Tibetan Terrier Tribune
December 2005 Back Cover
Introduces...
“BRINGING UP
PUPPY”
Part II – The
Owner’s Responsibility
By Kevin Grew
After spending a
considerable amount of time reviewing papers, signing
contracts and asking questions, the new puppy owner is
ready to take their long-awaited new family member home.
With excitement, anticipation and some trepidation, they
head to their car with a happy, healthy, lively 10 – 12
week old puppy in their arms.
Now what?
Well, this baby has a lot
to adjust to in his (for this article we will use male
gender) new home. There are new faces, new smells, new
places to explore and new things to chew.
The home needs to be
‘puppy-proofed’ for his safety, not to mention for the
safety of your furniture, floors, new leather boots,
whatever.
Your breeder has
recommended crate training, and in all likelihood, has
already begun introducing this puppy to the crate. The
crate is a valuable tool to housebreak puppy and it is a
very secure environment for the puppy when you are
unable to supervise his activities. The crate prepares
him for having a ‘home away from home’ when you take him
visiting or on vacation, as well as providing a safe
place for him to be in while traveling in the car. It is
also is a must for attending dog shows, whether you are
active in obedience, conformation, agility, fly ball or
any of the other well-attended sports.
Regardless of what your
future plans are for your puppy, basic obedience is
paramount to his safety, and these lessons should begin
from the moment you arrive home with the puppy. There
are a number of wonderful books on basic obedience, as
well as many facilities in your area that hold basic
obedience or beginner puppy classes.
When you begin to
actually attend an organized facility to participate in
these lessons, is something you and your breeder need to
discuss and agree upon. Certainly, puppy needs to be
fully inoculated before exposure in a group dog setting.
No matter what activities
you have planned for the future of your puppy, they will
all involve understanding and responding to some basic
commands. Your puppy needs to learn how to come, first
and foremost. This is the single most important thing
you can teach your puppy. He must learn how to walk
attentively on a leash. He must learn how to sit, stand
and lie down when asked. And he must learn how to ‘Stay’
or ‘Wait’.
Each of the above
exercises is implemented to some degree in obedience,
agility, herding, conformation and in just going for a
leisurely stroll.
Tibetan Terriers are
inquisitive, intelligent and willing participants in
most activities and they do like to please. Motivational
training methods are imperative for this breed and as
such you should research your prospective training
facility well in advance of signing up.
I would suggest you
attend one or more classes to observe how the trainer
interacts with the dogs as well as their owners. This
will give you a good idea as to whether this is the
place for you and your pup.
For the conformation
enthusiast, there are a few things you will want to
start with right off the bat.
Let’s start with
grooming. Your puppy needs to learn to enjoy these
sessions and to do so, you need to make the sessions
short and a pleasurable time for your pup. Bring your
brush and a handful of treats to the grooming table
along with a cheerful but firm voice.
The puppy should be
accustomed to being brushed by the time you get him, but
in the event that he has not, start with a soft brush
and gentle strokes. Lots of praise and treats will
ensure that he enjoys these sessions. Teach the puppy to
lie on his side by grasping the front and rear leg on
the far side of his body, and leaning the weight of your
body against his, gently lay him on his side and hold
him in place while praising him. He will learn to do
this without struggle in short order. This will make
your grooming sessions, far less work-intensive, and
will make his life happier!
How one goes about
training his or her pup for the show ring, differs with
each breeder. What we do here at Colledge, is start of
with the ‘Watch me’ command. Apart from learning to trot
on a leash, without breaking stride, this is the single
most important command for the show dog. We start with
getting the pup’s attention, and saying ‘Watch me’ and
immediately reward with praise and treat. Some click and
treat, some just treat. How you teach the puppy is up to
you and your breeder, and perhaps your handling class
instructor. But whichever way, the puppy must learn to
stand still and give you full attention. This will
ensure that puppy stays put when being examined by a
judge on the ground or on the table.
 |
 |
|
Pup at 9 weeks
learning to stand and stack |
Same pup as an
adolescent being examined by judge |
Since this is a ‘tabled’
breed, table training is essential. Again, these are
basic lessons that must be begun as soon as you bring
puppy home. Treats while being groomed on the table,
short sessions….treats while standing still on the table
with ‘Watch me!’ and short sessions….all point the way
to a happy willing-to-please confident youngster.
Handling classes are a
great tool for providing exposure to the show scene.
The puppy learns to
respond to his owner/handler in a much more distracting
and stimulating environment. Clapping, banging crates,
other exuberant participants, rubber floor mats, all
help the puppy become comfortable with what he will be
facing in a real show. The instructor will have his
hands on your puppy, getting him used to what is
expected of him when the judge goes over him, and you
will learn how to best show off his admirable qualities,
while learning to make less noticeable, his weakness’.
The most important rule
of thumb in all of this is to make this an enjoyable,
and exciting experience for your puppy. You want him to
look forward to these events, to be eager to be with you
and to please you. This holds true for all activates you
and your puppy decide to engage in.
A happy team is a successful team.
