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Ask Yvette

Dear Yvette,

We took our Charlie to puppy classes and he is a very happy and friendly dog. He loves everyone. For the most part he is fun to have around. But his obedience is not where we would like it to be because Charlie still jumps on visitors. Don't get me wrong, the classes were fun, but we had hoped for a more obedient dog by the end of it. Now what do we do?

Mark and Angie

You two have a fantastic job. Really. I mean that with absolute conviction. You have a friendly dog that loves everyone. You should be very proud of what you have accomplished. I can think of many people who would give an arm or a leg to be in your shoes at this moment.

Puppy class is an essential part of doing the right thing. It is a big indication that someone is an educated and responsible owner. But sometimes people are not clear on what the class strives to achieve.

The primary focus of a socialization program is to create a friendly animal who is well adjusted to life with people.

Let's stop for a moment and think in terms of humans rather than dogs. If a person was isolated from normal contact with the world – like Tarzan, would you be surprised if they stuck their finger in the chip dip at a party? Would you be shocked if they greeted you with a big sloppy kiss instead of a handshake? How terrifying would the cappuccino maker look to this person? That same person might be a genius at higher mathematics. But it does not change the fact that this person is socially inept.

Now back to dogs. Dogs who have limited contact with the outside world often become fearful and present with poor social skills. They trust only a few people and their lack of social skills becomes apparent in the outside world. Contact with family and one or two other dogs is not enough. This only teaches the dog how to interact with friends. It does not teach a dog how to deal with the unknown.

The main goal of a puppy class should be to create a dog that handles the ups and downs of daily life with confidence. They learn the world around them is safe, and they learn how to interact with strangers. For example: Strangers pat dogs on the head. Dogs do not pat one another, so they need to learn to enjoy this. Dogs need to learn how to shake hands with humans.

Obedience can, and in my opinion, should be part of a puppy program. I like to see pups get off on the right paw. But it should never be at the expense of temperament.

You have done exactly the right thing. Puppy classes should have exercises that teach animals how to tolerate begin handled. Separation anxiety, guarding and phobias must be mandatory components. Dog to dog interaction should be monitored to ensure that smaller puppies are not bullied.

As for the jumping, you can always teach a jumping dog to sit for visits. You have a little bit of tweaking to do. Teaching a fearful or aggressive dog not to bite is something I wouldn't wish on anyone.

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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