Between 5-8 weeks and especially 2-4 months, mom and dad begin to nurture an underlying mindset of sensitivity and receptivity in their children. We may refer to this as “the natural” state of mind going forward. The primary conversation a dog has comes from the energy they project. We can define this aura, vibe or frequency as one's intentions and emotions. So we want to begin by modeling a mentality that we deem appropriate for the situation. Like so! Signs that your dog is in what we will call “the natural” state of mind are, eyes soft and smiley, ears gently down, jaw released. Nurturing fixation, focus, intensity during training is the beginning of creating dog aggression and other antisocial psychology. If you think about it, when do you use those vibes in a social setting? Just imagine how many fights we would all get in if we were taken from our parents and raised by another species that nurtured intensity and focus in relation to others. This is why they learn table manners before hunting, this is why their parents focus on how they do over what they do. This is why dogs raised by dogs are safer than people raised by people and WAY safer than dogs raised by people.

From this platform we can begin to positively reinforce relating in a calm, relaxed and at ease demeanor with rewards. These include treats, pets, hugs or even a proud mom or dad smile. (Remember your dog thinks like the best people you know, they are not a greedy salesman or glutinous brute. Knowing their influence and behavior is valued is a great reward. So intimacy is a powerful reward and it avoids developing a transactional relationship with your dog) Next we can begin to reward using this healthy social etiquette in relation to us. That means when we have something our dog wants, they should be calm, relaxed and at ease and addressing us, not what we have. Luckily this is innate in us and our dogs. So you have nature on your side when you begin to teach politeness for permission.

Have you ever raised a dog on 5 or 6 superficial postures and then tried to get them to behave? My guess is yes and that's why you are here. It's as unproductive as it sounds. If you haven’t, it's why most dog trainers have worse behaved dogs than the average person and most people’s puppies “fail” puppy class. Our alternative is to learn to responsively relate and communicate in a meaningful way with our dog, we have to be able to say what we need to say when we need to say it. Most dog "owners" narrate, rationalize and judge as their dog bumbles through life creating the false perception of the social capacity of a dog. We aren't going to narrate, let's participate. Real time feedback allows your dog to see you as a meaningful participant rather than a physically controlling, vague, dull, spacey friendly roommate. Plus they can learn experientially, hence the title puppy parenting, not puppy training. Sounds great, right!? Executing this strategy will require Communication! Now, how do dogs communicate? We can break it into 3 parts and once again, they can all be related back to healthy and natural human communication.

1. Get your dogs attention
2. Project what you intend/model what you want
3. Acknowledgement.

The leash is your dog’s ticket to a life of enjoyment and inclusion. As I’m sure you know, leash reactivity, hyperactivity and pulling are super common issues for dog owners. Based on what we see out and about it is surprising to most people to learn that dogs raised by dogs require restraint for compliance less than people raised by people. So where is the disconnect? Once again, dog trainers need to start asking the parents what to do.

Food aggression, resource guarding and possession aggression are another category of serious and common issues among dogs raised by people. At this point I probably don’t need to tell you this but dogs raised by dogs are more patient, gracious and tolerant in these scenarios than people raised by people. So, to learn how to teach possession and permission you will visit Lady Charlotte and the dog family and see how we can embody the traits they do when teaching these lessons.

Get your puppy on a regular schedule, I’d ask a vet about how often per breed per age. Use treats or affection to mark the moment of successful outside business. If your puppy goes in the house your should Punishment and reactive behaviors are a distraction from the message you want to send. Very simply, this goes outside. Anger is the enemy of instruction. With these strategies there is still a common fail point. Puppies who are chronically activated and hyper do not have the mindfulness to go outside. Even if they know to do so they often don’t calm down until they get back in and then, that's right, you guest it. But you already know to nurture calm for permission for the leash, to begin walking, to get the door open, to walk through the door and once outside. From there you’ll get maximum body awareness AND a dog who associates going out with a calm connection with their handler. This exercise is solely between people and dogs. While the underlying concept of how to get a point across comes from dog society. In the PPeC you'll tap the "Big Board" to experience a live action potty training ritual.

For those who need to do this, failing on crate training can be a total lifestyle ruiner for dog owners. To avoid crate aversions or relentless separation anxiety, take these steps. Introduce crates as always open and randomly drop awesome stuff in there so it becomes a great spot to explore. Begin asking your dog to go into the crate with a herding or guiding projection. If your dog tries to walk out, use communication to get them to agree to stay. Close the gate once they relax. Reopen when they are relaxed. Let them out when they are relaxed. Simply put, NO TRICKING, TRAPPING OR ESCAPING. Once the agreement is in place, there is nothing wrong with dropping some favorite chewies and toys in there, just don’t use baiting/trapping methods with your family. Once again, this exercise is solely between people and dogs. While the underlying concept of how to get a point across comes from dog society, here again you will tap the big board to go to a live action crate training routine.

At this point in the course, you will have all the tools you need to responsively relate and communicate in a meaningful way with your dog as you navigate life. That means you can just tell the truth as life presents itself and your dog will build wisdom naturally. Lets remember what our dogs read in communication: your dog can read the situation, how you feel, how you feel towards them, what you are asking of them and why you are doing it. Our aim is to provide intimacy, honesty and clarity in what we say, how and why. By harnessing these mindfulness tools you have reached an inflection point for raising a dog who is an outlier to the positive. A dog who can go everywhere and do everything. A dog who has the recognition of what to do when and why, like a the most well adjusted human adults you know! This is where you shatter the glass ceiling of conventional animal science's consensus of the capacity of a dog in your cute little experiment of 1!

If dog’s raised by dogs are safer than people raised by people, then we don’t need to worry about socialization right? Unfortunately, most domestic dogs are raised by people and statistics are much worse when dogs are raised by the unlikely animal friend. The good news is that the habits YOUR puppy is developing with the person they love and trust the most and spend the most time with are frictionless to what they expect from each other. So let's go into how to recognize body language that shows us another dog is good to meet and how to do on leash greetings. You’ll visit Dog Society and Lady Charlotte for this.

Rule #1 of socialization is: Trust and enjoy. You can't control dogs or allow anything that may come up so we will learn how to participate in a meaningful way.

Tip: Your dog is never bad; they are either correct or incorrect. So remember to show respect, recognition and enjoyment, even in cues where you need to shut down a behavior, we never shut down the kindness.

Useful lesson: Teaching your dog consent.

Goals: Understand common behaviors, what they mean and how to respond to them

• Dance around and bark. Mounting. Snarling. The next course covers their social stage of puppyhood. This is when they learn what they are gonna be when they grow up. It's my personal favorite part of puppy parenting. So we will get to that in the PPeC level 2 class. But for now, you will go right to the source to learn what their behaviors mean and how you can be a meaningful participant in dog society in the eyes of the dogs around you.