How do you raise your dogs?

[Mrs.K]

The two puppies I had before Pan were at our old house and we didn't have a fence. I also subscribe to the self-fulfilling prophecy thing about being overly dependent on leashes. I always let the puppies out with the older dogs off leash, no fence, sometimes without me outside with them. None of my GSDs have every run away from me and now that we do have a fence, I often have the driveway gate open to do yard work or have a dog in the front yard with me off leash and don't have any problems. We go to a cottage for two weeks in the summer and the dogs are off leash the entire time, not always 100% supervised.

I do the same thing.

[ladyfreckles]

I crate train him, which is something nobody else I know in person does.

I don't punish him when he does something wrong. I redirect with a command and only reward behavior that's good. If he's trying to bully me into giving him attention by barking loudly or being obnoxious I ignore him. A lot of my friends have been like "WHY DON'T YOU YELL AT HIM?". One of my friend believes in harsh leash corrections. I don't do that. I believe corrections have a time and a place but they are overused by many people.

I don't give my dog people food or use pee pads, something else that appears to be unique to me.

I started working on stairs with Viking when he was 8 weeks old. First I just took him up and down the front step over and over and over again until he did it with ease. Now I'm slowly working on his skills going up a full flight of stairs 2-3 times a week. I don't coddle him or carry him around. If he yelps I don't go "aww poor bwaby are yew okayyyyy?" I make sure he isn't hurt and I move on.

I let him gnaw on me so I can teach him a soft bite.

Little things like that. My friends are shocked by what I do and often think I'm nuts, but I've done a lot of research and I never do anything without thinking it through. If I am presented with facts that show what I am doing to be bad or detrimental, I stop doing it. But otherwise, I do what works for me.

[chelle]

Huge subject, really.!

I'm a huge off-leash fan.

I don't puppy-proof that much. I like redirection.

They have to know I'm in charge of everything. Not in a cruel or domineering way, just.. in.. charge.

Bonding. If they're bonded, in my limited experience, they work harder and want to be with you. Want to please you. Bonding is more important than anything else - even potty training, crate training -- in my limited experience, the bond trumps all.

[selzer]

How do I raise puppies that is different than others? LOL!

Well it has been an interesting night so far.

First off, I do EVERYTHING wrong.

1. I am generally raising two, maybe three together.

2. I leave them together in the same kennel, and within the house, for anywhere from 10 months to 18 months.

3. My method of house training is to make their indoor area smaller, down to 4'x4' with a doggy door to the outside. Eventually I stop the newspapers. And they generally take themselves outside to potty without fail. Then I let them into the rest of the house with supervision. I guess it is whatever works, and that works for me.

4. I let puppies exercise themselves. I do not keep them from jumping, running, etc. But I do not do forced marches, or train jumps etc.

5. I do not practice NILIF. I feed them first, they see me picking up after them, picking up poop. I let them on beds.

6. I take them to classes, usually one day a week. Puppy, Basic, Advanced, maybe Basic or advanced again, CGC. I get the CGC, and generally around a year old, I go for their RN. Generally. Then we take a break and I work with another set of puppies, and some of the older dogs.

They all seem to be just fine. Now pups that I did not have until they were six or 10 months old, they are more of a challenge. Got to individualize training to the dog. Some are more obedience type dogs, some are more agility type, some are more rally type.

[Shavy]

good topic! I'm also a fan of off-leash-whenever-possible. My first dog was only ever let outside onleash and the few times he slipped his collar he was impossible to catch; the freedom was just too much excitement for him.

I give table scraps all the time, and any leftovers that would otherwise get tossed.

I give high-reward treats sporadically when he lies quietly next to me and every time we come in from outside. I want my dog to have that much more incentive to stick around me, and to consider coming inside to be just as much fun as frolicking outdoors.

I take my 10 week old puppy everywhere I can, including pet stores. I leave his collar on most of the time, including when he is kenneled or sleeping.

