How to Raise the Perfect Dog (3 page)

Marley became the inspiration for me to adopt a yellow Lab as the second dog whose puppyhood I would chronicle for this book. As much as I laughed and cried reading John Grogan’s memoir of Marley, and as much as I appreciated having the chance to work with the Grogan family and their current Lab, Gracie, I wanted to offer a different perspective on the life of a Labrador retriever. In other words, I wanted to write the chapter on how
not t
o raise the next Marley.

I turned to Crystal Reel, the intrepid researcher at our
Dog Whisperer
production company, MPH Entertainment, to help me find the perfect Labrador puppy. Though there are plenty of Labrador breeders in Southern California, we decided to show our support for one of our area’s excellent rescue groups that save the lives of lost, abandoned, and rejected dogs every day. Crystal contacted Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue, an eleven-year-old nonprofit organization dedicated to the mission of rehabilitating and rehoming Labrador retrievers and educating the public about these wonderful dogs. Over several weeks, Crystal coordinated with SCLRR volunteer Geneva Ledesma, screening several potential puppies available for adoption. We finally narrowed the search down to two dogs, and Geneva and her fellow volunteer, Valerie Dorsch, agreed to bring both dogs to meet me at the original Dog Psychology Center in downtown Los Angeles.

The month of October can still feel like summertime in Southern California, but there was a morning breeze easing away the heat as I slid open the gates to my downtown Dog Psychology Center, revealing the two Labrador puppy candidates from which I would choose my Marley. Geneva and Valerie each held the leash of one of the rescues. The first, a sleek and solid black Labrador pup, had been picked up as a stray running loose in a field. The other, yellow like the Marley of literary fame, had been dropped off at a shelter with a couple of his litter-mates. Both were male, around two months old, and both were incredibly cute. Both had also just finished with their second set of shots, so their medical histories were in order, despite the fact that they were rescued off the street.

Since my goal for this project was prevention, not intervention, I wanted to choose a puppy with a naturally calm-submissive demeanor and raise him to remain that way, so he could become the perfect family dog. It took only seconds for me to determine that the yellow Lab was the right guy. He sniffed around a little, slightly curious, then sat back on his haunches and relaxed. Within a few minutes, he was stretching his body out on the sun-warmed pavement. The black Lab, on the other hand, was already acting a little skittish, nervous, and overexcited. His body was turned away from us and he was pulling back on the leash, holding himself slightly back. Now, I could easily work with him and rehabilitate that state. But I wanted to do something different for this book—I wanted to use the natural balance Mother Nature has already programmed into dogs and show you, my readers, how to nurture and maintain that state.

Both Valerie and Geneva were shocked that I chose the yellow Lab, because they thought I’d be attracted to the more “active” puppy. “I thought the yellow puppy was lazy,” Valerie commented. Despite being experienced “dog people,” they were not able to discern nervous energy from playful energy. Once I pointed out the indications of the black Lab’s anxious energy, Geneva began to see what I was talking about. “Can I ask you, how do they become like this?” she queried tentatively. “Are they born this way?” I told her that sometimes scary early puppyhood experiences can make a dog unsure, especially if he doesn’t have an attentive mother or a pack leader to guide him through the experience the right way. A normal dog is a curious dog, even if he is a little tentative at first. When you see extremely fearful, shrinking behavior from the beginning, that’s a potential red flag.

Some puppies are born weak or scared, the proverbial “runts of the litter,” and the brutal truth is, in a natural habitat, those puppies probably wouldn’t make it. As humans, we tend to feel bad about them. But we have to learn to help them overcome that state of mind. Otherwise, we will keep them that way, by feeling bad about them. It’s a wonderful thing to rescue dogs that have become lost in the physical world, but we also need to learn how to rescue them from their fearful psychological worlds. No dog should have to live his whole life in fear. And that kind of rehabilitation starts with our own calm-assertive energy. It’s easy to go running up to a nervous puppy and, in a high voice, cry out, “Oh, it’s okay, sweetie, it’s all right!” We think by showering them with what
we
define as love, affection, and comfort, we can help them. But for a nervous puppy, an approach like that will only intensify his anxiety or excitement. I showed the ladies how to use scent to distract the black pup’s nose, to help release his brain from being “locked” into that negative, nervous state. I passed a can of organic dog food just in front of him, without invading his space. Just a whiff of the food and the little guy perked up, then sat back on his haunches. His ears relaxed. I didn’t use words. I didn’t use petting. By remaining calm, strong, and silent but engaging his strongest sense—smell—I was able to snap him out of his anxious state of mind.

“The truth is,” I continued, “this yellow guy, in the hands of an owner who doesn’t give rules or gives only affection, affection, affection, could easily become overexcited or anxious or nervous, too. My goal is to nurture his beautiful, natural state for the first eight months of his life. Because by eight months, that’s it. Puppyhood is done. At eight months, they hit adolescence, so they begin to challenge, but if they are raised with rules, boundaries, and limitations, they will always know how to go back to balance.”

While I had been chatting with the ladies from Southern California Labrador Retreiver Rescue, my little Marley had become so relaxed, the sun had lulled him into a deep, peaceful sleep. I reached for my can of dog food again. “With puppies, sometimes we can create a nervous or spooked reaction from them if we startle them while they are sleeping,” I explained. I waved the can of dog food under his nose, but he didn’t wake up until he sensed the black Lab nudging his way over to get a sniff at the food as well. “See how he was not shocked or surprised when he awoke?” I pointed out. “It’s a normal behavior among puppies, with their littermates, to nudge one another, step on one another, wake one another up. So I’m triggering the brain to wake up in a familiar way, not a startling way, since my hand is not familiar to him yet.”

