppy comes home. That means you must be ready with the right education and a robust home set-up before your puppy ever arrives home. 

So now you might be wondering, and rightfully so - how do I get ready for this? And if your puppy is already on the way to you in so-many-days,  you may be reading this and wondering - oh man, where do I start?

That's where I come in. I want to help you get ready, and I'm going to do it for the cost of just two minutes of your time. Go ahead and register with All Dogs here Register and send me an email. I'll send you my free ebook straightaway. If you're local to Toronto but not sure about taking some puppy classes with a professional, let me know your situation - I'm certain there's some way I'll be able to help. 

If you're not local to Toronto, you might be reading this blog and have a puppy on the way (and even if your baby has already arrived - no judgement, you're going to be okay!). You may also be realizing that the cost of a professional dog trainer is just not within reach right now, or that the kind of training help you want isn't available where you live. Not a worry! I have resources for you!

Allow me to introduce you veterinary behaviorist Dr. Ian Dunbar. I encourage you to check out his course on puppy rearing and training here.
  There are also some free classes available that will help you later in your dog's life. There's no fee to sign up, so you really have nothing to lose. Dr. Dunbar's tireless work and dedication to bringing force-free dog training to the masses is the reason it is such a widespread training method today. I'm really happy to be able to pay my experience learning with him forward in this way. Go forth, new puppy parent, and learn! 

No matter what you decide to do, I wish you the very best of luck with your new addition. The days ahead will be wild, but wonderful, and you'll wonder how you ever got along without a dog in your life before. 

Happy training everyone!

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Author

Camille Salter is a force-free positive reinforcement dog trainer and behavior expert. She specializes in working with rescues from all over the world to address problems of reactivity (human, dog), resource guarding, separation anxiety, and behavioral psychology.

1 Comment

    Author

    Camille Salter is the founder of All Dogs Toronto and a certified, knowledge-assessed dog trainer (CPDT-KA). She is the author of two books on dog behavior: Pandemic Puppy, Decoding the Dog Park, and the Big Book of Dog Training. 

    Camille studies neuroscience, applied animal behavior, canine  physiology and nutrition, ethical behavior analysis, evolutionary behavior psychology, neural networks, stress-free animal handling, behavior economics, coaching and consulting. 

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Books On Dogs and Dog Behavior by Camille Salter, CPDT-KA

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Urban dog parks are fraught with risk. These environments host to an ever-changing assemblage of dogs with different backgrounds, life experiences, tolerances, and drives. Learn how to navigate them with confidence, safety, and skill with this navigation guide designed for the active dog parent in mind.​
​
"Pandemic Puppy" is a mini-book designed for the undersocialized puppy, and outlines best practices for puppy rearing, socialization during a pandemic, obedience, attention, calming behaviors, and compliance. All delivered in a force-free, scientific manner. Read this book. Once you have these lessons under your wing, you and your puppy will soar with excellence and never look back.



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What Our Clients Are Saying

I adopted Frank not even a month ago. I’ve been training him myself, and got him to do ’sit,’ ‘down,’ ‘come,’ and ‘wait,’ at home. But when we went outside, it was a different story: he got a bit too excited, and that led to pulling on the leash, which wasn’t a pleasant experience for either of us. He never made eye contact with me, and calling his name and offering treats of all sorts didn’t do much, either. Working with Camille turned this around after just one session — she was so patient and calm with both me and Frank, and taught me how I could get Frank to connect the dots between paying attention to me and getting food. Since then, he comes and sits upon command even in the most distracting situations like being surrounded by other dogs in a park with firetruck siren blaring in the background. It’s been so rewarding to start developing this bond with Frank that will last a lifetime. Thank you Camille!” - Maythe Han

"There is only one word to describe Camille: AMAZING. My dog developed separation anxiety during the pandemic. I couldn't even use the washroom without my dog having a panic attack and after a single session and doing the homework, I'm suddenly leaving her alone for 3 hours like it's nothing. MIRACLE. Also, the GTA is filled with irresponsible dog owners who let their untrained dogs off leash in clearly on-leash areas. They sometimes come after us. It's very scary especially since if my dog reacts, she can get in trouble despite them breaking the law and us following it. Camille walked my dog and kept her calm as these inconsiderate owners and their dogs ran about. She teaches dogs and trains people. It was like watching a magician. I'll admit, I had my reservations our first session just based on the steep price, but after working with Camille I know without a doubt she is worth all that and more. Her methods are not for people looking for an easy fix with minimum work. You need to do the homework and put in the time. If you need a dog trainer, there is no one I recommend more than Camille. She will care for your dog like its her own. And just be aware, sometimes she will say things you won't like, but need to hear. When I heard my dog's timeline for separation anxiety was a few months and that I would need to keep her in daycare to avoid worsening things, I was pretty disheartened. Daycare isn't cheap. But she was giving me her professional and realistic opinion and it ultimately paid off. It really REALLY paid off. I honestly can't say enough about this canine miracle worker." - Evalina Ho

"Camille is a brilliant, caring and amazing trainer. She explains a range of outcomes and effort levels and helps navigate the emotional trials of puppyhood.

We are grateful for her knowledge and weekly check-ins to ensure we are on the right path with Hermes (our dog).

We truly support her positive reinforcement approach to dog training and are very satisfied with the results." - Graham Knowles

"I cannot say enough positive things about Camille Salter, the owner of All Dogs. From the moment my rescue dog and I met Camille, I knew she would work wonders. Her demeanor, grace and confidence made my dog fall in love her instantly. She is so incredibly knowledgeable that I try to soak up as much information as I can from her.

I highly highly recommend Camille Salter and All Dogs. Whether you are looking for a professional trainer or walking, she will provide you with all of the tools needed to ensure your dog is set up for success.

Camille is truly a pillar in the community of canine training within Toronto.

Thank you Camille!!" - Tessa Vaskas


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