Another Visit To Clean Run

I've mentioned Clean Run in a previous blog. It is a facility located in South Hadley Massachusetts. There is an indoor training area where seminars and workshops are held; and there is THE STORE. What a selection of items!! You can opt to buy on-line http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm? or go for a visit and browse the rows and rows of dog related items for both you and your dog. Shoes, books, dvds,leads, a huge selection of good quality dog toys, dog treats, dehydrated raw food, Taste of the Wild dry food, and mesh crates...to name just some of the items in stock. Whether you are a serious agility competitor, need a good pair of outdoor shoes, or looking for that special toy for your dog Clean Run is worth a look.

Thanks to all the staff at Clean Run for making Melissa's second visit to Clean Run another fun learning experience. Melissa met Norwegian Elkhounds Dakota and Aidan. Thanks to their owner who is a Clean Run staff member for allowing Melissa to meet first Aidan then Dakota. Meeting two unknown dogs at once could have been a bit overwhelming for a young puppy. So intros were made one on one, then the 3 were allowed to mingle.

Melissa is not quite 5 months old, she is still very impressionable and I want all her encounters with other dogs to be stress free and fun. The staff at Clean Run with their enthusiastic attitudes and knowledge of dogs added to Melissa's chapter on learning about life. I am sorry that I do not know all your names but thank you to everyone who made Melissa's experience positive.

Melissa also got to meet a family of Border Collies. Clean Run staff are able to bring their dogs to work, adding to the perks of working at Clean run! Indoor fenced areas are provided for the dogs. Plush beds, fuzzy toys, good chews are provided to keep them occupied when they are not busy greeting visitors. Staff members Pam and Kellie helped make a nice association between the Border Collies and Melissa who were separated by the fencing, by feeding tasty treats to all. None of the dogs were 'pushy' about food. All were polite and waited their turn. Well, I must admit, Melissa did poke her nose at the treat bag once or twice....but she is still learning. Manners do not happen overnight. Skills in self-controled are taught at an early age and then practiced in every day life. Melissa practices new skills at home where there is minimal distractions, we attend group classes to practice some more, and then we take it 'on the road' to practice even more. Sounds like a lot of practice? It is short one to two minute sessions of training thru out the day instead of one long training session. Every time you interact with your dog is a training opportunity. I set things up so Melissa is learning the good behaviors instead of practicing unwanted behaviors. We had practiced self control exercises at home, but at the Clean Run store with new people and the excitement and proximity of other dogs, Melissa poked at the treat bag. She wasn't being a bad dog, she was just figuring out what worked. Thanks to Kellie, who waited until Melissa backed off the bag of treats and then rewarded Melissa for waiting patiently.

Training is happening ALL the time, make the time you spend with your dog quality learning time. And remember to have fun.
Melissa was so excited to see her friend Liz and her Standard Poodle Kodi come from around the corner at Clean Run. Did we give them permission to play? We sure did. Melissa was allowed to go visit only after I gave the cue to 'go play'. She play-bowed inviting Kodi to engage with her. More about self control around other dogs in a future blog.

Hats, scarves, and mittens, oh my!

It was bitter cold yesterday. With 40 mph winds it wasn't conducive to spending much time outdoors! I had the day off, so Melissa and I did a few errands.

Our first stop was the bank. No need to use the drive thru.... not when I have a puppy to socialize. Out of the car Melissa comes, she stays nicely at my side as we walk across the parking lot. Voices....coming thru the intercom at the drive thru. Melissa hesitates for a second, and then continues on with a silly Borzoi grin on her face.

We enter the bank and Melissa stops. She has been inside before, but this time someone was sitting in a chair adorned in a hat, bundled in a coat and wearing boots! The person leaned towards Melissa. I doubt Melissa could see a face! From a dog's perspective this can be mighty odd, for a pup who has not seen something like this it can be a bit scary. I immediately began talking to the person. Ok, I've been known to start conversations with anyone about anything if I think it will help my dog. The person answered me, and just hearing a voice Melissa got her wiggly body and Borzoi grin on. Melissa immediately approached for pats and scratches. A lesson in different looking people? Objects that look scary that turn out to be ok? It sure was!! Another page in Melissa's chapter on maintaining her confidence around new and different looking objects.

