Puppies and dogs training are two different realities, much like a child and man training. As a kid is not a miniature man, puppies are not bonsai dogs. In younger ages psyque is completely different, and react to stimulation in a very different way than adults. A kid or puppy’s mind is like a sponge absorbing millions of information that adults will find difficult to digest, or that they will simply ignore. Therefore, if you want a trained and obedient dog, you better start training him young.Some years ago it was usual to wait until the puppy was one year old to start his training, because it was considered that before that age they were too young. The only thing they were taught not to do, was to poop in the house.

This would be like starting school at twenty years of age, adducing lack of maturity for learning. Kids would probably love this idea, but we all know it’s not the right way. The most adequate age for learning is youth, though it’s necessary to adapt lessons to the possibilities of a developing mind. When young, the dog also discovers the hierarchic order within the pack, the puppy learns there is a boss, and status differences. If the animal does not accept rules from his first months of age, and does not learn to respect superiors, then he becomes an unsettled being, unable to live in groups. When puppies enter home for the first time, they instinctively tend to evaluate the “hierarchic ranks” of the family members, to identify the leader, to know who can he trust, who to follow, and with whom can he only play, without expecting something in reward.

The puppy needs the leader’s figure to give him confidence and security. That figure is a human being that replaces the mother first, and the pack leader afterwards. It’s like a ten years old kid having to do the job of city major, assuming all the responsibilities of that position. Obviously he won’t be a happy person, but all the opposite, the poor kid will become deeply confused, will not sleep at nights, overwhelmed by his job. This explains why a puppy must be directed and educated. It also explains why he must be trained in the basic house rules, like potty training. What he can and can’t do while in the house.

Dog in Heat

The first heat is manifested between the first 7 or 8 months, according to the size of the adult (the smaller breeds start earlier). We can observe the vulva gets swollen and leaves traces of blood. The female dog attracts the males. This lasts about 5 to 15 days, and is shown by the posture and acceptance of the male. The female is in heat 2 times a year. It is important for the owner to keep control of the dates in their health book. The owner’s control of the female dog’s heat and reproduction is essential of the dog’s hygiene. Different products exist as pills that have a hormone for the prevention of this stage, as well as for the males that experiment excessive sexual excitation.

The Prevention of Heat

In order to prevent this, we must start this treatment, 7 to 15 days before the stage begins. Therefore, we must not intervene during the first heat. Most of the heat inhibitors contain megesterol acetate. If administered daily during 32 days we can have four to six months of tranquility. This hormone has very few secondary effects if they are respected according to the instructions. The presentation usually comes in the form of sugar and has a great advantage since the female dog likes it a lot.

The Interruption of the Dog’s Heat

This is not a system of contraception and must only be used in exceptional circumstances. It is obligatory to intervene between the second and third day when the first manifestations of heat appear. If this does not happen, there is a high risk of failure. The treatment is based on the same products that are used for the prevention, but in more important doses. We increase the dose during 3 days, then we
administer it normally during 3 more days and at last we half the dose for the next 7 days. The next time that the dog is in heat we will have to control the dates in order to guarantee prevention so that we don’t interrupt it again. We can also sterilize the dog through a surgical procedure.

Vaginal Fluid Anomalies

Every vaginal fluid must be observed. The metritis or infection to the uterus is manifested with intense thirst and the emission of fluid is not clear. The female licks herself without stopping. If we give the female dog a contraceptive in the form of a pill or shot, it increases the risk of an infection. The cases of the inefficiency of antibiotics are not rare. In such cases it is necessary to remove the body of the uterus (hysterectomy). The care of the reproductive organs is limited to the cleaning of them with a gynecological solution if the flow is abundant, even though female dogs clean themselves in a natural way. On the contrary, female dogs in gestation or in the period of breeding require special attention.

Dog’s False Gestation

It is not an illness; it is a problem whose prevention and treatment are included by having in mind the dog’s hygiene. The false gestation is caused by a hormonal mix up, which is manifested with the rise of milk, associated or not to the behavioral alterations; the female is sad, takes property of determined objects and is scared or aggressive. This usually happens about 1 month and a half after heat. The teats swell up and after some days they secrete milk. It is necessary to stop the milking when the first symptoms are observed. The sooner we intervene the faster the secretion of milk will be stopped. If we proceed with any treatment, the teats can get more swollen and this can lead to a case of mastitis.

This problem deals with a series of hygienic measures and with the administration of pills. Other measures should be applied, like a water diet for 48 hours, with frequent outings and the confiscation of all the toys. All of these will favor the psychological change that will help make the dog’s behavior normal. The medical treatments consist in stopping the mil secretion through the hormones. These hormones act directly on the central nervous system and permit the decongestion of the teats. After 4 days we will observe a recuperation of the normal behavior and the reduction of the teats. Logically, the first step, previous to any type of treatment is to make sure that the dog is not pregnant.

A dog that is well trained and well taken care of should not have any behavior problems because they use and assimilate our ways of doing things and they adapt to behave consequently.
However, it is also true that dogs assimilate our problems, adversities, and sadness to the point where they sometimes live as stressed as their owners. There are many cases in which a domestic animal has had psychological problems because of the type of relationship it had with its owner and it then caused the animal to have behavioral problems. Some of the most common problems that have been observed in domestic animals are stress, phobias, fear, and aggressiveness, causing there to be a rupture in the animal’s psychological equilibrium. Animals cannot tell us what they feel so it is our job to observe their behavior very attentively every day in order to determine what it is that is causing the behavior problem. It is possible for dogs to be perturbed in well defined cases where no physical problems or pathological problems are evident, meaning that it could be a psychosomatic problem that must be taken seriously.

The best way to treat dogs with psychosomatic problems, besides taking them to the veterinarian, is to give them lots of love. These dogs need a lot of affection, care, distractions and walks in order to feel safe and protected. These dogs need their owner to treat them gently, talk to them softly, make them feel wanted and understood so that the owner is them able to find and relieve the dogs problem. Unfortunately, in many cases we the own owners are directly responsible or not able capable of understanding the symptoms that started the emotional problem. Dogs that are continually submitted to a lot of stress, screaming, locked up in small spaces, always tied up on a leash, and that do not get enough or any physical or mental exercise, can actually change their conduct and way of behaving by becoming extremely depressed or even aggressive.