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This is the puppy training podcast. Episode number 15 filled A bond. This podcast is for those looking to train their own dog whether as a family, companions, service or therapy dog. And I'm here to help you every step of the way. This is the puppy training podcasts, and I'm your host, Amy Jensen. Hey, everybody. Thanks for tuning in again this week. Last week was crazy for me. I was out of town. I was actually on a flight to Michigan to pick up boots. Boots is our new service dog puppy in training. And he's home now anyway. And then we flew home and went straight to a family reunion. And I'm not as tech savvy as I should be and have pre recorded my podcast to air last week. So we missed a week. I'm sorry, but we're back at it today, and I want to tell you a little bit about boots. So we have this. I picked him up at the airport from bungee doodles. Jen Carlson is amazing. And she met me there at the airport. And this little boots. Oh, my gosh, you guys, he is so cute. His eyes were green. and they're like glass and he just stares into your eyeballs. He just stares right into your soul. Almost. He's a sweetheart. We've had him for a week now. And like I said, he spent four days with me at a family reunion at my mom and dad's house. And he was so good, so good with all of the kids, the little kids, the older kids, the adults. He's pretty chill. So we're just loving him so far. You'll get to see a lot more of him. If you want to follow his journey, he can follow him on Instagram S D I t underscore boots or also at Baxter Bella. And then he's gonna have a YouTube channel. A CZ. Well, we haven't started that yet, but that'll get going this week. So feel free to follow along. I try to post little training videos of me working with him so that you guys can see you know what I do with the puppies that I work with. Okay, so today we're gonna focus on building a bond, and I brought this up this week because boots did just come home and those first few days with him That's really what I spent doing. I just focused on building a bond with boots. That sounds kinda cute and really, I want to talk to you today about what that is and why it's important and some ideas that you can do with your puppy when it first comes home so that you can really build that good, solid relationship that we're all looking for. So the first part of building a bond is we want to create some trust. We want that new puppy to understand that we are going to be nice to them, that we're going to treat them well. We're going to give them food and water. We're going to show them love. And then when we asked them to do things, they're going to get rewarded for that. No trust also plays into Crete training. I create train my new puppies so that if they ever have to go to the vet or a grooming appointment that they know how to be in a crate. It's also nice for travel and in the service dogs. They travel with us wherever we go, and so when we're seeing in a hotel, it's just nice to have that create option, and so trust is part of that. You know, you put the puppy in the creek and you shut the door. They need to have trust that you're going to come back and let them out, and it's not going to be too long before you do so. So some of those little things just helped build that trust that he can look to you as a leader and that he knows where he can go for food and water. He knows where he can go for all the necessities of life that he needs and that you're his new friend that's going to provide those things for him. So this creates that strong relationship that we're looking for with our dogs, and it helps our puppy feel safe. He could start to relax and his new environment once he knows where his needs air coming from and who's going to help him fulfill those. So all of those little things I like to spend doing the first couple days, you know, establishing some clear communication with my puppy. It's hard when they first arrived because we don't speak dog and they don't speak English so we really have to start to create this common language that we can understand each other. We start to read their body language and what they're telling us, and they start to learn verbal cues for behaviors that we want them to do, and they get rewarded for it. By doing so, we're starting to build this common language and establish this clear communication. So the first days when I get my puppy home, I'm not really focused on teaching them all sorts of words. It's more about just being together, building that trust, building that strong relationship and helping him feel safe in his new environment. So you can spend time on those first few days getting to know your puppy. So, for example, what toys does he like? And I always have a variety. I like to get out the squeaky toys, the long toys, the crunchy toys. You know, sometimes it's just even a water bottle. Just make sure you take the lid off in that little ring around the lid off before you give it to him. I even like to take the paper wrapper off, so it's just the bottle. But that crunchy, crinkly sound most puppies go nuts for, and it's really in in inexpensive toy, so just finding things that he likes and that