Jo Croft MA - Puppy Coach: A Complete Guide to Raising a Puppy

PUPPY COACH

PUPPY
COACH

SET THEM UP TO SUCCEED

A COMPLETE GUIDE
TO RAISING A PUPPY

JO CROFT MA

Copyright 2017 Jo Croft

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

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ISBN 978 1788034 357

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

For Olivia and Max.

Always follow your dreams.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A special thank you to my husband James for his trust, patience and involvement in the Puppy Coach project. His intolerance of my negativity was appreciated even if it didnt appear so at times! Olivia and Max for giving me the determination to succeed. Mum, you are and will always be my inspiration, and thank you to my dad for giving me an immeasurable strength of character, motivation and determination to never give in. You are always in my thoughts.

To Merlin, Marley and Hogan, Jake and Sheba and all of the dogs I have worked with physically and mentally. You remind me just how amazing dogs are but also encouraged me to dig deep and challenge my own thoughts and opinions. You have taught me never to take anything for granted, to observe and listen before acting and to always have self-belief. I will continue to strive to educate and ensure the dog remains the loyal, adaptive mans best friend we want and need them to be.

Finally, a huge and heartfelt thank you to Jenny, without her I would not have had an opportunity to achieve this dream. Her belief and trust in my ability kept me going through the most challenging times. I hope this makes you proud.

BIOGRAPHY

Jo has a lifetime of diverse experience working with dogs both professionally and personally. 17 years as a qualified veterinary nurse sparked a specialist interest in canine behaviour and the start of a successful behaviour consultancy company. Jo has rehabilitated thousands of troubled dogs and successfully integrates new puppies into family homes. Academically Jo has a masters degree in Canine Psychology and Training, passing with a distinction and is a member of two leading canine behaviour associations: The Canine and Feline Behaviour Association and the Guild of Dog Trainers.

Be part of the Puppy Coach community and set your puppy up for success.

www.PuppyCoach.com

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to a world full of joy and one of the best learning experiences you will ever have, sharing your life with one of the most amenable, trusting and loyal species on the planet. My role is to arm you with all the knowledge youll need to ensure you raise your new puppy in the right way, preparing them to handle a domestic life and guiding them to become an adult dog you can be proud of.

It has taken a little time for me to consider that other people will want to hear what I have to say. I have been humbled by the canine species on many occasions but I would like to think my lifetime interacting with dogs in a variety of situations, professionally and personally, has stood me in good stead to share what I have learnt to date. I will continue to learn and be open to the opinions and ideas of others, our individual experiences will all deliver valuable lessons.

My journey began with a lengthy career working with animals from the age of 11. We werent able to have dogs in our family due to the men of the house having asthma attacks if any hint of fur was evident in a 10 mile radius. So my canine kicks came from a little dog walking business earning 20p per half an hour walk, rain or shine and weekends and evenings spent at the local horse yard with horses, dogs, chickens, cats and some rather terrifying geese. My career choice never wavered. I went on to enjoy 17 years as a qualified Veterinary Nurse in practice where I was privileged to meet some of the most tolerant, inspiring animals and humans. It was during this time that I was to finally get my own dog. The Labrador had been my dream dog for as long as I could remember so once the decision was made, Merlin, my beautiful black male working Labrador retriever arrived just a few weeks later.

Aside from checking that my chosen breeder was registered with the Kennel Club, I pretty much did everything else wrong. Merlin slept in my bed, travelled on the front seat of my car and ate like a king even when I only had a jacket potato left in my kitchen. He came to work with me every day, accompanied me on my intense long distance runs in the dark, was welcome in everyones home and quite frankly became my best friend and soul mate. To this day I retain a level of guilt for the emotional stress I put him through. It was a tricky period in my life personally and Merlin did a fine job as my emotional crutch. Something I am not proud of today.

Merlin suffered beyond belief with atopy and food allergies, conditions that are prevalent in the breed. Specialist after specialist offered little support in the way of improving his symptoms but working in the veterinary world meant I had access to some knowledgeable people and with guidance I found a means of managing him. Little did I know at the time that I would go on to help dogs like Merlin with their allergies using my behaviour modification techniques to remove stress and balance their lives. The scratch-itch cycle is caused by a release of histamine and this process is triggered in the presence of stress chemicals. On reflection I now feel my emotional dramas potentially added to his symptoms, as the physical and emotional bond I had with Merlin was so close he would most definitely have been susceptible.