One of the many plusses about sending your pup or dog to the Love Wags A Tail board-and-train boot camp is that they have access to socialize with my dogs, who are all good dog-dog and dog-puppy communicators.
Puppies need to learn that when an adult dog says “no,” he means “stop!” Some adult dogs are better at teaching that to puppies than others. The most imporatnt element when choosing adult dogs to co-mingle with puppies is that they say no to the puppy without hurting it physically. A dog who air snaps, growls, barks, turns away, puts their paw on a puppy, and even walks away is communicating a good “no!” to that puppy. There are some dogs who skip all of that and bite and puncture the puppy’s skin or worse. Avoid putting your puppies and dogs in situations where they may encounter dogs like that. Know the dogs your allowing your own pet to play with.
If your own adult dog is communicating with your puppy to “leave me alone!” with all of the flare of a loud animal but without biting, then that is a good thing. Don’t reprimand the adult dog for communicating with a puppy in a healthy, dog-dog way. That is arguing. Sometimes a puppy will yelp because its been scared. Puppies yelp. That’s OK, too.
When people argue, we get louder. When dogs argue, they get louder and more assertive, too. But if things are heating up and no one’s backing down, which usually happens more often with dog-dog rather than puppy-dog arguments, then break it up. Even if the puppy isn’t stopping his pursuite of the adult dog after lots of warnings from the adult, pull the puppy off. It’s the puppy who’s overstepping boundaries and needs to learn no, and sometimes humans need to interrupt, especially if it’s a softer adult dog who’s inherited a new puppy sibling. Put the puppy in a timeout when he gets too rowdy. and let the adult dog off the hook with having to be the teacher. If he’s doing a good job tolerating and communicating with the puppy, he’ll need a break.
As long as no biting with resulting puncture wounds are made, the sounds of a dog telling another dog or puppy “no” is normal stuff. For safe dogs to teach your puppy or dog about dog-dog communication, send them to the Loe Wags A Tail board-and-train school for an education on dog-dog communication and a lot more!
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Helen Verte Schwarzmann
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Certified in Training and Counseling
Certified Pet Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
Certified Trick Dog Instructor
AKC STAR Puppy, CGC, and Trick Dog Trainer and Evaluator
Your Board-and-Train Dog Trainer for south and southwest Florida, Southwest Ranches, Plantation, Fort Lauderdale, Weston, Davie, Fort Myers, and Naples.
