How Do I Train My Puppy To Be A Show Dog?

We recommend starting your puppy with basic training the day after you bring them home. The best things to start with is basic handling skills. Get your puppy familuar with people touching their lips to lift them up and see their teeth, placing their fingers between their toes, petting them while standing and for the boys letting people touch their boy parts.

The command you need to teach your puppy for conformation

1. 'stand' and make sure the puppy stands still with this command,
2. 'stay' teaches the puppy to stay in the possition in which they are requested (stand) 
3.  'wait' is a temp stay command - I use this when we are walking and need to stop for a second before continuing to walk.  
4. 'lets go' is a good relase command from a stay into a walk (gait)
5. 'teeth' teach this when touching the lips so they know when someone is going to look at their mouth

There are classes that are for show dog training called 'handling classes'. These are great socialization classes where you and your puppy can learn ring procedure prior to your first dog show. You can start these classes as young as 12 weeks of age.

There are also mock dog shows called 'fun matches' or 'sanction matches' which are held by dog club. They are a great opprotunity to dip your toes into what it's like to show a dog prior to entering a 'real dog show'.

For information on classes in your area contact us at tollchester@gmail.com or check out canuckdogs.com

First Road Trip With Your Puppy

What Do You Need For Your Puppies First Road Trip?

Your puppies first road trip from the breeders home should be a possitive experience. Remember puppies are impressionable during the first few months of life so any "scary" events that happen to them may stay with them for a long period of time. To avoid making this trip anxious for the puppy remember to BE PREPARED!

 

For the car ride home we recommend the following

• Plastic crate - medium or intermediate pet porter (19-23" tall)
• Chew toy - bully stick or kong filled with peanut butter
• Water bowl with water - We recommend carrying an extra bottle of water with you in the event of a delay
• Potty pads to be placed under blankets within the crate - this helps give a waterproof surface along the bottom of the crate
• Lots of blankets/towels and a teddybear in the crate - the puppy should have plenty to snuggle
• Blanket to cover the crate - this helps create a quiet den like area for the puppy. Note: make sure there is adaquet ventalation by leaving one of the sides of the crates exposes for airflow
• Extra blankets/towels/potty pads incase they have an accident and you need to replace bedding
• Paper towel, baby wipes and microfleece towel incase of an accident so you can clean the crate and puppy
• An xpen is recommended for travel greater then 2 hours - the xpen is a great tool for long travel because you can put the pen up outside your vehicle when you are at a rest stop or safe area and let your puppy potty off leash. Note: Many pups don't feel comfortable pottying on leash their first car ride

We highly suggest crating your puppy during travel because it provides them with a comfortable environment they can sleep in. Some pups will throw a tantrum when they are first crated away from there litter. It's important to not take our your puppy when they are screaming! By removing a puppy from a crate while they are screaming you are reinforcing the behaviour. By reinforcing behaviour you are telling the puppy this behaviour is what is acceptable and the puppy will have a hard time learning otherwise.

Once your puppy has settled in his/her crate let them sleep as long as they want to. If you have a planned stop and your puppy wakes up take time for a potty break for your puppy. Otherwise we'd suggest travelling until the puppy wakes up. As soon as the puppy wakes up find the next safe place to pull over and excercise your puppy in his/her pen. If you don't have a pen make sure you have a 6 foot leash and collar to excercise your puppy. Remember: Puppies under 9 weeks of age potty an average 8-12 times per day so if your puppy is awake you will want to plan plenty of potty breaks.

Snacking during travel is to be kept to a minimum (for your puppy). A bully stick or kong filled with peanut butter is good to keep your puppy distracted during travels. If you are travelling a long distance and opt for feeding your puppy treats or a meal remember pups typically potty within 5-15 min of a meal so make sure you plan a potty break too!

Some people choose to come as a family and opt to hold the puppy on their lap. You are welcome to do this if you choose so. If you opt for this keep in mind the best time to hold your puppy is when they are calm and ready for a nap. Pups who are anxious will want to keep busy and ones who are excited are very curious so your they will want to explore your vehicle. If you hold them on your lap make sure not to place them onto the seats or flooring because they may use this time to potty in your vehicle. Note: A loose puppy in your vehicle is extremely unsafe. Think of your puppy as a child; Would you have your child move around your vehicle while you are driving?!

Well that pretty much covers what you will need when you make your pups first trip. Remember to be prepared by keeping items in your vehicle you feel you will need for your pups first trip home and stay calm/happy during travels to make the ride relaxing and fun for your puppy. Keep in mind it's never a bad thing to be too prepared but not such a fun thing to be under prepared so take your time and remember your checklist. Happy Travels!

New Puppy Shopping List!

What Will I Need For My New Puppy?

 

To help your puppy become comfortable in their new environment Tollchester recommends the following products...

