Suzanne Wright - Doggie Business Canine Coaching: The Essential Guide to Puppy Parenting

Foreword

The graduates of Suzanne Wrights ever popular puppy kinder always waggle in glee when they come in the door at Noosa District Animal Hospital. They are returning to the training ground of their infancy, where they were taught by Suzanne to play nicely and follow respectable doggie etiquette. Their humans learnt how wonderful puppy love can be and how to relate to their canine friends in a discerning way. Auntie Suzannes puppy kinder has been running at NDAH since the hospital opened in 2008.

Suzanne has a kind, logical and loving approach that has been the saving grace for many a puppy parent, guiding them through the crazy wonderful madness that introducing a new puppy into your life can be.

Doggie Business promises to be an invaluable handbook for future puppy parents, delivering Suzannes perceptive advice and clever tips which are sure to set them up for a lifetime of rewards.

Dr Alice OHare
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons)
Noosa District Animal Hospital

It gives me great pleasure to write a foreword on Suzanne Wrights book The Essential Guide to Puppy Parenting. This book is written in a clear step-by-step format, giving precise steps on how to correctly raise a new puppy in your home.

The information is not only technically correct, but it is also written in a very easy to read and understand way that all people will find practical and enjoyable.

The information in this book is a must for all new puppy owners and I thoroughly recommend it to all present and new owners of mans best friend.

Congratulations Suzanne on a fantastic book.

Regards,
Steve Austin
Professional Dog Trainer

doggie

business

CANINE COACHING

The Essential Guide to
Puppy Parenting

By

Suzanne Wright

G.D.M.I. Dip.Ed.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

(pbk)

Author: Wright, Suzanne.

Title: Doggie Business: The Essential Guide to Puppy Parenting /

Suzanne Wright; editor, Rose Allen.

ISBN: 9780987269317 (pbk.)

Subjects:

DogsTrainingHandbooks, manuals, etc

DogsGroomingHandbooks, manuals, etc.

Other Authors/Contributors: Allen, Rose.

Dewey Number: 636.70887

Doggie Business Publishing

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Editor: Rose Allan, MA

Writer, editor and public speaker

Design and printing: jpg Design & Print Pty Ltd, Buderim

Preface

Acknowledgements

Rose Allen, editor, for her guidance and encouragement.

Trisha Jacobson, Jennifer Bosch and Tina Casalegno for their time and assistance with photography.

Wunderdogs, a great doggie day care establishment and friend of Doggie Business.

The Noosa District Animal Hospital and home of Puppy School.

Most importantly Robert, my husband, who somehow puts up with me and loves all the dogs that have come into our lives.

DOGGIE BUSINESS

The Essential Guide to Puppy Parenting

The first weeks of puppy parenting are full of apprehension and excitement. Your daily routine will disappear and your organized world will never be the same again. But help is at hand. This guide will provide you, a new puppy owner, with all the information you need to train your puppy so you can both enjoy this new relationship. The first weeks are critical because she will be trying her best to set her own boundaries as she watches you tentatively tip toe around her.

Each chapter covers a week of training and focuses on a particular core task, as well as solving common behavior issues such as jumping up and play-biting. Use these easy-to- follow strategies to make managing your puppys behavior a romp in the park, and an enjoyable experience for both of you.

If you like to do everything by the book, then keep to the weekly routine set out for you. However, if you are a busy person with lots to do besides training a new puppy, then take this program in your stride and stretch it out for however long it takes you to consolidate each stage.

The first six to seven weeks at home with your puppy is the most hectic, often fraught with anxiety about whether or not you are doing the right thing. While it is important to be consistent with your training, it is also vital to enjoy your developing relationship. The most important thing is to soak in the joy of a new puppy and feel confident that your early interaction is heading along the right track to shaping a well- mannered pet and companion.

Why I wrote this book

Sophie with Tilly (left) and my mother Eileen with her Scottie Jeanie (right)

I have wanted to write a training manual for a long time but was far too busy running Doggie Business and dealing with everyday life. It was my daughter, Sophie who reminded me of the feelings of inadequacy that can take over and even overwhelm us when one brings home a new puppy. Regardless of whether you are a first time owner, or have had numerous dogs throughout your life, character and temperament will differ with every dog and each one will present a different set of challenges for its owner.

It all started when Sophie phoned to say she had a mini dapple dachshund (a dachshund with silver spots) puppy nestling in her pocket, and without owning up to how it got there, she launched into a barrage of questions heard many times by those in my profession. Sophie, and her puppy, Tilly, live in New York City, a long way from where I am in South East Queensland, but thanks to the wonderful invention of Skype, we were able to have live interactive training sessions via the internet which managed to put her at ease and quell her apprehension. Wisely, she made me promise I would write everything down and email all the information to her in easy to understand weekly chapters. It would be her bible, she said. And so, this book was born for her and all other puppy owners.

I hope to guide you toward a greater understanding of the relationship you can build, and the bond you can develop, by working positively with your pup. You will see that there is so much more to owning a dog, whether pedigree or mutt, than just owning a dog.

My own pedigree

For over fifty years I have been working with and caring for dogs. At home three dogs and a cat is the usual line up at feeding time. Anything less than that and the household balance feels out of kilter. We are the loving owners of a kelpie cross called Shadow, a Chihuahua cross called Polly, and Connie, the Border Collie. Also deserving a mention is our permanent transient lodger, Millie the retriever, and lastly Teddy, our long suffering cat. He is an American Rag Doll and extraordinarily patient.