When you get your loveable, tiny, cute puppy you never think that you might face unwanted or problem behaviours within the next few months.
But a third of people face just that.
A study published just this weekend from a UK team of researchers surveyed over 1100 owners when their adolescent dogs were 6 and 9 months old. They found that 31% and 35% (respectively) reported problem behaviours in their dogs.
The most common problem behaviours were pulling on the lead, jumping up at people and poor recall. Around 70% of owners had asked for help from a dog trainer, and around 30% looked for help online.
Problem behaviours were (unsurprisingly) reported most often by owners who did not attend puppy classes or who used mainly punishment based methods of training.
This study adds to the wealth of evidence that shows bringing your young pup to training from an early age can prevent future problems. And it will help if you’re already facing problems with your older pup too.
Our signature Perfect Pet course, based in person at Bangor and and Kircubbin, is where you’ll learn 32 games to help you teach your dog to be the perfect pet you want. The courses are outside only, so please dress appropriately for the weather.
If you’ve already done a Perfect Pet course, you can try out Putting it into Practice course (PiiP) course. This course does exactly what it says, practising your Perfect Pet games in different places around Ards and North Down – and teaches you some new games each week, too.
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol