Excitable greetings with Strangers

Reminder:  Saturday, March 29, 2014 is our annual puppy raiser workshop.  Remember to RSVP by March 21, 2014

Puppy Raising Challenge:  When playing with the CCI puppy, teach the puppy to bring the toy to your hand.  If they drop the toy, encourage them by says "where's your toy" "where's your toy."  Please don't say "get". "Get" is an advanced command that has a specific meaning.  No commands are needed when playing.   If the puppy continues to drop the toy, the game ends.

Puppy Raising Tip:     I'm So Excited To See You!!!!!!

Excitable greetings is an issue many puppy raisers have with the Canine Companion puppy.  When someone comes to the house, the puppy gets excited and jumps around excitedly.  Puppy Raisers must teach the puppy self control. 

Tips for working on excitable greetings when someone comes to the house:

1. Ask guests to please ignore the puppy.  Don't look at, touch, or interact with the puppy until the puppy is calm.
2. Make sure to practice sit and down with distractions to build proficiency and self control.
3. Before you open the door, put the puppy on leash and in a sit.
4. With puppies that are having a significant issue with excitability, put the puppy in the crate or behind a baby gate until everyone is in the house and settled.  Guests may still need to ignore the puppy when let out.  Greetings only happen when the puppy is calm.
5. Ask a friend or family member to help.  Set a time for them to come to the house.  Be prepared with treats, leash and Gentle Leader.
6. Puppy raisers can also teach the puppy to "bed" anytime someone comes to the door.  See the puppy manual for tips on teaching "bed".
7. For unannounced visitors adding a sign to your front door can help people understand why it is taking you a bit to get to the door.

(Internet picture, not CCI)

Controlling people is a lot harder, than controlling the puppy.  High squeaky voices will excite a puppy.  Greetings should be calm.  It's your house you can use a squirt bottle on your guests that over stimulate the puppy.

Here is a video of a puppy in the process of learning how to appropriately behave when someone comes to the house.   The end result should be not needing to be on leash. 



If you follow these suggestions, and excitability continues to be an issue, please contact Canine Companions.  With everything, raising a puppy takes time and patience.  Results may be slow, but persistence and consistency will get you far in the long run.  Practice, Practice, Practice.

Happy Training,

Suzanne Sliclen

Puppy Program Manager

The long awaited return.....

Note:  It has been a long time since my last blog, but my goal is to get this up and running again to assist our dedicated volunteers. Thank you for all your hard work.

Reminder:  Everyone has been great about sending in monthly progress reports.  Thank you, keep up the good work. 

Puppy Training Challenge:  Working the puppy on our right side tends to be neglected.  Remember it is important for the puppy to be proficient at all command on either your left or right side.  Practice, Practice, Practice, side.

Puppy Raising Tips:  Training Tips

• Like in the Puppy Training Challenge make sure to practice all command on both your right and your left:  Heel and Side.
• Both Heel and Side have automatic sits.  The puppy moves to your left side turns and faces forward, then sits.
• When you come to a stop, just like with automatic sits, the puppy should be facing forward.  CCI puppies when in public should always be in a controlled position  like sit or down.  Puppies should not be standing, sniffing, pulling, or soliciting out side attention.  Control the puppy by always having them in a sit.
• When walking through a doorway the puppy walks right by your side.  Please don't use commands like wait every time you go through a door.  Puppies should be respectful and never pull through a door or shy behind us.
• PUPPIES SHOULD BE ON LEASH AND ATTACHED TO A PERSON AT ALL TIMES WHEN IN PUBLIC.  Please do not drop the leash and walk away from the puppy.
• Stairs, like doorways, puppies should be controlled.  Make sure to practice walking nicely up and down steps.
• Food on the floor should be ignored by the puppy.  Food should also not be taking from a hand without permission like "okay". Like humans, we are taught to not just go into someones refrigerator and start eating their cupcakes.  Puppies should be taught that food can be in their environment and they don't have to eat it.
• As with control around food, Canine Companion puppies should learn that they don't have to be friends with every dog they meet.  Puppies should be taught self control around other animals.  Just because the animal, child or adult is in the environment does not mean the puppy has to interact.  As always self control is extremely important for an assistance dog.

Puppy Raiser do so much to help the puppies succeed.  If you are having any issues with the puppy, don't hesitate to contact Canine Companions.

Happy Training,

Suzanne Sliclen

Puppy Program Manager