Puppy Needs

• Plastic and/or wire crate - I prefer a plastic intermediate (23" tall) pet porter crate for car travel; the plastic crate limits the amount of dirt and water that gets into the vehicle after a trip to the lake! For home use I prefer a 27" height wire crate with a divider ; the divider is a useful tool when your puppy is growing up because the crate can adjust to the size of your puppy
• washable blankets or crate pads; walmart sells very affordable fleece blankets in the bedding section which make wonderful blankets for in the crate.
• Dog beds with a washable cover; costco has some wonderful dog pillows available at affordable prices
• litter box and pine shavings
• martingale collar and 6 foot leash (flexi leashes are not recommended)
• water and food dishes (more than 1 food dish is a good idea) ; I prefer metal dishes vs plastic/rubber - walmart and petsmart carry good metal bowls
• bells to hang on the doorknob for potty training ; I would recommend finding these at your local walmart or craft store
• nametag with your dog's name, your cell phone number with area code (or best number to reach you) and address
• towels for dirty feet; I prefer the microfleece towels you can find in the car area of a department store or costco
• good quality chews (AVOID rawhide, tennis balls and cooked bones) Look for pigs ears, bullysticks, beef tenderloin and hoofs
• Toys!  Products made by Kong, JW Pet, Knobbly Wobbly, Plush or latex toys with no small parts, plastic eyes, or inner robotics. Squeakers ok.
• baby gates
• Exercise (X) pen
• good quality dog shampoo; I prefer an oatmeal or baby shampoo
• nail clippers and styptic powder
• slicker brush & metal comb & Pin brush & small pair of scissors (to trim feet and ears)
• good quality dog treats ; My treat of preference is Zukes

Crate Training Your Toller Puppy!

How To Crate Train Your Puppy

My favorite method of crate training is to keep things simple and FUN! A crate should never be used as a punishment for a puppy. By using a crate as a punishment you are encouraging your dog to dislike being in their crate because it's a unhappy place. A crate should be a artifical den for your puppy. The idea behind crate training is to provide your puppy with a comfortable, quiet environment they can enjoy. A den to your puppy should provide the same mood as a bubble bath in a quiet room with a good book would feel to a person.

That being said NEVER let your children play with your dog in the crate and avoid going into your dogs crate with them unless necessary. How would you like it if someone jumped in your bubble bath during your quiet time?!

Some pups choose to avoid their crate because they have too much other things going on within the home they choose not to relax! Relaxation time is good for your dog and in the future you and they will appreciate having somewere they can chill. To make the crate a FUN place for a puppy I recommend making the crate part of feeding time. Puppies that stay at my home start basic crate training at 6 weeks of age. The way I start crate training is by doing their 2-3 feeding sessions within a crate. Having their meal in a crate provides a rush of possitive energy for the puppy and helps aid in crate training.

When the puppy goes home with you at 8 weeks I encourage owners to have at least one meal of day in the crate for their puppy. The other meal I suggest outside of the crate and training for any food guarding should be started asap! You should always be able to take food away from your puppy without any signs of aggression. Afterall, what would you do if your dog got ahold of a piece of garbage outdoors that was potentially harmful?! You want to make sure you can safetly and effectively take any food from your puppy.

The next thing I suggest to puppy owners is to make play time part of crate time. Throw toys into the crate for your puppy to retrieve. This game builds confidence in your puppy that crates are fun! They aren't just a place where they are placed with a door shut when their family leaves the home.

Crating at night time is also a great way to get your puppy comfortable in their new safe place. Some owners prefer to get a smaller plastic crate (medium 19" tall pet porter crate) because it easily fits on most nightstand tables. A smaller crate in your bedroom can ease a puppy the first few nights in your home. The sounds and smells of their owner near by typically helps calm a puppy. However, having said that there is the odd puppy that prefers to throw a tantrum at bedtime! It's important to NEVER let your puppy out of his/her crate when they are screaming. Some people prefer to leave the puppy in a room at the other end of their home for their first few nights until they learn that screaming doesn't get them a free pass into the bed!

For more tips on crate training check out this site at http://www.inch.com/~dogs/cratetraining.html 

Happy Training!

Potty Training Your Toller Pup!

How to Potty Train Your Puppy

At Tollchester we start potty training your puppy at 3 weeks of age. By 8 weeks of age many of our puppys are already fully litter box trainned. Litter box training provides an easy transition to outdoor potty training.

We recommend puppy families purchase a large litter box and place pin shavings into the box. Put it in an area the is within reach of the puppy; preferably somewere you can see the puppy going to the box. When the puppy approaches the box it's best to try and pick them up before they go into the box and carry them outside. By doing this you are substituting the outdoors for the litter box and eventually you won't need the box in your home.

Remember puppies under 9 weeks have very small bladders and need to pee anywere from 8-12 times a day! Some trainers will recommend to monitor water, food and sleep inorder to adjust to your puppys potty schedule. It's very common for puppies to pee within 10 min of drinking water, poo within 20 min of eating, and within 2 min of waking up. If you watch your puppy during these times and provide them with outdoor activities following these three times this will help you minimize the amount of "accidents" your puppy may have.

When potty training it's best to keep your puppy in a smaller area within your home and close to you. You want to get to know your puppies cues on when they need to potty so you can avoid "accidents". Umbilical and Crate training are great tools along with litter box training to help you potty train your puppy.

