Pattison - Brad Pattisons puppy book: a step-by-step guide to the first year of training

PUBLISHED BY RANDOM HOUSE CANADA

Copyright 2012 Brad Pattison

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published in 2012 by Random House Canada, a division of Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto. Distributed in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited.

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Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Pattison, Brad
Brad Pattisons puppy book : a step-by-step guide to the first year of training / Brad Pattison.

eISBN: 978-0-307-36094-6

1. Puppies. 2. PuppiesTraining. I. Title.

SF 427. P 38 2012 636.707 C 2011-908143-1

Cover and text design by Terri Nimmo
Cover image: Vicki Reid / istockphoto

v3.1

This book is dedicated to all puppies and
puppy owners who wholeheartedly
embrace the opportunity to embark on
an amazing journey together.

Expect success. Be surprised when your dog does
something wrong and breaks the canine laws,
not when your dog does something right.

In my more than twenty years of training dogs and studying canine behaviour, Ive never known a dog to respond negatively to consistent, sound guidance and a home life based on mutual respect. My training methods and philosophies are geared toward helping humans fully understand the canine point of view and toward teaching people how to harness their pups needs, skills and traits to ensure harmony within the interspecies pack. I dont think of puppy training as something that should be done for a few hours per week in a sterile classroom environment, where the owner learns potentially dangerous gimmicks like treat training or how to use an obedience clicker. Not a chance. Training and bonding with your dog are not about pigeonholing you and your puppy or making you conform to a set of boring rules; the process is ultimately about unleashing the potential of both species. I believe that every dog has great potential and that its up to us humans to discover and nurture that capacity and also to learn from it. Positive dog training doesnt come from a place of fear and brute dominance; its about empowering people with information and skills that harness and celebrate dogs abilities.

Synchronizing our body language to speak canine actually means minimizing anxiety, fear, anger and doubt. We are the leaders, and that naturally means its our job to safeguard our pups against hazards and to gain their trust by teaching them the rules of conduct in our human pack. Its also our responsibility to streetproof them so they can safely enjoy off-leash freedom. The ultimate goal is to give both species the fun and freedom they deserve and to take the bond to greater heights by embracing new challenges, activities and environments. Its about establishing and maintaining your dogs trust in you and trusting what your dog can do.

In this book, Ill show you how to recognize and work with your pups needs, so you can harness all of your dogs wonderful skills, talents and traits and effectively communicate and bond with him. My role is to be your canine interpreter and to take you step by step through your puppys first year, so youll have a better understanding of whats happening between those fuzzy ears. This book offers in-depth explanations of a variety of tools and techniques for your own personalized dog-training toolbox. Theyre all designed to be highly interactive and adaptable to our busy human schedules, so you can carry them out in tandem with your day-to-day life. No boring classroom required. Youll never hear me barking, Two hours of intensive training every single day for four weeks in a stuffy classroom! That kind of sterile and downright artificial obedience training sucks the life, energy and fun out of the process.

My training strategies are built for the real world and should be mixed in with your daily activities, whether youre running errands, chauffeuring your kids around, cooling your heels at a caf or chilling at home. Its about building confidence and respect for both you and your pup by tapping into the dogs innate desire to be a member of a structured, well-balanced pack. And I cant say it enough: when raising your puppy to become a well-behaved and contented member of your human pack, remember that youre raising a dog and that a dog is a pack animal with the skills and power of a predator near the top of the food chain.

I know theres no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to dog training, so unlike the approaches of many other trainers, my methods are rooted in interspecies communication. And once you understand how to tap into all of your pups needs, you can tailor the tools and techniques to suit your situation. Take what you learn here and adapt it to the interactions between you and your pup. But remember that its vital to be open minded, hard working and considerate of your pups canine needs.

Im not saying that the process is a stroll in the park. Puppies are very complex beings. Like us, theyre all works in progress, learning about themselves and the world around them while were learning about them. Thats why its so important to take advantage of every opportunity. Every single training and play session will help strengthen your interspecies bond, whether it happens during a long walk or whether its sandwiched between buying groceries and getting back home to cook dinner. And its especially important to capitalize on each stage of a puppys development, particularly during the initial imprinting stage. Scientists say this stage spans the first sixteen weeks, but from my experience, I know there are imprinting opportunities throughout the pups entire first year and beyond.

My promise to you is that if you are consistent and conscientious, this is the only dog book you will ever need to buy. My detailed, step-by-step advice and training techniques cover everything from establishing and maintaining your pack leadership and introducing household rules and boundaries to doing training exercises that will establish your pups skill set and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Ill start off by guiding you through all the dos and donts of finding the ideal pup and outlining strategies for providing the ideal home environment. Well then move on to bonding, initial house-training and sit-stay training before tackling my more advanced exercises, such as off-leash and urban agility training. With each step, Ill offer advice and tips for socializing with other dogs, pets and people and suggestions for fun and interactive techniques that will stimulate your pups progressing physical and intellectual needs. Most important, along the way, Ill help you learn how to curb and modify some all-too-common human behaviours and mistakes that cause and amplify negative dog behaviours such as pulling at the leash, bolting, chewing, nipping, trashing your household possessions, jumping up, begging, excessive barking, separation anxiety and aggression. Ill teach you how to tap into your pups point of view and raise an awesome dog companion.

Working on this book has been a real thrill for me because most of the time, Im sought out as a dog trainer only