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STAGES OF
GROWTH I:
PUPPY TO JUVENILE
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April
17, 2007 - Our thanks to Helene and Chris Wood and to Kitty Borah, for providing a meeting location and meal
at the last minute, and for doing it so well! For our program, new member and
longtime fancier Sara Coffman presented the puppy to juvenile stages of growth. Sara
gave us an overview of her background in dog ownership, then shared experiences and suggestions regarding puppy-rearing.
Sara recommends keeping puppies
with their mothers until at least ten to fourteen weeks or longer if possible.
Puppies need to learn how to be a dog, so it is essential they stay with their mom and littermates for optimum social
development. It is during this period that they learn how to play and learn bite
inhibition. They will also learn discipline and basic manners from their mom.
In addition, breeders have a tremendous responsibility to get puppies started on social skills. Puppies need to be touched
everywhere and often, and at the appropriate age should be introduced to people and other dogs of all ages.
During the juvenile stage,
puppies become a little more independent and might start ignoring commands and testing their limits. Sara suggested puppy-proofing the home and provided some common sense training tips to ensure puppies
earned certain freedoms. Sara teaches her puppies on lead and eventually, once trained, they get the run of the house. Sara recommended three books: Westies from Head to Tail, by Ruth Faherty; Solutions: An All-In-One Reference
for Raising a Happy and Healthy Dog, by Mordecai Siegal (particularly useful during that "little brat" stage); and West Highland White Terrier: An Owner's Companion by Roger Wright.
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Members at our May Meeting |
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Dexter preps Booster for his introduction to obedience
Crista offers Booster a treat |
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Crista Meyer and
Diamond in a "down"
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May 19, 2007 - Our May meeting was a special treat for members in
two ways. First, our hosts were Gene and Verna Allbee, who were among the founding members of the club and whose history
in the breed and the club made it a truly special event. Second, our program taught us all how much fun obedience can
be for us and our Westies!
Our speaker was Crista Meyer, one of the owners of Urban Tails, a multi-service dog and cat facility near
downtown Houston. Crista, a graduate of the Arizona Canine Academy, is a longtime dog trainer and
instructor who has also studied advanced holistic approaches to animal health.
Crista had club members provide demo dogs for her presentation. The Hoggs' Diamond was our experienced obedience
dog, the Whites' Booster was our untrained (in obedience) adult, the Garrisons' Smokey was our older puppy in the
novice stage, and the Cohens' eight-week-old puppy Bronzen was the inexperienced beginner pup. Crista guided us
through various training tools and methods, including the Urban Tails training philosophy, which is motivational
and holistic in nature. We learned the importance of developing effective communication skills to enhance training
and as a means of letting our dogs know what we expect from them.
To contact Crista, or to learn more about Urban Tails and its many services, go to www.urbantails.cc or call 713-658-0900.
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