Next stop, a local pet store, not only to buy some treats for Melissa, but to expose her to even more sights and sounds. You guessed it...more hats, scarves and mittens, but this time they were moving. Children bundled up against the cold wind dressed in snow pants and heavy jackets, adorned with hats and mittens offered another great opportunity for another learning experience for Melissa. Many of the children wanted to pet her. I was very impressed with one of the parents who took the child's hat off and said 'now the puppy can see who you are'. It is something about our eyes and mouth that dogs focus on. If a puppy can't see them, they approach hesitantly. Dress the person or child up in a heavy coat with swishing sounding snow pants, a hat,a scarf, and add mittens and a puppy is surely going to take a second look.

Several of the children wanted to pet Melissa. She was not all wiggly, but standing calmly still sizing up the situation. So I asked the children if they could help me train Melissa to take a treat politely. They all obliged...and they more they talked the more comfortable Melissa became...and a bit too interested in scarves with fringes! Each child held their palm upward and I placed a treat into their hands. I told them to stand very still, that it was important that Melissa come to them when she was ready. One child, then the next, Melissa walked towards each to take the treats. This gave Melissa a nice association with being close to children bundled up in cold weather gear. We repeated giving treats and Melissa was now eagerly going to one child to the next. Another good experience for puppy Melissa; when the children left to go, she wanted to follow them and did a play bow and toss of her head....a sure sign she was comfortable with hats, scarves and mittens!

Melissa is being exposed to a variety of sights and sounds and continues to develop into a happy outgoing girl. She just turned 4 months of age a few days ago. Is her socialization over? Not by a long shot. I will continue to expose her to new and different sights so she develops into her full potential. The prime socialization period is over, but puppies still need to experience new and different things several times a week in a variety of settings well into young adulthood. Follow along on Melissa's adventures as we enter a New Year.

Puppy Melissa and Heavy Machinery

I am sure you are wondering what raising a puppy has to do with heavy machinery! I took advantage of a front loader parked as another opportunity to continue Melissa's socialization. It had been parked for some time, the engine was cool so I allowed her to explore around it and on it.



She approached it confidently, hesitated for just a moment before putting all 4 feet on the metal loading section. In order for her to feel even more comfortable around this large piece of equipment, I placed a few treats on it. This made for a nice association: new object/surface = food = something pleasant. It provided a new surface for her to walk on, and a new smell to sniff: diesel. Just another chapter in Melissa's world of being exposed to as many things as possible so she continues to develop into a stable confident dog.

What new experiences did your puppy have today?

Melissa had another busy day. I had a cancellation mid-day so I put the free time to good use. Along with time I had set aside in my schedule to expose Melissa to new things, this extra time allowed us to see and do more than I had planned.



What did puppy Melissa experience today?

1) She met a woman carrying a backpack.
2) She met a child.
3) She walked on a new trail, just the two of us, no other dog or person.
4) She met several people wearing heavy winter coats.
5) She visited the bank and met several more new people.
6) She saw and heard commercial lawn tractors sucking up leaves.
7) She got the chance to go up close to one of those tractors once the engine was stopped.
8) She got her nails trimmed.
9) She ate one of her meals in her crate in the car.
10) She put her feet in mud puddles, and in a creek.
11) She walked on tile, cement, asphalt, rugs, a floor with grids that had a rough surface.
12) She discovered grates in parking lots. She sniffed, peered down, and walked across.
13) She hiked with friends and 3 Labradors.
14) She heard gun shots in the distance.

Don't let the all important socialization period go by without your puppy experiencing several new things each day. Socialize in your house, at a friend's house, and out in public. Now is the time for your puppy to explore and discover the world. Having strangers touch Melissa and lean over her, while wearing different type of hats, jackets etc is just a tiny part of her socialization. Hearing different sounds, seeing new sights and taking in new smells is also part of Melissa's puppy-hood. The more she experiences during this critical period, the better she will be able to cope with every thing that comes her way during her lifetime. Have fun with your puppy, I know I am!!