There is a wonderful article about potty training puppies at http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=2+2114&aid=157

Your Puppys First Day Home

Your puppies first day in your home is one of its most important! Remember: Be prepared!
Before your puppy gets home it's time to puppy proof your house!

1. Make sure all electrical cords are stored away from the puppy
2. Make sure you have trash cans with lids or your garbages are out of site and out of mind. Hidding them in cupboards or on counter tops is a good way to store them away from your puppy
3. Make sure all dangeous liquids are in a safe place. Tollers are extremely smart so if your puppy learns to open cupboards I'd encourage baby proofing the cupboards so they can't be opened
4. Clear of any tables that the puppy can reach on 2 or 4 feet!
5. Make sure all chewable objects are stored away (including socks and underwear!) Make sure you have a plethora of toys to give your puppy to occupy his/her time

Toys to get your retriever include squeeky rubber balls, rubber tennis balls, teddy bears, kong which you can fill with peanut butter, frisbee etc.. Remember your puppy maybe too nervous the first day to play so give him/her time to warm up to your family and their new home.

Puppies can be nervous their first day in their new home and environment. To ensure your puppy doesn't get lost make sure you have an ID tag prepared for your puppy with his/her name on it along with your phone number. Your puppy will previously be microchipped with a CKC identification which will initially direct the puppy back to your breeder. However, there's never any harm having too much identification for your puppy!

Make sure you have a place for your puppy to sleep. Crates are a great option for a puppy because it creates a den like environment for them. Crate training is a wonderful tool for car travel, air travel as it provides a comfortable, quiet, safe environment for your puppy. I highly recommend crate training and when crate training always keep it simple and FUN! Check out our crate training page for more information on how to successfully crate train your puppy. If you don't have a crate a dog bed in a quiet environment in the home is another option. Some puppies are used to sleeping in a pack with their sibblings so having something cozzy to snuggle up with is always a good option - a large blanky or teddy bear.

Your puppy may need to go to the bathroom when you arrive home. Make sure you take him/her out to the area you wish for them to use. When they potty in the area give them lots of praise prior to bringing them indoors. Typically our puppies will be litter box trainned with shavings prior to going to their new home. If you provide them with a shavings box make sure you place it in a area where you can see them going into the box. When the puppy approaches the box pick them up and take them outside. More on potty training can be found on the potty training page.

Your natural instinct is going to make want every family member to hold the puppy 24/7. The first day is important for your puppy to learn about his new environment so make sure there is a good balance between snuggles and time for your puppy to investigate your home. Snuggling creates a great bond between you and your puppy so they are important. However, investigating makes the puppy comfortable in a new environment and opens them up to their surroundings. Balance is the key to success!

When your puppy is exploring your home and property remember not to leave them unattended. You can follow them around or encourage them to different areas of the home by calling them. The key the first day is to make sure the environment your puppy is introduced to is quiet and calming. Loud noises may frighten your puppy so introducing them slowly is the best option.

The best place for your new dog to meet other dogs is within your yard. Once they are comfortable with the environment that place makes for a great environment to learn and interact.

Once your puppy has finished exploring, cuddlying and interacting with your family it's time to introduce meal time. Make sure the puppy is relaxed and calm when dinner time approaches. Don't forget! Let your puppy outside each time they eat, drink or sleep to ensure potty training success!

KEY! Don't start training the first day. It's always very tempting to take your puppy out once you get home to introduce them to everyone and everything but please wait a day. This day will already be overwhelming for your puppy and it's important for them to focus on their new environment and the people within it.

How To Choose A Registered Name

Canadian Kennel Club Registered names are limited to 30 letters including spaces.

The first word of your toller will be the "kennel name" from whom you are getting your puppy from. For example Topper's registered name is Tollchester's Top Secret, Tollchester is the kennel that bred his mommy and daddy so typically that name will be seen at the front of your dogs registered name.

Some breeders choose themes for their litters so another word in the registered name of your toller may need to follow this theme; some breeders are flexible on where this word is placed while others will want it to be the second word. Have your breeder specify which they prefer before submitting your registered name. For example themes at tollchester can be placed anywere in the word so Topper's registered name is Tollchester's Top Secret while his brother Boomer's name is Tollchester's Spinning Top, both puppies are from the "Top" litter.

Ocassionally when two breeders work together you will find two kennel names within a reg'd name. If the litter also follows a theme typically your breeder names the puppy for you or limits your choices due to the number of spaces left to work with. For example Amore's reg'd name is Javahill's Heart O'Tollchester , both Javahill and Tollchester are listed on the dog as "kennel names" and she is from the Heart litter.

Well that pretty much sums up How To Choose Your Tollers Reg'd Name. Have fun naming your puppy and remember be creative!

Tips

• call names DO NOT have to be part of the reg'd name. As noted about Boomer, Topper and Amore all don't have their names in their reg'd name. However, "Pepper" does as she is Tollchester's Dr Pepper! So the choice is up to you.
• Don't go behond 30 letters including spaces when registering with the CKC. (Tollchester's Top Secret is 24 spaces long)