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Kindergarten
for puppies
For most owners, their dog is an important part of the family, so once you’ve made the decision and bought a puppy - what next? Kieranne Grimshaw spoke to trainer, Margo Flaherty, to discuss the benefits of ‘early-years’ puppy training
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argo Flaherty had been in the finance industry for 32 years before she decided to qualify as an IMDT (Institute of Modern Dog Trainers). This was in 2019, when she started her own business. She originally wanted to be a Police Dog Handler, but was only five feet tall.
The benefits of early home training seem evident.
Many things have changed since the days of Barbara Woodhouse, she said. ‘Nowadays we call it learning as opposed to obedience. They learn if you get them to sit anywhere, whereas with obedience a puppy has to sit beside or in front.
Margo continued: ‘At home I teach the puppies mostly safety things, so touch or recall. I also show the humans the technique to learn to leave, especially if something is toxic on the floor.’
‘I think it’s really important for puppies to have manners as early as possible. So, when some puppies arrive in the Island, I’ll go straight to the owner’s home and start training there.’
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‘By doing this before the puppy's second inoculation, we’ve already got the manners before they go into a class.’ As with nurseries for children, Puppy Kindergarten has similar benefits!
Practice makes perfect and Margo suggests that owners practice while out walking their puppy - perhaps along a street or in the country where there could be a dead animal or even a chicken bone.
A useful technique Margo teaches is the concept of ‘swap. ‘So if you’re doing the washing, your puppy may steal your socks and run away’ sounds familiar? ‘If they run away with something you want and you chase them, it becomes a game. Instead, I get their attention by presenting a tasty treat, they need to open their mouth to get the treat and that’s when I remove the object they shouldn’t have. They learn by positive repetition - the more fun, the more they will want to repeat a task.’ Teaching both owner and puppy is key, especially for first time dog owners. ‘I never train the puppy without the owner being there as they should always see how I’m doing it and the cues I use - we don’t use commands any more - it’s a softer approach. Everything is about being positive and reward-based in this training.’
