I was contacted a couple of months ago by Murphy's owners. They hadn't picked Murphy up yet but wanted to make sure they did everything right for him. So, we had a discussion via FaceTime on how to bring him home, crate training, toilet training and a few basics on how to prepare their home ready for his arrival. Murphy travelled home in his crate and soon settled in to his new home.
Murphy’s owners took time off work to help settle him in and to start teaching him the house rules. He learned really quickly to go to the toilet outside and not to nip them. He was quite quiet for the first couple of weeks whilst he found out where he fitted into his new pack - this is known as the honeymoon period.
I then visited them at their home and I showed Murphy’s owners how to implement the Dog Listening Technique.
Puppies need leadership to help them feel safe. If you apply effective leadership then your puppy will be calmer and more able to cope with the world.
Murphy’s owners also make sure that he gets plenty of time to sleep in his crate. Most people under estimate how much sleep puppies need, if they become overly hyper and nippy then they need to sleep.
Murphy is a calm and happy puppy who is enjoying discovering the world around him.
Murphy has had a few challenging moments but overall, he is doing really well. He walks on a loose lead, occasionally picking up a stick to bring home. He loves his walks on the beach and has great recall. He's got excellent manners with other dogs and plays respectfully with them.
The forward planning that Murphy’s owners did is now paying off for them. They have worked really hard and Murphy is a very lucky boy to have such dedicated owners.