This January we celebrate the 30th birthday of off-leash puppy classes. Happy Birthday SIRIUS® Puppy Training! It’s hard to believe that I taught the world’s very first off-leash, puppy socialization and training classes thirty years ago at Live Oak Park in Berkeley (where SIRIUS classes are still held to this day). Basically, I started SIRIUS simply because I wanted a local puppy school for my Alaskan Malamute puppy, Omaha. After ten years researching dog developmental behavior at UC Berkeley, I was well aware of the critically important and permanent effects of early socialization and of science-based training techniques and I certainly didn’t want Omaha’s schooling to be put on hold until he was an adult. Little did I know that SIRIUS puppy classes would change the way that pet dogs are trained worldwide.

What I find so fascinating about dog training is that even after 40 years in the field, I still get so thoroughly excited about new innovations. Animal training continues to be a rapidly evolving field. Off-leash puppy socialization and training classes caused a paradigm shift in obedience training — creating a new and separate field of pet dog training. Lure/reward techniques introduced science-based principles and the subsequent rapid rise in popularity of clicker training prompted many trainers to embrace the study of learning theory. And now, I think we are approaching an additional tipping point and are about to take yet another quantum leap that redefines dog training.

Yesterday was a 7-poop walk. Just two from Claude and five from other dogs with owners, who either didn’t notice what their dog was doing, or didn’t have a poop bag at hand. I always carry at least two bags with me because Claude is a serial pooper. For example, this morning he pooped three-times on the walk. Nonetheless, I always try to get all the poops in one bag. I know this is more information than most of you need to know but this is interesting … I think I have unintentionally trained Claude to be a Poop Detection Dog — a PDDX in fact.

Lately, I have been taking a bunch of classical conditioning treats on walks because both Hugo and Claude have been jumped on and bitten recently. Claude simply ignores most attacks (as he ignores lots in life), but he is getting old and I would not want the onset of geriatric grumpies to change his stellar doggy demeanor. And so, whenever we see other dogs (and people), I offer him a food reward.

Raising a puppy to be a good-natured, well-behaved and mannerly companion dog comprises: 1. Manners Training; 2. Behavior Training; and 3. Temperament Training.

First: It’s possible to teach a dog manners, obedience, tricks and games at any time in his life. However, it’s just so easy and bordering on the hilarious to teach four- to five-week old puppies to come, sit, lie down and roll over and so, why not? I loved Brad Phifer’s videos of him beginning to lure/reward train his litter of 3-week old basenji puppies

http://www.dogstardaily.com/videos/basenji-puppy-learns-lure-3

There is lots of talk these days about giving second chances, and there is certainly nothing wrong with that in most cases. However, why not do our best to give every puppy and every dog owner a first chance? We have the ability to go a long way towards resolving the shelter problem and to change the quality of life for dogs and their owners by letting all prospective puppy buyers know that they should only consider buying housetrained, chewtoy-trained, socialized and mannerly pups and then continue to raise them according to Open Paw’s Minimum Mental Health Guidelines. Please email the URL to this page to every dog owner, prospective dog owner or dog professional that you know.