A Secret About Puppies Worth Knowing
Updated: Jul 28, 2022
Remember the first time you found out about the "secret" menu at In-N-Out Burger? Or a hidden shortcut on Mario Kart? Or the extra scene after the credits of a Marvel Movie?
What a rush that was! Like being in a secret club.
Well...Guess what? Next Gen Aussies Collies & Shepherds has a secret too.
It's the difference between a well-behaved dog and one that has serious issues. Every week at the end of our virtual puppy class, we remind our students to do it. We even offer a prize to anyone that can complete it. So far no one has completed it. And new Board & Trains are being booked every week.
If I could go back in time to the day each dog owner gets a puppy, and was only allowed to give them one piece of advice. I'd say the same thing every time.
Puppy Bingo!
On the surface it seems pretty silly. Bingo squares filled with words and pictures such as escalator, crowds, and skateboards. Expose your dog correctly to each of the elements, cross it off, and when the board's complete you and your puppy win. BINGO!!!
Now let me present it a different way.
When your dog is between 8-to-11 weeks, and later 6-to-14 months they experience a phenomenon called a fear period. This is a time when if they are exposed to something significant and new for the first time, the general reaction is fear. And with dogs, fear doesn't always trigger regression. In some cases aggression comes out to get rid of whatever scares them. The estimate might be low when I say 95 percent of our board and trains are because of improper social exposure.
Again, this is where the antidote lies. Puppy Bingo.
Between 12 weeks up to 6 months, there's a golden period to expose your puppy. Instead of fear, it's a time of awe and wonderment for your dog. If you expose a dog to a garbage truck while giving it food during this period, there's a good chance the puppy will have a positive association to it. So when that same garbage truck comes around during the fear period, the reaction should be tempered.
It's never too late to teach a dog how to walk on a leash correctly, a proper down-stay, or a cool new trick. The window to socially expose your puppy is very limited. Don't wait.
Download Puppy Bingo. Use it as a guide. Take pictures of each exposure, post it on a social media platform with #nextgenpuppybingo, and we'll send you a prize. More importantly, the true jackpot will be a dog that is lightyears ahead of those that didn't take advantage of this time.
Bazooka going up escalator was easy because
he was properly exposed in week 12
Download your Puppy Bingo:
