New Puppy Blues: Four Steps to Sanity

Balto is practicing his puppy dog looks. photo: Cydni True

I rescued Balto, my five-and-a-half-month-old Shepherd/Husky mix, so I could better relate to my puppy clients and so I could do all the training I’ve been helping others with. I have been humbled. A puppy turns your life inside out! 

Because I could not immediately get my own puppy to go potty outside, stop chasing the cats, or stop trying to play with my two senior Chihuahuas, my dreams were quickly distilled to the four essentials a new dog owner needs to focus on to live a peaceful, fun life with a young one. 

Today, Balto, affectionately known as B, has managed to learn leave it, drop, off, wait, loose leash walking, and recall, all while working on the basics of polite domestic partnership. His belief that he is the center of the universe - and that every waking second should be devoted to his entertainment -  has mellowed considerably. He also sleeps, which is a saving grace for all of us.

Here’s how we achieved puppy sanity in four basic steps.

1 - Housetraining  

Timing: At first, B had to go out every 30 minutes. Now it’s every 2-4 hours. The goal is to have your dog outside so much that indoor elimination is not even possible. 

Acclimation: Like most puppies, B is highly interested in everything outside so I give him time to acclimate. This used to take 15-20 minutes. Now it takes 3-5 minutes. Then he pees. 

Accidents: If there is an accident, it’s always because I waited too long to let him outside or did not stay outside long enough until he acclimated and felt safe.

Tree Pose: We go to the same spot to potty every time. I stand like a tree. He circles me, and I let the leash get taut as he acclimates. He knows that means this is not a walk but a potty break. He also knows that as soon as he goes, he gets to sniff and hunt more.

Reinforce: It’s important to reinforce potty training with something your pup loves. For B, this means I walk him around to sniff as a reward for peeing. Taking him inside right away would be taking away what he wants, which is actually to hunt gophers. Also, the movement of walking around usually gets his bowels energized and he will poo along the way. 

2 - Predation Games

All dogs have a need to perform at least some of the eight steps of the predation drive: acclimate, eye, stalk, chase, grab, grab/bite, dissect, and consume. If we do not provide safe and appropriate ways for dogs to fulfill these internal needs, they will find a way to do it by eating, digging, and/or ripping other things we’d rather they didn’t. Here are some easy ways to accommodate your puppy’s predation drive.

Find It.  This seems so simple to us, but dogs cannot see food on the floor as much as they can smell it. This sniffing activates loads of good stuff in their brains and helps them relax. Just toss a treat so your dog can see you doing it (I think of it as bowling) and let them find it. This game will get you to and from the car much faster than trying to compete with birds, kids, lawnmowers, and other distractions.

Food Puzzles. B gets every single meal in a food puzzle, which I highly recommend. You can buy food puzzles, of course, but I use empty boxes and layer them with other boxes or toilet rolls and such inside. Each puzzle contains layers of food from his regular kibble to high value treats. Of course, I supervise his dining to ensure he does not eat anything that shouldn’t be ingested, such as cardboard. These puzzles let him use his brain, sniff for the food, use his paws to dig it out, and use his mouth to grab, dissect, and consume it. Predation accomplished!

Nosework. I sometimes hide treats around the house and let B sniff them out. He loves it and your puppy will, too.

3 - Cohabitation

Safety in Separation. B needs to share his space with two humans, two cats, and two senior Chihuahuas. Putting baby gates on all doors allows everyone to see and smell each other, while staying safe from the bull in the china shop that is our youthful B. I raise the gates about six inches above the floor so that the Chihuahuas and the cats can come and go as they please, but big puppy B cannot bust through.  

Yoga. I use my treat feeder machine to teach B that when I’m doing yoga it’s not a high impact sport. He eventually settles away from me with a toy.

Sleep. B usually sleeps freely throughout the house because, for whatever reason, he is far less in our faces at night. Sometimes, if the other animals need more boundaries, I put him in his crate and he passes right out.

4 - Socialization

In addition to his regular walks and potty breaks, B also goes out with me Monday through Friday in off-leash group outings to beaches so he gets to play with his dog friends and has a full outlet for all that energy and drive. I’m relieved to say that B has now learned many necessary skills, as well as at least some respect for boundaries. Because he’s getting his needs met, he is now less apt to try to force the other animals to play with him. 

So that’s my advice as a newly wised-up puppy veteran. Focus on the four elements outlined above, stay alert to customizing your training needs for your individual puppy, and the rest will follow. It only seems like it takes forever. 

And, hey, they are really cute.