It’s a New Year and time to take stock of things around us to see what we can improve in 2023. As you have heard us say many times, a huge part of our mission here at Habibi Bears & Hannah’s Heart is to educate our families to help them see their Habibi Bear Pups be all that they can be! So let’s review how we can best serve our dogs by knowing what to expect from your sweet little Habibi Bear pup.
Even with the best of training, puppies will have some setbacks.
This is completely normal, especially around times of interruption of training, when life gets away from you and the first thing out of the window is a puppy schedule. After a few days of being off schedule puppy will regress very quickly, and it will seem like all the work you and puppy have accomplished together has been undone.
SOLUTION: Back to Basics. Get out that Habibi Method Training Book or head to Habibi University and go back to what was working before when they were on a strict schedule. That means restricting the physical area that your puppy has access to by using baby gates, possibly restricting their water intake and the timing of it, and loose leash dragging if necessary.
All puppies go through an adolescent “testing” phase, anywhere from 5-24 months.
This is the Second Chewing Destructive Phase, and it is to be expected for all dogs to some level (See our August 12 Blog Post, aptly named “Adolescence-What Happened to My Puppy?) If you are an experienced dog owner, you may remember this phase well, with humor (hopefully) or horror. An obedient dog may develop sudden selective hearing, or be extra mouthy when in a playful mood. Sometimes just knowing that this is normal teenage stuff will remind us that this too, shall pass and it is not a sign of aggression or a time to panic. It is time to be proactive.
SOLUTION: More structure, lots of exercise and suitable items to chew. Get back on the take home packet schedule, get in lots of walks or training time, and provide your little Habibi guy or gal suitable chews. Remember, even though your Habibi Bear is a small dog, it is still a canine, and canines need to chew. Dogs were born to tear flesh and gnaw bones. So let’s load up that Kong and invest in some high quality non-splintering chews (antlers or raw bones are good) and let those puppies work those chompers! It not only works them physically, but mentally as well.
Jumping, mouthing, and play biting are attention seeking behaviors that need to be addressed with calm and neutral responses.
SOLUTION: Withdrawing or turning away from your dog silently and a quiet refusal to engage will sometimes be enough to discourage unwanted behaviors like jumping. If you are so inclined, watch what happens when one dog doesn’t want to play any more. There will be a turning away of their head or their whole body that will signal to the instigating dog that their attention is unwanted. The instigating dog will sometimes bark to try to engage, but the other dog just ignores and walks away. It is something that dogs will understand. Puppy will remember that they will not be rewarded for their jumping or attention seeking yelping and they will stop fairly quickly if you refuse to engage (See Big Puppy Energy, our September 13 blog post).
Let’s be aware of the differences between us humans and the puppies that we have brought into our homes. They are puppies, not robots. Just a short time ago, they were in utero. Your puppy’s brain is still developing, and sometimes we forget how much we ask of them without perhaps providing them with the structure and support they need to behave correctly. If you ever have any questions, make sure you reach out and ask us for help. We are always here cheering you on!