Training Before The 18 - 24 Month Mark, What can you do?

I see many people wondering if there's anything they can start working on with their pup before that 18 - 24 month mark.

So what can you do? There's a lot you can work on (that every pet dog could benefit from) that isn't directly sexual, but will be of great benefit later on to you, your dog, and anyone who comes into contact with your dog.


First is "Bomb Proofing".

If your puppy is young, this is quite simple. During his/her meals of the day, sit down with him/her while he eats. Start by playing with his/her ears gently, touch him/her around the head, top and bottom, move down his/her neck, while still softly petting or massaging, and continue down over the shoulders and chest. Rub down the front legs, then back up to the sides, back and stomach. Continue over his/her rump, hips, down their thighs and back legs, and down their tail, their groin and genitals too.

It's key to start this slow and softly -- besides, you don't want to distract them from their food too much, for some puppies it's really hard to not want to play with those hands!

It's best to do this at every meal, if you can (puppies should be eating 2 - 3 meals a day), and soon, they won't pay any attention to your hands at all, and this is what you want. At this point, you can progress to being slightly more firm with the massaging and petting, even tugging lightly on available loose skin (i.e. around their scruff and back), or a light tug on the tail.

Through this, you will have a dog that will be comfortable with being touched, poked and prodded anywhere. This will not only be benefitial in the bedroom, but your dog will be reasonably safe around rough children, probing vets and the like.

When adapting this to older puppies and adults, you will most likely have to use something of higher value then their daily meals. For this, I recommend saving those almost-empty peanut butter jars, or perhaps devote a jar to your pup exclusively. The steps should remain the same (though I'll add that I usually hold the peanut butter jar between my thighs, or feet, or whatever it takes to keep it stable and accessible for the dog, while I am working on the steps).

Some trouble areas for dogs are usually the feet and mouth, and so some extra time may have to be spent on these places. As often as you can, at random times of the day, make a note of playing with your dog's feet and toes, (dogs can really enjoy a foot massage as much as some people, you know!), perhaps while your dog works on a chew treat or toy, or otherwise distracted, at first. I'll get to the mouth bit later.

If your working on bomb proofing an adult, you may find that your dog has some definite problem areas. You should rule out some things before you continue on these places. 1. Could there be a physical problem with the area? A sprained joint, infection, or other injury may be present, and thus a vet check may be in order. 2. How's your dog's respect for you? Is he/she particularly dominant? (Some signs of dominance are growling when you go near their food, toys, when you step over them, wake them up, or try to physically move them) This is another issue entirely that you should work on. Methods like this and this are useful for dealing with dominance and respect.

If those two things aren't a problem with your dog, then you can proceed with the usual steps, just slow down the progress greatly when you get near the problem area. For instance, lets take the common issue of a dog not letting anyone go near it's genitals. While the dog is diving into that jar of peanut butter, pet the dog around the sides and back, talk soothingly to them, make your way slowly down the sides to the belly, or to the thighs, stay there for awhile, petting, with more praise. If your dog is showing no signs of negative reaction or stress, you can make a very small move closer to their genitals, and once again, hold that location for a little while again. Repeat as necessary, and retreat a step or two if you start to see negative reactions from your dog -- you may want to even end the session at a good point, with lots of love and praise. You can expect this process to take many, many short sessions. In fact, it is better to do a few short sessions a day (2 - 5 minutes) rather then try to work on it for half an hour in one sitting, as you may only get half an inch closer in a given session.

Keep in mind that some older dogs may be really set in their ways, and will never warm up to being comfortably touched all over -- more importantly, even if your dog is comfortable with all of this, it still doesn't mean they will be interested in your touch, in a sexual situation, and you must respect that. Don't ever force your dog into something it's uncomfortable with, sexual or otherwise.

Full body massages should be done on a semi-regular basis after your dog is comfortable with them. This maintains their comfort with you, and can also aid in tracking their health -- you may pick up on injuries or unusual lumps much earlier then if you hadn't been this thorough with your companion.


