Pete's "Puppy License" is Expiring...

Adult dogs take a lot of crap from puppies. They generally tolerate behavior from them that would trigger a nasty fight if coming from another adult. It's called "puppy license," and is essentially a license to pester, bully, steal and commit a myriad of other social faux pas. We humans are generally appalled by it, and fret and sweat bullets at the amount of bad behavior our resident adults are subjected to. But as the puppy hits teething age, their hormone levels begin to rise which is believed to be the trigger which causes that license to expire and inspire the adults to correct the puppy. Depending upon the level of brattiness the puppy is showing at this time and the social level and sexual status of the adult, those corrections can be mild, or they can be administered with an alarming level of fuss and feathers - even blood if the situation warrants.

Over the past few days, Pete has been becoming increasingly ferocious in his play and frankly, I was becoming a little concerned over it, especially with Piglet. I mean really - some of his play with her was sure looking like more than mock attacks. But Piglet has been returning his assaults with clear play postures so I thought maybe I was misreading the situation. She generally doesn't put up with shenanigans and will correct a bratty puppy, but hasn't done so with him. Yet.

Nugget, my intact male ACD, has been Pete's constant playmate since his arrival and the two of them have gotten along quite well. So, I didn't think twice about putting them out in the yard together to potty and play. Heh. I only looked away for a moment, and suddenly I heard this great SCREAMING that I equate with two dogs trying to kill each other. Uh-oh...

The two boys were going at it hot and heavy, and my feeble cry of "KNOCK IT OFF!!!" went entirely unheeded. Oh, I thought, there's going to be bloodshed.

I scrambled to put on shoes and jacket and grabbed my walking stick and charged out the door. By that time, the boys had made their way to a dark corner of the yard and all was quiet. I saw Nugget standing over a frosty red, motionless lump on the ground and Rodney the Basset standing nearby as if counting the seconds to a KO. I was offering a quick prayer to God that the puppy was okay.

As I approached, Nugget scooted off, Pete got up (Thank you, God!) and ran to a corner of the yard close to the house. He was quite shaken and gave me wide berth. I literally herded him into the house, where he settled in moments and allowed me to do a wound check. To my surprise, he had only a small patch of wet fur on his shoulder - no blood, no wounds. I called Nugget in and checked him. Same thing - no wounds. Not a scratch on either one of them!

Then it occured to me: What I had just witnessed wasn't a fight - it was a correction. And it was a biggie. And Pete, I must admit, needed that. Until that moment, Pete thought he was the center of the universe. After that, he's been quite respectful of me and the other adults, and he is walking on eggshells, especially around Nugget. Good boy!

I thought about separating them, but then I thought that wouldn't be wise. Nugget handled that situation like a proper dad who knew his son needed to be taken down a few pegs and he did it with a determination, fury and restraint which I could not. Funny, but a little while later, Nugget approached Pete and licked his face. Such is the way of dogs.

Pete's puppy license is expiring and it's sometimes a tough lesson for a little guy. Methinks it is a lesson worth learning. Yet it is only one lesson in an entire course on where puppy fits in, so I'm expecting I may not have seen the last of it.

Training Week 2, Days 3 and 4

You see? This is what I get for not writing every day - CONFUSED. I did get Pete out on my birthday for some short leash work - tempt and about turn, right and left turns, pace changes. It's really kind of funny - you know your dog has learned to watch you when he starts catching himself in mistakes, especially those of inattention. For example, we'll be walking along, he'll see something and forge slightly ahead and then quickly snap his head around to look at me as he practically jumps back into heel position, even before I have a chance to react. Hey, let's face it - I'm not as young as I used to be, nor am I as quick. That stuff you learned in driver's ed - that your reaction time lengthens as you age - is TRUE. And it's a source of infinite frustration for me. And there's really not a whole lot you can do about it. I know. I've tried. And being a bit emotionally discombobulated doesn't help, either. But I digress....

Yesterday we introduced the sit command into our heeling work. Like many dogs starting obedience training, he does know the sit command, but it's important at this step to position your dog's sits. Why? Because it's not just about a butt on the ground. It's about the dog yielding to your positioning of his body, and it's about him sitting in heel position, which is with his front leg exactly in line with the outside seam of your pants leg. You can't get either with treat luring, or with an independent sit response. Positioning the dog doesn't give him the chance to sit wrong.

"But you're a control freak!" you say. Yes, I am. If this puppy is going to be out in public, perhaps waiting in checkout lines or riding in elevators with my mom, he has to learn to sit exactly next to his handler, close and straight, to avoid being stepped upon. Think about that. And by tucking his butt, he's also learning to sit with his tail underneath him, not dangling out behind where it can be trampled. Besides, precision gives the dog's mind something to work on when you're out with him doing routine and boring things, or in distractive environments.

Good news... as we were making our trip around the block, as we passed the home of the two e-fenced Terrier-ists, the owners were immensely interested in what I was doing. I'm going over there Monday - might have a new client! LOL...

I was also able to introduce him to a neighbor across the street - a very nice fellow - and he saw kids on skateboards for the first time. Pete learned that rather than fretting about the skateboards, he should be thinking about WHEN TO SIT. Hmmm.... Perhaps that's part of the wisdom of this method. Whaddyathink?

A New Place

Last night I took him to the dog club for the first time, as I was teaching a very small advanced class. I picked up Mom so she could spend some time with Pete. She is such a nice, friendly person, it's really hard for her to "get" the "sit on the leash" exercise. Hah... I left her sitting on Pete's leash with instructions of "No talk, no touch, no eye contact," and began calling heeling patterns for the students. Then I heard Pete gagging. I look over - there's Mom, and there's Pete - IN HER LAP - with her still sitting on the leash!! Arrrgggghhh....

That's where my INNER BITCH takes over...

"NO TALK, NO TOUCH, NO EYE CONTACT!!! PUT THAT DOG DOWN NOW!"

"But he wanted..."

"I DON'T CARE WHAT HE WANTED - PUT HIM DOWN!" Yikes... Now you know why *I'm* training this dog. No time to explain that she has just taught him NOT to lie quietly at her side in a public place.

Later, we went to her house for a while and I told her NOW you may INVITE him into your lap if you wish - if you really think that a 55-pound dog belongs there. Personally, I think there is a time and place for that, and that's at home. Only.

We let Pete explore the house, and Mom got another important lesson. My challenge with her is going to be keeping her from letting him get fat. I think it's her Italian upbringing - overfeeding = love. You should see my baby pictures! On second thought, no. Anyhow, she likes to give dogs treats after a potty outing, so, fine. After we walked Pete and Rascal, she gave both dogs a treat. Then she wanted to give another one. I said OK, but that's it. She heads for the refrigerator and takes out a half of a roasted chicken and broke off a bit of breast meat.

NO - NO - NO - NO!!!!

"Oh, come on.. just a little piece..."

Me: NO PEOPLE FOOD FOR THIS DOG!

Mom: But Rascal likes it...

Me: NO PEOPLE FOOD!

After a few rounds, I said "Look... if you want to take this dog out in public, especially to restaurants, he HAS to know that YOUR food is OFF LIMITS. If he thinks your food is his, you may have to correct him in public and all your friends will think you're a MEANIE. And all because YOU taught him to beg for YOUR food."

I think she got it, but I don't know. Sometimes she seems to grasp a concept - or maybe she gives me lip service. But at least she got a more appropriate treat for him, and I impressed upon her that he must SIT and sit nicely before any treat is given.

Maybe I should get him a bandanna that says "I work for food...."

Training mom is going to be much harder than training the dog. At least I know that Pete listens to me!