he'll respond to, I use a lot of toys in my training to motivate the puppy. Remember, You know, any time you're going to train a puppy, you have to have that motivation first. Learning doesn't happen until your puppies motivated. So spend time getting to know your puppy by figuring out what toys he likes. Does he like a ball? Does he like a Frisbee? Does he like the squeaky toys? Does he like the crunchy toys, Those kinds of things? I also like to use this time to discover what my puppy will work for. Now, when I have a brand new puppy, I am very careful about his diet. The first few weeks home, I make sure that he stays on the same food as the breeders been feeding him, and I use his food as much as possible in those first few days to keep his digestive system non stressed. So I do use his kibble a lot the first few days in training. But you know, usually your breeder will have some suggestions as to what he's already been accustomed to, such as, You know, Boots already has been eating those mill mixers, the turkey flavor, you know, freeze dried turkey liver. And so I've been giving those to him. And he's also been getting some life abundance, turkey and bury treats. And so I carried that over. So whatever the breeder had introduced him to in his stomach was okay with That's what I'm starting out with. But as we go each day, I'm starting to introduce new things. So, for example, I'm having boots lay on a bed in the kitchen when I'm, you know, fixing my breakfast or eating my lunch etcetera. And I've introduced some a little bit of string cheese. So he goes to the bed and he lays down E. He's figured out that, Hey, that's pretty awesome. I get a piece of string cheese if I go away on this bed, so and he's been fine with it so far, so I try to just slowly introduce things into his system, But at the same time, I'm paying attention to what he's willing to work for. He's pretty good to work for his kibble, and so I do that as much as possible. But after you know five or 10 reps of each thing that we're working on, he's getting a little bored of justice, just the kibble. So I'll pull out. You know, the string cheese or those turkey treats were those berry treats just to try to mix it up a little bit so, you know, keeps them guessing. So that list continues to grow. And as you're building your bond with your puppy, continue to grow the list and make a hierarchy of what your puppy likes. So the bottom of the list would be kibble. You know, most dogs will work for their cable up to a certain point, and then it might be something like a cheerio or a piece of apple or a piece of carrot. On up to the top of the list would probably be for most dogs, a piece of steak or a piece of chicken from last night's dinner, something that's very high value. So as you're building your bond, start to create that list of rewards that your puppy will work for. And then I want you to always start at the bottom. So when you're doing a new behavior. Try to see if he'll do it for the least valuable food item. That would be his kibble. If you take him out on a walk outside, you know, we would mostly guess that your dog's gonna need something a little more enticing because the environment is that more much more stimulating. So if you go outside on a walk, you're probably gonna need some of that liver or the chicken or the steak. Or maybe it's just a little bit of hot dog, something that's a little more enticing than in your puppies kibble. So again, start to build out that list and take note of what your puppy will and won't work for. Some dogs like vegetables like My schnauzer loves carrots. Broccoli. He does not love fruit. He won't have any apples. He doesn't want anything to do with it. Blueberries he doesn't care about, but I've trained puppies in the past. You love blueberries, so do your homework a little bit and take this time to kind of figure out what your dog doesn't doesn't like. But don't rush it. You know you have weeks ahead of you that you can kind of start to figure this out. And don't introduce too many new foods at once to your puppy again. We want his little system to stay, you know, comfortable and the way it was when he left his breeder. So be super careful about that. But again, keep that in the back of your mind that you're gonna want to start to figure those things out. Does your puppy like Arabs? Does he like belly rubs? I have not yet met a doodle who doesn't love a good belly rub. And does he like to play fetch, will you? You know, if you toss a toy, does he like to go get it and bring it back to you? Or is he kind of like you? I'm not that interested. So figure out, really. Just what your puppy likes boots is such a snuggle. Er he will come running at me full speed, and he just wants to come right into my stomach. And then he turns around for a great you know, he just wants to be right next to me. So he's super snugly. Not all puppies air like that. I've had puppies in the past who don't want to be right next to you, and that's okay. So figure out how you know, kind of your puppies personality, what he likes, what he doesn't like and then be respectful of that. Don't try to force a puppy who maybe isn't a snugly to be a smuggler. I guarantee that's not going