Bruce with a Border Terrier pup
“New Dog” is ideal if you have acquired a new dog
In 2008, Mitchell Beazley published Bruce’s most recent book, New Dog, written for people who are thinking about or have recently brought a new dog into their home. Here is what Bruce wrote about puppy training for the monthly magazine, Dogs Today.
“Botty on the floor” my wife Julia instructed our eight week old pup Lucca, as the chief stood in front of our relaxed and responsive new dog. Good Golden Retriever that she is, Lucca instantly learned her first obedience command.
Julia’s good at teaching obedience and the next day she added another command. After Lucca responded to the “Botty of the floor!” command Julia showed her the palm of her hand while saying “Stay where you are!”
And Lucca did.
We got our newest dog from Laurina, a woman who breeds Goldens for work and agility trials, rather than the show ring, and it showed in Lucca’s willingness and desire to concentrate and listen. She’s so easy to train, it’s easy to forget to train her! But I had a problem and it’s my own personal problem. I told Julia I’d feel like a jerk commanding my dog to “Botty on the floor” when I wanted her to “Sit”.
Julia understood my problem and changed her command. Later that day I overheard her new command. “Sit yourself down right now!”
I wish this had happened six months ago because if it had, I’d have been able to add an additional caveat to a new book called New Dog that I’ve written with the dog trainer Patricia White. Pat and I have worked together for 30 years, since she set up the Hammersmith Dog Training Club in London. With a twinkle in my eye I tell her she’s the oldest living positive reinforcement dog trainer in Britain. Put more appropriately, Pat is probably the country’s most experienced positive reinforcement dog trainer, having using encouragement rather than discipline to train dogs for over 40 years. I should also explain that Pat is my literary agent.
I mentioned Julia’s idiosyncratic training terms to Pat and she smiled in recognition. She routinely hears variations on Julia’s theme and explained, “You’re lucky Lucca’s so responsive. Other dogs can have trouble picking out key words amongst all the banter. Some people talk non-stop to their new dog then wonder why their dog isn’t instantly understanding commands.
Some of you know I’ve written extensively about dogs, their history, variety, health, nutrition and training, but I’ve never written a book for people either thinking about getting or who have just gotten a new dog. In that context, New Dog could equally be called New Dog Owner because it’s as much about us as it is about dogs. Like Julia, we’re all suckers for the charm of a new dog, especially if it’s a pup. And lest you think this is a new phenomenon, consider what a British Army officer wrote in his diary in 1828 when, in Australia he saw a dingo pup that he wanted to buy from it’s Aborigine owner.
“I was very anxious to get one of the wild native breed of black colour, a very handsome puppy, which one of the men had in his arms. I offered him a small axe for it; his companions urged him to take it, and he was about to do so, when he looked at the dog and the animal licked his face, which settled the business. He shook his head and determined to keep him.”
Wouldn’t you too?
New Dog is published by Mitchell Beazley. It is available on-line, from bookshops or from the veterinary clinic.
And here’s LLBean, at 14 months old. As you see she’s fully comfort-trained.
