Dogs are Great People Trainers by The Naughty Dogge

Dogs are Great People Trainers:Dogs are such good teachers, and can train people to do the most bizarre things. And in...

Posted by The Naughty Dogge on Wednesday, 15 April 2015

Go Home Day is not to far away!

I always enjoy putting together my Go Home Bags -- and putting together some fun stuff for the Easy Riders is no different. 

Each Moonlight puppy leaves with our "world famous" bag of goodies which includes: a fleece blanket (not shown), toothbrush/toothplaste kit, Kong, plush toy, lots of chewies (bullies, kneecaps, ears, etc), horn, and lots of puppy training/raising/socializing handouts (not shown) and a tote bag. All of this ensures the owners can hit the ground running and get onto socializing and training their new puppy.

Note:  Senior Kong because I like the softness of the rubber, it is more durable than the Puppy version and chewier than the Regular version.  

We're learning to love our crate!

All six Easy Riders share a crate while the Kuranda dog bed next to the crate, is empty.

Crate training is the only way to housebreak a puppy and once you establish the crate as their safe haven raising a Vizsla goes much smoother. 

Puppy Exercise and Growth Plates

A tired dog is a good dog, right?  Well that is not necessarily true for puppies.  

The following diagram has been widely circulated on Facebook and provides an average age -- lower end being small dogs and the upper end large dogs) -- in which the closures occur.  I send home detailed exercise guidelines with my puppies.   

Injuries to the growth plate may not heal properly or not heal in time for the puppy to grow up straight and strong.  Injury to a growth plate can result in a misshapen or shortened limb which, in turn, can create an incorrect angle to a joint which can make the puppy more prone to yet more injuries when he grows up. 

Additional reading:  "Puppy Fitness that Fits the Puppy - Age Appropriate Guidelines" by Jane Killion http://www.puppyculture.com/appropriate-exercise.html

The Puppy Playpen and Potty Box

 Bed and toys one end and potty box in the other end.

The Easy Riders hanging on the bed next to the Puppy Plaything -- which is a PVC puppy mobile of sorts. The puppies are socialized to items of different sizes and shapes and they can bump into the items getting used to things touching their head/bodies. 

Another view.

The flooring is vinyl which is mopped, bleached and cleaned 3x's a day.  This ensures the puppies utilize the puppy pellet box which keeps them clean and aids with housebreaking. 

Most days as their breeder, I feel like Cinderella with a mo and rubber gloves -- but I know it's easier than the alternative (wet/messy/poop smeared newspaper or potty pads).  AND -- the owners will thank me later when the puppy has a great start on their housebreaking. 

How to handle Puppy Nipping . . .

What "not" to do follows the old school way of interacting with dogs and as noted, leads to problems (most seriously, fear-agression).  Remember puppies explore with their mouths so biting and nipping is NORMAL behavior. 

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

10 Reasons Not to Use a Retractable Leash

1. The length of retractable leashes, some of which can extend up to 26 feet, allows dogs to get far enough away from their humans that a situation can quickly turn dangerous. A dog on a retractable leash is often able to run into the middle of the street, for example, or make uninvited contact with other dogs or people.
2. In the above scenario, or one in which your pet is being approached by an aggressive dog, it is nearly impossible to get control of the situation if the need arises. It's much easier to regain control of – or protect -- a dog at the end of a six-foot standard flat leash than it is if he's 20 or so feet away at the end of what amounts to a thin string.
3. The thin cord of a retractable leash can break – especially when a powerful dog is on the other end of it. If a strong, good-sized dog takes off at full speed, the cord can snap. Not only can that put the dog and whatever he may be chasing in danger, but also the cord can snap back and injure the human at the other end.
4. If a dog walker gets tangled up in the cord of a retractable leash, or grabs it in an attempt to reel in their dog, it can result in burns, cuts, and even amputation. In addition, many people have been pulled right off their feet by a dog that reaches the end of the leash and keeps going. This can result in bruises, "road rash," broken bones, and worse.
5. Dogs have also received terrible injuries as a result of the sudden jerk on their neck that occurs when they run out the leash, including neck wounds, lacerated tracheas, and injuries to the spine.
6. Retractable leashes allow dogs more freedom to pull at the end of them, which can look like aggression to another dog who may decide to "fight back."
7. The handles of retractable leashes are bulky and can be easily pulled out of human hands, resulting in a runaway dog.
8. Along those same lines, many dogs – especially fearful ones – are terrorized by the sound of a dropped retractable leash handle and may take off running, which is dangerous enough. To make matters worse, the object of the poor dog's fear is then "chasing" her, and if the leash is retracting as she runs, the handle is gaining ground on her – she can't escape it. Even if this scenario ultimately ends without physical harm to the dog (or anyone else), it can create lingering fear in the dog not only of leashes, but also of being walked.
9. Retractable leashes, like most retractable devices, have a tendency to malfunction over time, either refusing to extend, refusing to retract, or unspooling at will.
10. Retractable leashes are an especially bad idea for dogs that haven't been trained to walk politely on a regular leash. By their very nature, retractables train dogs to pull while on leash, because they learn that pulling extends the lead.

Full Article: http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2014/06/11/retractable-dog-leash.aspx?x_cid=20141014_ranart_petretracableleash_facebookdoc

Things Vizsla Owners Wish They Had Known Before Getting Their First Vizsla

At home with Zene, Csilla, Cordie and Lyra

About Vizsla ownership, you might have heard, "You will never go to the bathroom alone again".

Well, its true! 

Check out the entire article "Things Vizsla Owners Most Wish They Had Known in Advance of Getting Their First Vizsla" (from a poll of VizslaTalk list members).  Link:  

http://vcli.net/the-breed/things-v-owners-wish-they-had-known-before-getting-their-first-vizsla/

Which Types of Collars and Harnesses are Safe for Your Dog?

3 Vizslas/one walk using no-pull harnesses (L to R: Csilla, Lyra and Zene)

Which Types of Collars and Harnesses are Safe for Your Dog? by Dr. Sophia Yin 

Dr. Yin shares an excellent overview of a variety of common collars and harnesses. None is perfect. They are all just tools. But some are more likely to cause problems in your pet or may just provide a less than ideal match for your needs. In case you're wondering which I prefer—ideally my dogs can walk on leash with the flat collar that they wear regularly. But for those dogs that tend to pull (or when I walk multiple V's) I  recommend a front-attaching harness or a head collar of some sort.

Read the entire article:  http://drsophiayin.com/blog/entry/which-types-of-collars-and-harnesses-are-safe-for-your-dog

*** Please no choke chains or prong collars on a Vizsla.