Simple Bonding

A dog, like many other things, can give you great pleasure. But like many other things, your dog requires an investment of your time, time that is often very difficult to spare. Investing a half hour of undivided attention twice a day with your puppy every day will result in an adult dog that is well disciplined and a joy to have around. Your puppy would love to have ALL of your time, which (obviously) is impossible to do. There is an easy way to give your puppy a LARGE block of time that will not be terribly disrupting to your life. We think of our sleep time as time that we can accomplish nothing else but actually it is a great opportunity for you puppy to bond with you. NO, I am not talking about letting your puppy sleep in your bed. I know that many people do that but not me!  

If you will move your new puppy's crate into your bedroom so that the pup has a 'den' right beside your bed then the pup will know that you are close throughout the night. Your puppy will take comfort in hearing your breathing (yes, even your snoring) and will actually be growing more attached to you as you both sleep.  This is a multiplying factor for your twice a day training time because in the dog's mind you have spent ALOT of time with him or her through the night. As your puppy outgrows the small crate, if you have room you can switch to a larger crate. If there is not room for you growing dog to have it's own den within your bedroom you can fasten a sturdy eyescrew into the baseboard of the wall close to the bed. Make a six foot tether that fastens to the eyescrew and has a snap for the dog's collar. When you go to bed, attach your dog to the tether so that you will not lose sleep wondering if the young dog is wandering off and getting into trouble in the night. By the time she or her has reached 12-15 months old, they should be accustomed enough to their sleeping place and mature enough to be trusted to be free through the night.  This is a great way to build the dog's relationship with you while you sleep . . .  a 'two-fer' (two for one . . .  sleep & dog bonding) or a 'three-fer' if you consider your dog's presence as a security factor in the night.

Until next time . . . .   Eliot     www.rosehallkennel.com

A Dog's Life

A dog's life . . . laying around in the shade.  They've got it made! . . .  Don't they?

A truly content dog is a dog that regularly has opportunity to be satisfied in accomplishing something . . .  duties, or chores . . .  a dog thrives when it has a purpose and something to 'look forward to.'

Several of our dogs go with me each morning when I feed the cattle.  It's their chore.  I call them by name and tell them that it is 'chore time' and that we 'must' go and take care of the cows.  These dogs know the routine and show evidence of discontent if the routine is broken.  If for some reason one dog must be left behind, it acts as if it's being punished.  If another dog takes it's place there is real distress.

You may not have farm chores that you can include your dog(s) in but you can set aside a small portion of your day in the morning and evening to have a routine with your dog.  In that routine, work in some training exercises or other 'tasks' that your dog can look forward to accomplishing.  Praise your dog profusely when the tasks are completed and you help your dog feel fulfilled.

Boy or Girl . . . what does it matter

Most people have their mind made up about the gender of the puppy that they want.  All too often they have made their decision with incorrect information about the differences.  There are many more people who desire to have a male dog than a female. One of the most common reasons stated is that they want a 'BIG' dog for protection,

'BIG' dog is a relative concept.  Rosehall GSD's males run between 90 and 140 pounds . . .  not those are BIG dogs! . . .  but not like some of the Great Danes or other huge breeds.  Rosehall females run between 70 and 90 pounds with some reaching 100 or more pounds when mature (lean.) That is still quite a large dog . . . larger than the standard male German Shepherds.  So you can have a BIG dog and have a female.

On the matter of protection . . . usually the matter is deterrence, rather than 'attack' capability. The male dog generally will make a better personal protection dog for someone who has the dog traveling with them.  The males tend to be somewhat less territorial and more loyal to an individual.  The female has a natural 'nesting' instinct that makes them generally more protective of their 'home turf' and therefore more likely to be the protective 'watch' dog at home.

When things go 'bump' in the night around here . . .  it's me and our 115 pound girl Essie that go and investigate!  I have no doubt that she will 'watch out' for me should the need arise.

I learned a lesson.

Notice that Mia is wearing a pink collar in this photo.  Our practice at the kennel is not to use collars on any of our dogs unless we are working them.  The reason for that is that it removes the possibility of a dog accidentally injuring itself or another while at play by getting a tooth or paw caught in their own or another dog's collar.

However we always use a collar of some sort when working with a dog, especially while doing training exercises . . .  or 'school' (as we call it.)  The pink collar in this photo is Mia's 'dress up' necklace.  Her training collar is chain collar with a pink shoe lace thread through it.

The interesting lesson that I learned was that Mia quickly learned that the 'training' collar was for school and the 'dress up' collar was for going someplace or for play.  I found that Mia was a quick learner and performed her school lessons very well.  I also found out that Mia obeyed well in her 'school' mode but not much at all in her 'play' mode.  She had learned that with the different collars I had differing sets of expectations.  I was very frustrated with her until I figured out what was going on in her mind.  I began using random collars for her 'school' sessions and within a week  I was getting much more consistent obedience from her regardless of the setting.

I learned my lesson and Mia's grades went up!

Until next time . . .   Eliot    www.rosehallkennel.com