to help you build a bond with him. It's going to drive him away. So if your puppy is touchy feely and does like to be right next to you, then, yeah, do that, scratch his belly, give him a backrub. You know, rub his ears, let him cuddle right into you. But if you have a dog that doesn't love that, then don't force that eso again building that bond. It's really important to figure out what he likes. The next thing I focus on with building a bond is I teach my puppies. That sit is the new please. So I'm teaching him that communication that we talked about before. I'm not teaching him the words it I'm simply teaching him the behavior sit and that he gets things by sitting. So if my puppy wants me to pay attention to him, he has to sit first. If he wants to say hi to me, he has to say first if he wants to play with me, engage in maybe a game of fetch or tug or something. Then he has to sit for that toy to be thrown or that toy to be given to him before he eats his breakfast. I wait for a sit, so all sorts of things, any kind of scenario I can come up with that. You know, my puppy is wanting to interact with me. I expect to sit first and I don't queue it again. I don't tell him to sit because he hasn't been taught that yet. He doesn't know what that word means, but you can take the toy or a small food reward and lure him into a sit each time. And pretty soon I would say with Ian, even the first day, you'll notice your puppy starts toe, offer that behavior to you. He gives it to you automatically, and sometimes it just takes you to wait a few seconds for it. In fact, I like to once I've done it a couple times of my puppy Lord him into that sit position. I stopped luring and I hide the toy or the food reward, and then I just wait and see if he'll start to figure that out and give it to me on his own. If he sits automatically, then yes, good boy up that yes, is my verbal marker that he did something correctly, and I'll use that yes, often so that he knows when he did something that I'm looking for and then the food reward or the toy comes right after. So that's another thing you can do in these first few days is to load that marker. If you're a member of my program, I tell you all about how to do that in that first unit. But, yeah, load that marker and then use it to help build this. Communication between your pep in your bond will just get stronger and stronger. Heard another helpful tip on these first few days. Home while you're building that bond is to station these food rewards around your house or where a pouch so just get used to having either pockets that you can put food in or I have a jar by my back door where we take him to outside Tickle Party. I have a jar in my kitchen area by the bed that I like him to lay on while I'm working in the kitchen. I just strategically placed these things around my home so that that bond as we're working on the sit to say, Please, our city is the new please. And we're getting to know her puppy when he does things. We like that I have food available that I can reward him instantly for it. So let's say that I am maybe working in my office on some e mails and my puppies in here, and he just lays down by my feet. I love that behavior. That's fantastic. So I'm just gonna have a little food reward that I'm gonna drop to him while he's laying at my feet. And I'm starting to shape those behaviors that I like by rewarding them. So whatever gets rewarded, you guys gets repeated. So I'm always looking for things that I like that my puppies doing, and I'm gonna reward him for it. Then he's going to continue to do those behaviors, all right. Another crucial port of building a bond is establishing some kind of party routine going back to that, he needs to feel safe and that his needs are met. He needs to know where he can go to the bathroom. We don't want to spend these first few days causing frustration for him or for you. We want it to be a happy, positive experience for the both of you because we do want to get things off on the best start possible. So establishing a party routine where you always go out with your puppy unleash you, Mark? Yes, the second he finishes and you give him a really good food reward. I like to use free stride liver, and then you can bring it back into play inside with you, but so that he knows which door he can go out of where he goes to. You know where you can go to the bathroom. You're going to praise him and reward him for going there. And then he gets to come back inside and play with you have some free time in the house because he went, That's ideal. So it puppy does not know where you can go to the bathroom. And for all he knows is your carpets a great spot, So we need to establish this party routine. The best advice I can give you is to start to track it. So again, in my program, I have printable charts and checklists. I'm a teacher, you guys and I love charts and checklists, and I love writing things out. So I have created all sorts of principles for you that you can go on and print out and then just use them. So the potty chart has seven days worth on one sheet, and you can mark when they went, whether it was Pierre poop and if it was an accident or if it's successful and you'll really start to