He sleeps in bed with me and has since the first day home. He has an old pair of my son's shoes that he's allowed to chew on.

I rotate brands every time I buy a new bag of dog food. I buy whatever premium brand is cheapest.

I play tug with my puppy.

[Emoore]

Off-leash as much as possible, including in the front yard and plenty of off-leash hikes, from puppyhood until they just physically can't hike anymore.

I LOVE classes and dog hobbies like agility, obedience, etc.

None of my dogs were crated past 5 or 6 months old.

I feed human food, but my diet is really healthy, so theirs is too.

[Pepper311]

Basically I teach them how to understand me by training. Training is key. Being consistant, fair, and firm. I find raising pups is a lot like raising kids. I reward the good and correct the wrong. Lots of love. Exercise their minds and body as much as I can. But still let them be dogs. Socialize try and keep everything positive and fun. Most all training is off leash.

Training It's a way to build up communication and a bound. I also make sure my dogs know I am the one in control. If I say off they get off the couch. If I Want something they give it up to me no growl or resist.

But I get frustrated. I will yell at my dogs, I will get mad at them, I have jerked them around a little. But I never ever hit them no matter what. I try not to be like that but it happens every now and then.

[Davey Benson]

Good topic,I've enjoyed reading what other people think about how they raise their dogs.

I think there are lots of right ways to raise your dogs, as long as you spend lots of quality time with them, and do the very best you can by them, take care of their health, strive to make them content, etc.

How I raise mine, many may not agree with, because I don't spend a ton of time with formal training. They don't know a hundred commands, I generally just let them run around and simply be dogs. Mine might lack in proper manners, but they don't spend a lot of time out in public and I think they live a pretty quality life.

I work from home, so I am around them.... 24/7/365. So while I don't invest a lot of time with trainers, behaviorests, etc, I live with them all the time, so I have my own personal time investment with them. I'm amazed at how often I'm taking "doggie inventory" here. (and when one is not around, I give a call, and it will usually come streaking in from some direction)

Having lived with my dogs, I know what they can and can't do, and I don't set them up for fail, but rather I work with their strong points. Each breed is unique, and I give everyone a job to do to match their tallents. My black labs job is fetching, and just being a good companion dog. He's not much good past that, but that's ok, he can just be the buddy dog. The blue heeler, border collie, and german shepherd get to work with livestock, they help gather, sort, and run cattle through the pens, and chutes when it's time for vaccinating, and so forth, and they are really pretty good, and they all work with the livestock differently, the different breeds each have their own approach with animals.

The great pyrs are my lgds, and they live with the sheep and the goats, and I sleep very well at night knowing they are out there. We have quite a few coyotes in the area, and I have yet to have a problem with them on my property. Everyone around here is off leash, and not contained, except the pyrs, and genetically, they have to be contained. The others do well when they have to be on leash, I've never had any of them bizerk out on me while on leash. So my animals don't all sit/stay in unison, they don't all bark on cue, roll over, play dead, fly in formation, but I think they have a pretty good quality of life, they all live very full and eventful days here.

[sparra]

Being on a farm I also raise our dogs off leash and believe this is why they have such good recalls. Our dogs never have leads on unless we go to training which is very rarely now due to distance so I guess i differ a bit their too as most training is done at home now with little socialization like you would get in town........ all socialization happens at home .....having said that I am blessed with a wonderful boy who really doesn't need it.....on the rare occasions we do go out in public or to training he is rock solid and nothing fazes him which is great.

[doggiedad]

our dog was raised with soft hands and gentle, kind words.
our dog is well trained and highly socialized. because of his
training and socializing he makes a great pet/companion.
i'm sure some of his training and socializing was done the same
way as others and some of his training and socializing was done differently. dog training and socializing is similar to the Chinese menu, you take some advice and methods from
column A, you take some advice and methods from B and you take
some from columns C, D and E. when you mix it all up you have your way.