On to the "Soft mouth".

There are many ways of achieving a soft mouth with your pup, but I find this method to be a great lesson for your dog.

Rub your hands down with peanut butter, margerin, or some other safe, delectable spread. Now, present your hands to your pup -- who will surely be very enthusiastic over such tasty hands. Here comes the tricky part -- immediately give your dog lots of praise and happy encouragement for good, gentle licking, but as soon as they show any sign of using teeth -- whether that's a little nip, or them trying to outright gnaw on some fingers, pull your hands away, and give a stern "no!" (adjusted for your pup's temperament, as some dogs may need a soft "no" and others might need a good yelp of a no with a glare to match). After a moment, calmly present your hands again, and repeat! If you keep this up consistently, your dog will soon realize that using teeth means the praise, and more importantly, the treat goes away.

I like to expand this game to the point where I can examine my dog's mouth, massage his gums and check all his teeth, manually, and still keep all my fingers unscathed. It may take some time, but it's nice to know that you can reach into your dog's mouth and expect your dog to not see your fingers as food or toys (handy for rescuing tissue or bottlecaps from way back behind those molars -- it happens!). So while he's licking away at one hand, you can start investigating his mouth with the other, first just his lips, then gums, then teeth, while still keeping in mind to stop as soon as they try to get nippy with you.


I think that's all for now. I really hope this helps to show the importance of having your dog comfortable with their body and your touch. As I mentioned above, I hope this can be refered to, for those seeking information on training their puppy before their sexual maturity.

Another great excuse to spend more time with your canine companion, as if anyone needs that! :D

yes! :rock: :rock:
Very well said.

Great thread Sarx - being able to examine every inch of a dog is so important, even if you never plan anything sexual (ticks can hide in the wierdest places :blink: )

Interesting reading ....... thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts ^_^

Excellent plans.

Always something to keep in mind, no matter how much you're motivated to get some job done with your dog, you shouldn't keep doing whatever it is when the duration itself becomes a source of stress. The brain doesn't learn (anything good) after stress sets in. But part of learning does take place between lessons, not just during lessons. So, more lessons, and shorter.

Once you have your fingers in his mouth, continue training him up to complete tooth brushing. Dog toothpaste is chicken-flavored so the experience is rewarding. In addition to the health benefits, tooth brushing gives your dog more on-going conditioning to accept sort of invasive but pleasurable handling by you.

This is only slight necromancy 9Bringing up an older topic) But I really wanted to say thanks for the reading. Been looking into potentially getting a pup myself, and this is some really good information you don't come across easily. :)

Excellent post Sarx.

Could't agree more. A dog should always feel comfortable with his owners touch, this is really usefull advise that all owners should practice.

Great post Sarx.

I agree with getting them used to being touched, everywhere.

I would like to add that the dog should have obedience training also. Depending on age is how far you go. But a one year old a dog should know the basics. Come, sit, stay. Maybe heel. No. Fetch, depending on your dog and what you do together. Mine understands "no" quite well and stops doing whatever he's doing when I say it.(ie, I don't let him ever pee on a mailbox, and basically he's come to know that mailboxes are off limts.)

And you need to decide what is his/her signal that says sex is okay is. Don't do that when they're young, if its the signal you want to use when they're older. (ie., if a bandana is going to be your signal, don't put one on them before you want to play.) Whatever the signal. And be consistant. Always.

Be patient. Enjoy.
Free

This is a great post and definitely very useful.. you never know what sort of situation your dog could be put in, and a 'bombproof' dog is much better than having to use restraints and/or stressing the dog out to do what needs to be done.

10!

like taking your puppy to the vet. :lol:

Great tips!

I have played with my dog's paws and toes right from when he was a pup. To get him use to getting his claws clipped when needed.

But I still have to fight with him to do this!!! ARRRGH! :pinch:

Oh well.... the fight continues...

Great writting sarx, they are puppy first and should be treated as such.