Game of Bones – “Control the Games, Control the Dog” Part III

Hide & Seek

I always start my new puppy’s day like this:

Upon waking at approximately 6:30am, I yawn and have a stretch my puppy (let’s call him Buddy) is watching me from his crate by my bed. I greet him quietly and get him out of his crate. For the first 2 weeks, 8 – 10 weeks of age I carry him to the spot I want him to toilet and we don’t go back into the house until I have seen both wee and poop done rain, hail or shine. I keep the baby gate between the kitchen and the living room so that I can always see where Buddy is. Or you can pop your pup into his errorless learning environment (he needs to be able to see you from inside of it).

I throw a handful of his kibble outside and tell him to “find it”, this allows me to make coffee and breakfast while Buddy is learning to use his nose. If he’s not sure what to do, I get down low and help him to “FIND” the kibble (which is in plain sight at this stage).

While he’s busy “FINDING” his breakfast, I sit down at the table and have mine. When he is finished and comes inside, I throw one piece of kibble away from the table, onto the floor and say “FIND IT” in a happy high pitched tone. This is a great way to start the day with your pup and give him his breakfast.

I gradually increase the difficulty of finding the kibble and then move on to putting higher value reinforcements (tiny pieces of roast, cheese, etc) into a small plastic container and hiding it in different places for Buddy to find.

What we are doing here is building good habits through patterns and repetition with games and lessons to organise your companion’s brain. Puppies thrive on consistency, clear leadership and boundaries. They don’t do too well with inconsistency, anxiety and overly emotional behaviour. Some manage to navigate our sometimes crazy, confusing and often frustrating environments using their canine charms. Others, become unhappy, unruly teenagers with “behavioural issues” and a trainer needs to be called in to help you navigate through your issues.

A little hard work at the beginning of your relationship will hopefully see you avoid the pitfalls of canine companionship and turn your puppy into a K9Charmer.

Previous posts,

Game of Bones – Part I, Part II