Meeting the mailman........

[CherylHampton]

Hi guess who? Got a question that I know is covered but my circumstances are a bit different I think. Oh! first, I tabled the idea of the attention heeling and am just going for heeling alone, we made three turns of my large living room this morning, the first two with no treats. Go Shiloh!!!Now to the heart of my question. I may have mentioned that I live in a very rural area. I have little to no visitors(with the exception of my granddaughters) that meeting went very well after I made sure they knew to turn their backs if Shiloh acted like he wanted to jump.  He only tried a couple of times then sat like a little gentleman(he likes his attention). Since there isnt really any way to expose him to even the mailman(my driveway is about 200ft) so the rare packages I have delivered are just that rare. How do I make sure he's not going to go "postal" (sorry) when these deliveries are so few and far between? I got Shiloh to be a watch dog(not guard dog) as well as a companion, and he's fitting that role quite nicely.  I live alone, so I feel better having him alert me to "company" including the possum on the front porch last night. That being said Shiloh is not inside all the time. He enjoys being outside, and whines to go out when I do bring him in. He has a nice warm place to sleep outdoors that he's quite fond of, so I've just let him decide where he's most comfortable. Is that a mistake? Also it will be some months before the young man that lows for me comes, is there any way to prepare him for that so that he's not freaked by the mower? I also have hay cut during the summer. Sorry to unload please forgive any typos Shiloh is trying to help😀

 

[Adrienne]

Lovely work, thanks for the update on heeling! I also loved to hear that he sat like a gentleman when your granddaughters came to visit. Sounds like Shiloh has been making great strides in improving. Kudos to both of you!

Socializing is very important for puppies, especially when living in urban areas. I know with the whole Covid19 mess things have been very difficult. If Shiloh has finished his shots and your vet says it's OK, it would be important for him to go on some trips just to see the world go by. Walks from a safe distance where there are a variety of people. Pet stores and some hardware stores where dogs are allowed are popular options. Even just taking him on car rides and parking lots just to see people, dogs and children walking and creating positive associations with that can help.

Even well-socialized dogs can fall back on their social skills when they live in rural areas. It's called "Suburban dog syndrome." So it's important to maintain those social skills even past the socialization stage. More on this here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/socializing-your-puppy/

In your specific situation, with rare deliveries, other than ordering stuff on purpose rather than going in stores, you may not have much options to work on. I mean, you could take him on car rides and park where you know trucks may drive by and work on creating positive associations with those, and you can park near places where you know people may mow their lawns and do the same, but it's not same as having actual vehicles and people coming on your property. 

I think it may still be worthy though working on some look at that exercises when your granddaughters come to visit and cars come in to your property. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ and you can do the same exercise on walks and let him watch the mail carrier at a distance leave mail to your neighborhood.

Consider that territorial behavior is expected to arise around 8-10 months of age. Prior to that, we see more barking due to fear/alarm. We can certainly have a dog who will bark or come to alert us of something unusual, without going crazy. The important thing is that we don't get it out of hand and that we let our dogs know that once we acknowledge the issue and then it's is all in our hands.

About sleeping outside, I would personally be worried about a young pup getting in some type of trouble when outside (chewing things, ingesting something odd, wild animals, etc). 

 

[CherylHampton]

Again thanks for the valuable input. Some of your suggestions I already have planned. He's had his shots and the local tractor supply allows pets in the store so we will see how that goes. He needs the exposure as well as the short car ride to and fro. He's quite social so that will be a good opportunity. Living in a rural community the store is always quite busy so I think the perimeter of the parking lot will be a good place to start . He can hear vehicles on our road at a distance and  the neighbors 4 wheeler doesn't bother him so thats good. I will add the socializing as close to the recommended suggestions in the brain training section as I can given my circumstances. Shiloh is an interesting pup. He's the first one I've EVER had that would accompany me into the kitchen and sit(without  a command) while I'm preparing his meal or treats. He sat like a gentleman while I cooked bacon this morning, no begging whatsoever, probably sounds silly but I'm impressed. The most animated he gets is when he wants in the chair with me he still can't get there on his own. Will check in with his progress and thank you again. When he lifted his head to let me connect the leash yesterday was a MONUMENTAL step in the right direction😊 

[Adrienne]

Awesome, I like your advanced planning. It's much easier working on preventing issues rather then working on them once the puppy is older and the behaviors by then have established. As the saying goes: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound  of cure. Who knows? With so many distracting things going on in and around stores, there are chances he may forget all about biting the leash-but the trade off is that you may get some pulling or maybe barking to go meet other dogs.  

I love to hear how behaved his in the kitchen. He is showing great impulse control in sitting as he waits for his meal. And it's so great to hear that he lifted his head in anticipation of you connecting the leash! I wonder if that's a lovely positive conditioned emotional response to the treats you have been given and he made the connection!

Keep up the great work!