guardian is adapting his environment and lifestyle CREATING PUPPY ZEN

c a n i n e Creating Puppy Zen

Anna Bradley explains how to ensure life with a new puppy remains stress-free, and details the steps guardians can take to set up a calm, positive environment

We all know what puppies are like…enthusiastic, rambunctious, energetic…I could go on and on with the adjectives. Of course, this is how every puppy should be, but there comes a point where all that energy can start to sap the strength of even the most resilient guardian.

It doesn’t matter how experienced we are or how many puppies we’ve brought up, all are individuals with their very own idiosyncrasies. Puppies will widely vary in personality and temperament and we may find that we mysteriously forget what we did the first time round and how we coped with puppyhood. In addition, during the lifetime of a dog, training techniques, products, philosophies and theories change dramatically and that means so should we. For the benefit of our dogs, we should move with the times and embrace positive change.

A successful and stressfree puppy period means creating a calm, positive environment. If we’re constantly butting heads with our new acquisitions, the formative weeks and months can be distressing for all. Yet they needn’t be. This is a time we should be able to look back on with joy and maybe a tiny bit of regret for a precious time we can never get back. Indeed, if we put in maximum effort now, we can make sure this most special time is a moment we will always be able to cherish.

When I am working with new puppy guardians who are struggling, I begin by asking them to tell me a little about their puppy and then rework any negative terminology into something more positive. For example, one guardian said their puppy was “spiteful” due to his hard, persistent biting (the puppy was crated for around four hours per day prior to my visit), which I reworked into something like, “he is just a bit lonely and frustrated stuck in his crate and is seeking out some attention, so let’s work out what we can initially do to change this and also soothe his painful mouth.” These initial first steps and icebreaking are what I like to refer to as the start of a “Puppy Zen” process.

Calm Environment

Puppy Zen is all about keeping and maintaining calm and promoting where they can

selfcontrol. If we can achieve this, life with a puppy is much easier.

Calm Areas: As soon as puppy comes home, allow him to have a designated place to sleep and rest away from everyone else and the busy household. Puppies will usually sleep 1820 hours per day (Reisen, 2019). That’s a lot of sleep! Sleep is “essential to healthy growth, contributing to the necessary development of his central also helps him rest up during growth spurts.” (Reisen, 2019). Buzzing noises and lights from household appliances, external lights and people walking past can all contribute to puppy simply not being able to rest. Personally, I like crates or home created den areas, especially when covered, simply because they are a great safe space where the pup can sleep uninterrupted.

Routine: New puppy guardians will be beginning a housetraining regime pretty much straight away, but think, too, about everything else that you’ll slot in here – feeding, walking (when your pup is able to go out), sleep schedule, play, training (e.g. if he will be allowed on furniture, upstairs etc.). Make sure you are consistent because a set routine instills calmness and confidence. Similarly, setting boundaries now and sticking to them means you’ll have fewer issues later on. If you allow your puppy on the furniture now but will not want him to leap up on the sofa when he’s fully grown, you will end up giving out mixed messages and your dog will be confused and unsure as to what you expect of him.

Puppies need a calm, quiet place nervous system, brain, immune system, and muscles. All of that sleep

get a lot of sleep, which is essential for healthy growth and development

© Can Stock Photo/Hannamariah

Impulse Control: Puppies live very much in the moment. This is to be expected and there’s nothing wrong or unusual about that. But we also have to help them understand manners. Impulse control is all about waiting and being patient and polite so you’ll receive what you originally set out to achieve. We can start with lots of things here. Puppies are absorbing their world like a sponge, so we can capitalize on that. I like to work on “stay,” which simply means staying put and waiting patiently for a few moments or steps until I return. To make this fun, we can incorporate “stay” into ‘stay to get your food,’ ‘stay then go get your toy,’ etc. There are so many ways you can incorporate this kind of training in a fun way and making it into a game.

I also like to work on “leave it.” Puppies experience much of their world via their mouths. It always amazes me what goes in and (thankfully) comes out of puppies! If we can teach a great “leave/drop it” cue, then we won’t have an issue when she starts picking up stones, tissues, deceased and decayed animal parts, etc. Possessive type behavior issues can often stem from puppyhood if a pup has not been taught how great and positive it is to relinquish an item. Unfortunately, guardians

If you allow your puppy on the furniture now but will not want her to leap up on the sofa when she’s fully grown, you will end up giving out mixed messages and your dog will be confused and unsure as to what you expect of her.

sometimes chase their pup, so he learns that it’s great fun to run off with an item. Some guardians may chastise their pups or forcibly remove the item and in such cases, a pup may learn to hide away and/or become aggressive when challenged to give up his precious item.

Build Your Relationship: You cannot get this time back, so spend the time learning about your puppy’s characteristics and personality. It takes time to get to know one another and connective processes like early training (such as the puppy learning his name, coming back when called, sit on cue, and lie down on cue, wait when asked etc.) and, of course, socialization and habituation, all help greatly. Take some time just to sit and be in each other’s company and observe.

My Puppy’s “Wild!”: No, she’s got the FRAPS! Puppy guardians may allude to a time, or several periods during the day, when their puppy goes a little wild. This is known as a frenetic random activity period (FRAP), i.e. a period of pentup energy which is released in an explosive manner for a short period of time. Quite often there are specific times of day when these occur; 58 p.m. is one such common peak time.

What can we do when this sort of behavior occurs? First of all, some puppies will be more prone to excitement and generalized reactivity than others, just as some people are more chilled than others. Some breeds are more high drive and have a higher energy expenditure requirement. During the day, various environmental stimuli will contribute to a puppy’s “arousal bucket” and if we do not manage the bucket level correctly – i.e. help arousal level to plateau and lower – it may tip the threshold and his behavior risks being labeled “inappropriate” or similar.

The key is to recognize when puppy is becoming a little too emotionally aroused and stop what you’re doing just before the situation escalates rather than have to react to what follows. So if the dog gets a little bouncy during play, stop and pause and ask for a nice calm sit, then resume, rather than continue uninterrupted and risk getting behavior you don’t want. Teach calm replacement behaviors, which can be slotted into place any time you might need them.

Manage your dog’s environment also. Give him a calm place to hang out in the evening and take away all stimulating squeaky, pully and raggy toys, perhaps leaving only safe chew toys. Stay calm and quiet around him. Evenings are a time when you should all be able to relax.

Bedtime: I do not recommend trying to wear puppy out right before bedtime. Ideally, she should already be settled by now. Try to keep to the same bedtime hour each night so a routine is created. Take your puppy out for a last pee break and then bring her in for bedtime with minimum fuss.

Life with puppies, whether you’ve shared your life with dogs for years, taken a break, or are a firsttime guardian, can be stressful, but it shouldn’t and needn’t be that way. With a little bit of thought and planning, negatives can be turned into positives and the whole period can be the memorable chapter it should be – for all the right reasons. n

Reference

Reisen, J. (2019). How to Make Sure Your Puppy Gets Enough Sleep.

American Kennel Club

Anna Francesca BradleyMSc BSc (Hons) is a United Kingdomebased provisional clinical, certified IAABC animal behavior consultant and ABTC accredited behavior consultant. She owns Perfect Pawz! Training and Behavior Practice in Hexham, Northumberland, where the aim is always to create and restore happy relationships between dog and owner in a relaxed way, using methods based on sound scientific principles, which are both force-free and fun.

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