see your puppies patterns and be able to anticipate when he needs to go next. Boots, I can tell you it's phenomenal Jen at bungee doodles and an amazing job prepping him for this potty training. He holds his bladder so well. I am so impressed for a young puppy. A lot of times I'm setting my timer every 2030 minutes to let a new puppy go out. Boots will hold it for a good hour before he even needs to go out. But that's again something that you need to learn about your puppy. Every puppy will be different, and it depends on where he came from. And what kind of upgrade bringing he's had before he came to you as to whether he got potty training from the breeder or not. So if he hasn't had any potty training, my program again outlines up for you of when you should be setting timers and kind of what to expect with a brand new puppy. You know, even at night, they're gonna need a couple breaks, probably before they learned to hold it all night long and a great. So if you need help with that, check out my program. I would love to give you those charts and checklists again. Establishing that party routine just helps him feel safe. He knows where he can go. He's being rewarded for going in appropriate area is keeping things positive, which is a crucial point to building this important bond that we want to establish with our new puppy. All right, so on that No, I'm just gonna recap a little bit of watching for behavior that you like and rewarding it and I told you a little bit about boots in the bed, in the kitchen with all of my puppies. I teach them the Goto Bed Q. And I had put this bed in my kitchen, and I shape it the first few days of their home that every time they go and sit on that bed, I drop it like something small, like a piece of kibble or a cheerio to them. And then boots. Honestly, within three sessions was laying down all on his own. So it went from he would sit on the bed, I'd given material, he'd sit on the bed, I get material, and then I started to lure him into it down. I did that about three times. I gave him a food reward, and I would no longer give him a reward for sitting. I am now waiting for him to lay down before he gets that reward, and it took him about three sessions. You guys, he is a bright one. So now when I go to my kitchen and we've had him, we did this behavior we started yesterday. So this is 24 hours in the making Now. When he goes into the kitchen with me. He'll go right over to the bed and lay down. He knows that he'll get a piece of string cheese or, you know, a cheerio or something good for doing it, and he knows that he's not going to get that any other way in my kitchen. He doesn't get it by sitting by my feet. He doesn't get it by, you know, pine on my cabinets or sniffing around my kitchen. He only gets food rewards if he's on that bed where I would like him to be in a calm, relaxed wait. So again, fine things that you like, reward them. They'll keep doing them and then take time. Your puppy is going to sleep a lot. So this is another way that you can build a bond is your puppy's gonna be tired and he's going to sleep a lot. That's just what puppies do. So take that time to take a nap with them, see if you can lay down and he'll just come snuggle in by you and taken up together. That's a great way to build a bond, and then finally, just remember, it's so important to keep things positive we get and want to build that trust that we talked about in the beginning. We want your puppy to know that you're a safe person. You want him to know that you're going to give him good things and that you're looking for good behavior and that that will get rewarded. That's gonna help build his confidence. And he's going to start to offer you behavior and really be motivated to work for you. And that's key Before we get going and puppy training, your puppy has to be motivated, and he has to know that he can trust you. So take those first few days, you guys, and build a good solid bond with your dog. If you have an older dog at home, really, your dog's been with you for a while. It doesn't hurt to go back and just focus on, you know, Today I'm going to spend time on just building a bond with my dog and really just having fun with him, interacting with him, keeping everything positive, because occasionally we get into training and we start to get frustrated. This happens especially, I feel like during the adolescent phase, when our puppies reach that teenager phase where they start to push our buttons and test the boundaries a little bit. I I go back to this buildup on lesson and just really try to focus on. You know, today we're just gonna be positive. We're gonna focus on the good. We're gonna build a relationship today. That's positive. So I hope those tips help you guys. I've got to get back to boots. He's up from his nap and he's ready to go. We're gonna learn some new things today. If you'd like to follow us, remember, you can follow us on Instagram Facebook. Also, he'll have a YouTube channel that will be up shortly. You guys enjoy your week with your puppies and happy training. If you have a question about anything you heard on this podcast or any other puppy training questions, visit my sight Baxter and Bella dot com to contact me