Puppy Training Basics
I remember when my son was just beginning to walk. He never crawled. One evening, he just stood up and took six steps. The next morning, that was it. It was just walking. And the house wasn’t babyproofed — because that wasn’t what it was about. It was about using his environment as an opportunity to engage, to create a rich sensory experience that allowed for interaction and exploration. What was the worst thing that could happen if I didn’t babyproof? Things can break. Okay, but that’s all replaceable. For me, I wasn’t ready to put more value into things that into a living being’s experience. And I think that’s very much in the same realm as a puppy. Ultimately, I want my puppy to grow up in this world, in this room, in this house, in this environment with all of the things that are already apart of it.
That experience needs to begin in our homes. Our homes cannot be representative of the toxicity and the harshness that the real world creates; there’s already plenty of opportunity for that. Your home needs to be the safe place that teaches your puppy exploration; that teaches that dog to not feel inhibited, but to feel supported, courageous, and to feel like a dog. Because he’s not going to get that anywhere else. And so, when you bring that puppy home, fear not that your puppy will learn bad manners. Puppies do what they are developmentally ready and prepared to do. They understand their world in the way they understand it. They will not and cannot understand it from your realm or dimension. That’s where conflict happens. You need to give up that control.
What a puppy needs is to develop safely and in a rich and positive way. That happens through new places, experiences, and conditions that allow the puppy to feel normal. Bring into your existence this puppy with ease and flow with it. There will be a time where your teachings will create a massive learning opportunity for the puppy. But for now, a puppy is a puppy. It needs to develop. We need to give them everything that sets them up to use those things and develop with them. We shouldn’t take control over them and limit them while still having an expectation that they will develop to be this majestic, resilient, highly-skilled, social, content adult dog.
In order for the puppy to become this adult dog that is robust, resilient, highly-apt, and intelligent, you as a new puppy parent should be fully invested in the development and learning of your puppy. Putting in this work will help you have a dog you can take everywhere. A dog you can be with. A dog that is safe under so many different conditions. A dog that is just easy and fun to live with and be with.
Teena Patel is the founder of the canine enrichment campus University of Doglando for restricted canine companions. The University of Doglando is a place where dogs can be dogs and live a fruitful and purposeful lifestyle. To learn more about Teena Patel and the University of Doglando, please contact us online or call us at (407) 574-3160.