Hearing a deep growl come from a 4-month-old puppy is a sound that makes most dog owners freeze. That was my introduction to Tinka. Tinka came to me as a 4-month-old German Shepherd puppy whose owners had given up on her. They said she was “too much to handle.” At her very first mealtime, she…
If you have ever brought home a new puppy, you have probably received this common piece of advice: “Make sure you stick your hands in their food bowl, pet them while they eat, or take the bowl away and give it back so they know you’re the boss and don’t learn to guard it.” While…
(And How to Navigate “Fear Periods” Safely) Many puppies go like this: one day they are a happy, brave little explorer, and the next day they are suddenly terrified of a trash can or a fire hydrant they’ve walked past a hundred times. Your first instinct might be to worry that your puppy is fearful…
When most puppy guardians hear the word “socialization,” they picture chaotic dog parks, crowded pet stores, and puppies actively greeting people and dogs they pass on the street. If you want to raise a truly confident dog, you should replace the word socialization with exposure. True socialization is not about having your puppy be overly…