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Let puppy be a puppy


For a puppy, the most important things are: socialization (integration into our world), character development and creating a love for training (to work or cooperate with a human).


Socialization


Integration into our world. Introducing the dog to the world. The goal is not for the puppy to like external stimulus (a common mistake!), but to be neutral towards external stimulus, not afraid.


Let the dog discover the world, let him and intervene as little as necessary. Forget about rewards (the dog then focuses on the rewards, not the environment - it doesn't socialise), let it explore the world, let it explore the emotion of fear of the unknown, intervene and help as little as necessary. Let curiosity overcome uncertainty and create that nerve ending - courage!


Don't get too attached the puppy to yourself. Then the puppy will be perfectly attached to you, but blind to the outside environment (not socializing), then you will deal with the uncertainty of new environments and the dog will prefer to run to your attention. The most important thing is that the dog is not afraid of new environments and stimulus. If later the environment is more interesting than you, the problem is only in motivation. This is easily solved as opposed to fear of the outside world.



Character development


A dog's character can be formed when he is a puppy or very young. Later on it is very, very difficult. In other words, if a stunted child goes to martial arts at 12 years old, he will have a good mentor, a good environment... when he's an adult, no one would say he was scared. If you change the same thing for a 30-year-old, it's not gonna be so easy. The character-forming neural connections are firmly established and strengthened.


In a puppy, character development is more important than exercise training! If you have an adult dog that is tough, courageous, stable - training is easy. You can also have an adult dog that knows 100 exercises but is scared, a wuss, nervous.


Let the dog be a puppy, don't cut his character too soon, let him be a bit of a bully. "A boy who doesn't break a few windows doesn't become a man". You can apply obedience as soon as the time is right.


Develop his intelligence, independence, drive. Teach him to understand lots of languages - shaping, luring, crates, aids, different signals. Give him a universal education, later you will make his training more specialized.


I always cry when I see puppies building up immediately just by luring stupidity and muscle memory (the donkey watching the carrot). It looks like Chinese gymnastics to me. Sure, some programs are about that... Whether it's appropriate for dog breeding is another debate.


However, there is no Championship in puppy training. Let the puppy be a puppy, develop it. There is plenty of time for exercises.



Love to train


There is a difference if dad wants son to be a football player and if son wants to be a football player himself. We want a dog like our son who begs to go on the field, who puts up posters, who watches football on TV.


That's why NePoPo® shaping is so powerful with a puppy. Because he is a dog who wants to exercise and begs to be trained. At puppy age you form a very strong dopamine bond with training (or working with a handler).


Of course, shaping first and foremost develops the dog's character. HOWEVER, don't just do shaping. Teach the dog luring, pressure training as well.


Give your puppy a universal education, as he gets older your path will start to get narrower and narrower. But in the first place, the puppy has to love the training, so don't rush to build up the precise exercises.



In summary


Let your dog be a puppy. We do the same thing with kids. We socialize them to the outside world. We don't reward them too much, we let them explore the outside world and intervene as little as necessary. We teach them the rules and order of the home and the outside world. Otherwise, we give them freedom.


Their education is universal, we create as much breadth as possible and as they grow they begin to specialize. We let them try many hobbies, the important thing is that they enjoy it. The love of the activity has to come from them, not from their parents.


No one takes away a child's childhood. Let a puppy be a puppy. But be careful. Childishness in adulthood is not right, nor is an adult dog that is still a puppy.


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