Pandemic Puppy Podcast

Dealing with the Puppy Blues with Marissa Martino

In this episode of Pandemic Puppy, Kayla and Marissa Martino discuss puppy blues. They cover what it is, why it happens, and what you can do about it! 

What is puppy blues?

• Negative feels about having your puppy
  • Sadness, regret, guilt, etc. 

Why does this happen?

• Lack of sleep/interrupted sleep
• Lack of schedule 
• If you have too high expectations
• Comparing a puppy to a previous dog or a different dog

How can we give ourselves grace?

1. Having the right mindset.

• You will do the best that you can. 
• You will not get everything done that you want. 
• You will make mistakes. 
• This process is not linear. 

2. Building in breaks to the schedule.

• When do you have time for yourself?
• How do you know you're reaching threshold? 
• How can you ask for help? In the moment? Ongoing? 

3. Notice the projections.

• Everyone has an opinion. 
• Come up with a short reply like I'll look into that.....and then continue on the path that feels right to you.  

4. Prioritize.

• Focus on socialization, handling, bonding activities, house training, enrichment, puppy mouthing prevention, and don't worry about skills just yet (work on SMARTx50 instead) 
• Prioritize YOURSELF

5. Choose enrichment that you both love.

How can you ask for help?

• Expand your network with those with similar situations
• It is okay to ask for help 

 

Links Mentioned in the Episode

Pandemic Puppy: Bringing Home Your Puppy with Sarah Dixon

Paws and Reward

Human-Canine Behavior Connection: A Better Self Through Dog Training

 

You can support the Pandemic Puppy Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy.

Get extra help with your puppy through Journey Dog Training’s Puppy Raising Blueprint Course.Join the free Pandemic Puppy Raising Support Group on Facebook.

Lessons from Raising Service Dog Puppies with Matthias Lenz

In this episode of Pandemic Puppy, Kayla and Matthias Lenz discuss raising Service Dog puppies. They cover the lessons you can learn from how service dog puppy raisers work with their puppies. 

 

What is helpful when raising and training guide dog puppies that other puppies may be missing?

• The typical service dog makes an ideal pet
• Breed is often important; labrador retrievers are used for a reason
• Start early on with impulse control exercises

Turning Distractions into Reward

• Set your dog up for success, make the training easy
• Reward your dog for not responding to distractions
• Turn distractions into an opportunity for reward
• Engage Disengage game
• Creating Desirable Behavior Around Distractions

Settling tips and tricks: 

• Settling is an important skill for a service dog, or a pet dog
• It is important not to be too enthusiastic with your rewards
  • Give a treat slowly, don’t make eye direct contact, be calm
• Reward baby steps to slowly shape it into a full settle
• Sit on the Dog Exercise
• Using a lower value reinforcer is helpful 
• Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol 

 

How much sleep do puppies need? What happens if they don’t get enough?:

• If they are biting a lot more than considered normal, it might mean they need more sleep

Leash Frustration:

• Be empathetic to the dog; leashing is so unnatural for them and it’s understandable that they will get frustrated
• Teach your dog about leash pressure and what it means along with rewarding loose leash walking
• Silky Leash 
• Dr. Sophia Lin - Leave it

Links Mentioned in the Episode:

• Engage Disengage game 
• Creating Desirable Behavior Around Distractions
• Sit on the Dog Exercise
• Karen Overall’s Relaxation Protocol
• Silky Leash

 

Where you can find Matthias Lenz:

Lenz Dog Training
BC & Alberta Guide Dogs 

IAABC Working Animals Division

You can support the Pandemic Puppy Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy.

Get extra help with your puppy through Journey Dog Training’s Puppy Raising Blueprint Course.

Join the free Pandemic Puppy Raising Support Group on Facebook.

Addressing Stranger Danger in Puppies

In this episode of Pandemic Puppy, Kayla discusses stranger danger in puppies. She covers what it is, why it happens, and what to do about it. Her puppy Niffler has been barking and even growling at strangers lately, so this is high priority for Kayla!

• Fearful behavior and a fear period are not the same.
• Fear Period: abrupt and transient fear of something your puppy has already been exposed to. These periods can be ignored for the most part. You can comfort your puppy, then move on, and don’t make a big deal about it. 
• Continuous fearful behavior, such as stranger danger, needs to be addressed right away. 
• Stranger danger is a natural behavior for dogs, especially for certain breeds. It is normal, but it needs to be addressed. 
• Don’t correct the puppy or apply any negative reinforcement. It can make the stranger danger worse. 
  Don’t flood your puppy
• Let the strangers know what's going on, in a happy friendly voice
  Don’t make a big deal out of people
  Advocate for your puppy, be a safe place/person for them
• Look at That/Engage Disengage Game
• If your puppy is too far past their threshold, go back a few steps

Links Mentioned in the Episode

• Sarah Stremming's Worked Up course

You can support the Pandemic Puppy Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy.

Get extra help with your puppy through Journey Dog Training’s Puppy Raising Blueprint Course.

Join the free Pandemic Puppy Raising Support Group on Facebook. 

Introduction to Clicker Training Minisode

What is Clicker training?

Why use clicker training?

How to use a clicker

Common mistakes in clicker training.

How to start clicker training using a hand target

Introduction to clicker training video by Kikopup

When not to use a clicker.