Having made my choice, I was ready to introduce the new puppy into the pack. But with puppies, every first impression is important, so I had to do it right the first time. Attracted by the food, the mini Marley happily followed me toward the inner area of the Dog Psychology Center, to the fence behind which the pack eagerly awaited their newest and youngest member. He sniffed the fence cautiously, then his tail started to wag. If he had been too excited or too bold, the pack would have perceived it as a negative, but the little guy kept his head held low, in a respectful manner. He was ready.

A quick note here about puppy health and safety (which we’ll consider in more depth in future chapters). Before introducing the new Labrador puppy to my pack, the ladies from SCLRR and I had to be sure that the health of the puppy and the health of my other dogs were being protected. The SCLRR volunteers first made sure that both puppies had clean bills of health and had their first two rounds of shots. Even with shots, however, a pup’s immune system is still developing until four months of age, and it is during these crucial months that he is still susceptible to diseases, particularly the parvovirus. Parvo is passed through the feces of infected dogs. Therefore, before SCLRR would sign off on allowing whichever puppy I chose to interact with my dogs, SCLRR wanted me to verify that all the dogs at the Dog Psychology Center were also up-to-date on their immunizations, that our facility was sanitary, and that we had not had any recent outbreaks of parvo or other contagious diseases. Once the SCLRR volunteers were sure of this, they okayed the Labrador to be with my dogs. In this case, there were two parties—the rescuers and the new adoptive owner—looking out for the puppy’s health and welfare. We must be responsibly cautious during this window of a puppy’s life, while his immune system is still developing, but at the same time, we can’t deprive him of normal socialization experiences, which are equally as important to his overall well-being.

I put one hand on the scruff of his neck and lifted him off the ground. That gesture immediately sent him into a relaxed state, although I was supporting his full weight with my other hand on his lower body. Bringing him low to the ground, I presented him to the pack. His tail was partially between his legs, signaling a little anxiety, so I waited until it relaxed before placing him on the ground. The other dogs sniffed him gently, accepting him immediately. Within ten minutes, he was happily and confidently exploring his new environment. This little guy may have looked exactly like the Marley of literary and cinematic fame, but he was going to have an entirely different experience of life.

Blizzard shows Cesar some affection
.

FOLLOW YOUR NOSE
Angel, the Miniature Schnauzer

Having selected my Labrador puppy from a rescue group, I wanted to go to a top-notch breeder to find a dog in the terrier category that would become the next puppy for this project. A characteristic of the terrier breeds is that they are exceedingly scent-driven dogs. Since “nose-eyes-ears” is the formula I always teach my clients to employ when communicating with all dogs, I wanted to have a nose-dominant breed among the puppies I raised for the book. A dog’s nose can get him into trouble if he’s bored, but if that scent-driven energy is properly channeled at an early age, your dog’s nose can become your key to his heart—and his mind.

Brooke Walker is a statuesque redhead who oozes positive energy, and if given the opportunity, she can talk all day about her life’s passion: breeding show-quality miniature schnauzers. From the first moment I met her, I could tell that Brooke really knows her stuff. I asked her how she came to be interested in this particular breed.

“After I retired from thirty-eight years as a flight attendant, I knew I wanted a dog and I hadn’t had a dog in a number of years. So I went to a dog show and visited with the breeders, asked a lot of questions. That’s a great place to go to learn about dogs, because every breeder imaginable is there and breeders like to talk. The miniature schnauzers caught my eye because they have an elegance about them; they’re just an elegant, handsome breed.”

Of course, like most breeders, Brooke has become even more an aficionado of her chosen dog over the five years she has been raising them. “Miniature schnauzers don’t shed; they don’t have dander. They are the perfect size—you can take them on an airplane in a carry-on and they fit right under the seat so you don’t have to put them in the plane belly. I travel with my dogs all the time.”

It had rained the day before I drove down to Costa Mesa, California, to pick out my schnauzer from Brooke’s latest litter. The home environment was serene and peaceful, neat and tidy, despite the fact that there were three two-month-old puppies, a breeding pair, and a senior male dog running around on the property. That’s an excellent sign right there. If you go to check out a breeder and walk into chaos, with jumping, yelping, or nipping dogs all over the place, it’s important to remember that this is the environment in which your puppy had its first formative experiences. A dog raised in a chaotic environment will naturally absorb that unstable energy from the moment it is born. I’ve worked with several clients with miniature schnauzers who’ve told me they just assumed that hyperactive energy and incessant barking were part of the “package” of the breed. Brooke’s pack quickly disproved that myth. The atmosphere was quiet and calm, although her pups were still curious or playful.

We sat on Brooke’s well-tended flagstone patio and observed the pups as they wrestled and explored, delighting in every new sight and sound they encountered. Watching along with us was their vigilant mother, a schnauzer named Binky who was nearly two years old. While she seemed relaxed and interested in our human activities most of the time, every now and then one of her pups’ antics would catch her attention. I noticed that when the female pup harassed one of her brothers a little too long, Binky jumped down from her perch on the stone firepit and, in a split second, gently mouthed the offender and put her on her side. A mother dog allows her pups to play dominance games with each other, but when they get too intense, she will step in and manage the situation. As soon as the female pup relaxed, as if to say, “Okay, Mom, I got the message,” the mother went right back to nosing around Brooke and me. Such is the speed, precision, and matter-of-fact nature of a mother dog’s corrections, and it is this calm-assertive, gentle but firm, natural discipline that I advocate owners emulate with their own dogs. Observing and imitating good canine mothers such as Binky is exactly how I learned my own techniques.