Other marker training options and marker training systems 

K9 Conservationists: https://k9conservationists.org/

Go Fund Me: https://www.gofundme.com/f/fund-the-k9-conservationists-field-vehicle-repair?utm_source=widget&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet

Puppy Temperament Tests Aren't That Predictive (With Dr. James Ha)

Today we’re talking about Dr. James Ha about puppy temperament and training to mitigate or avoid behavior issues. Mostly, we're talking about the science of how BAD temperament tests are at actually predicting adult behavior. Darn.

 Dr. Ha is a pretty amazing guy. He’s an animal behavior researcher and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist - which is the highest level of certification one can attain in applied behavior . Dr. Ha literally wrote the book on dog behavior - called Dog Behavior: Modern Science and Our Canine Companions. While much of Dr. Ha’s private practice work currently focuses on aggression cases and expert witness work, today we’re talking to him about puppies, their temperament, and how to prevent or mitigate behavior concerns. 

Generally, you found puppy temperament tests at 7 weeks didn’t predict adult behavior. What 8 factors did you look at in the research?

• Used the fairly standard test
  • Roll the ball test
  • Flip them on their back
  • Stranger test
  • etc.
• Physiology tests
  • Heart rate variation tests, respiration rate tests, cortisol tests

Did your results vary by breed?

• Clusters of results very actively predicted what breed group the puppy belonged to
• Breed-specific characteristics more accurately belong to the breed group 

Talk to us a bit about your current work with dogs with serious behavior issues. What have you learned lately about dog behavior?

• A huge percentage of dog behavior regarding aggression have to do with anxiety
• “Dogs want attention and dogs need rules,” Dr. Ha said. “So many humans think they can just forget about them. I don’t care if you do obedience training, or show training, or agility, or flyball. What I really mean is interaction.”
• Get professional help to deal with behavior problems appropriately 

What red flags might you see in a puppy or teenage dog that another owner may miss?

• The first two years of your dog’s life is the most important
• Any kind of aggression is a red flag
• Ages 7 - 9 months your dogs are the most vulnerable in developing fears

Where can you find Dr. Ha?
Website: https://drjimha.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrJimHa

New Research on Puppy Temperment:https://jamescraigha.wordpress.com/2016/06/29/our-new-research-on-puppy-temperament/
Dog Behavior: Modern Science and Our Canine Companions: https://www.dogwise.com/dog-behavior-modern-science-and-our-canine-companions/

Avoiding Separation Anxiety in Puppies with Malena DeMartini

Today we’re talking to Malena DeMartini Price, author of TWO books about separation anxiety, instructor of the Mission Possible separation anxiety course, and the founder of the certification for separation anxiety trainers. Malena has focused exclusively on separation anxiety in dogs for TWENTY years! She lives in northern california with her husband and her two dogs Tini DeMartini and Mabel.

Malena and I are going to talk about - you guessed it! Separation anxiety.

This podcast is supported by our members on Patreon. For as little as $3 per month, you can support this podcast and get perks like submitting questions for us to tackle at the end of each episode. Sign up over at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy. 

Enrichment for Puppies with Christine Young

Today we’re talking to Christine Young. Christine is CPDT-KA certified trainer & dog lifestyle expert with over 20 years experience with dogs and horses. 

Christine is here to talk to us about the importance of enrichment for your puppies. Find show notes at JourneyDogTraining.com/pandemic-puppy/

This podcast is supported by our members on Patreon. For as little as $3 per month, you can support this podcast and get perks like submitting questions for us to tackle at the end of each episode. Sign up over at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy. 

This podcast is also supported by the Puppy Raising Blueprint course, which you can find at journeydogtraining.com/blueprint. In this course, I guide you through everything from common problem behaviors like biting and potty training to the humane hierarchy of dog training. It’s always available on a self-study basis at journeydogtraining.com/blueprint.

Balancing Puppy Vaccine Schedules and Socialization with Dr. Jen

Today we’re talking to Dr. Jennifer Summerfield of Brown Veterinary Services in Wayne, West Virginia. Dr. Jen is a veterinarian and certified professional dog trainer - knowledge assessed and is a member of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) and the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). 

Dr. Jen is here today to help guide us through the tangle of information out there surrounding vaccinations and socialization, as well as some other common puppy problems that are best directed towards a veterinarian!

This podcast is supported by our members on Patreon. For as little as $3 per month, you can support this podcast and get perks like submitting questions for us to tackle at the end of each episode. Sign up over at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy. 

11. Puppy Nipping with Ayoka Bubar

Today we’re talking to Ayoka Bubar, who offers training services online and in-person in southwestern Manitoba. She also writes the Rotten Dog Blog, which is full of practical advice and musings. Ayoka and I are talking about nipping and biting. This is SUCH a common problem for many puppy owners, and we’re here to help!

Ayoka is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer – Knowledge Assessed and an approved Canadian Association of Rally Obedience Judge for all levels. She has never passed up an opportunity to try a new sport with her Rottweilers, Epic and Saga. Together, they have have trained and/or trialed in Flyball, Agility, Tracking, Trick Titling, Herding, Rally Obedience, Mondioring, and Scentwork. 

This podcast is supported by our members on Patreon. For as little as $3 per month, you can support this podcast and get perks like submitting questions for us to tackle at the end of each episode. Sign up over at patreon.com/pandemicpuppy. 

10. Self-Regulation with Curtis Kelley

On this episode, Kayla talks with Curtis Kelley about self-regulation skills for puppies!

Previous Podcast on Canine Conversations with Kayla and Curtis on Racism: https://canineconvos.com/45/

The most important thing to remember is to adjust your expectations and meet your puppy where they are at. Aim for success, and be forgiving to yourself and your puppy.