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*Puppy
Training
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Travelling with Saints
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Bathing your Saint
* Feeding big dogs
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As
with any other type of big dog, a Saint needs good socialization,
as your divine little ball of fluff is going to grow up to
become a huge dog, and you want it to be a pleasure and not
an embarrassment for society, because you cannot control it.
Most important is to get the puppy to socialization classes
to interact with other dogs and children if you don't have
any of your own. This will be very important in the adult
life of a dog.
Ideally training should start as soon as possible after
you acquired your puppy. Especially if the breeder did not
practice any form of basic obedience with the young puppies.
Decide beforehand on "house rules" whereby everyone
in the household should stick. The key would be to be consistent
and consequent. To help you set up your rules, think of
what you don't want your 80kg dog to do. Don't think of
the quite little puppy. Things like jumping onto furniture,
being allowed on the bed, jumping up to great people (think
of poor grandma). What about the car? The pool, or the fishpond?
If you don't think your furniture will withstand the 80kg
dog, this must be discouraged from the start. Stick to it.
You don't want to confuse your puppy.
Once the basic rules are understood by the pup and the family’
the rest comes easy. How do you do it?
Simply
by correcting any wrong actions. E.g. if the puppy jumps
up on you because it's happy to see you, gently put it back
on al fours and firmly say "NO!" Mean it! Every
time the puppy break the rule, follow the same corrections,
until it's understood as wrong. Another method is to pull
up your knee as soon as the puppy jumps. This makes is very
uncomfortable for the dog, and the habit should soon be
something of the past. |
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Whichever
method you choose, just be certain to always react in
exactly the same way. The easiest way to spoil this
whole procedure is for one family member to break one
of the house rules.... This only confuses the puppy,
and motivates it to rather always take a chance rather
then to just obey. Just incase it can get away with
it! Never
let the puppy think it can have it's own way!
Always use the same words for the same action. "Sit"
for "sit". Not: "sit puppy", or
"puppy sit" or "would you please sit".
Keep commands short and always the same by the whole
household.
Housetraining
Housetraining
would work on exactly the same principal... As soon
as you catch the 'little devil’ making a puddle,
immediately correct it.! Firmly pick the puppy up
(if possible whilst in "action") say "NO",
and take it out to the desired spot. Once the puppy
does make the puddle outside, make sure you praise
it loud and clear, and maybe even give a doggie cookie
for good behavior. Ideally you should take the puppy
outside after meals so that it |
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learn
from the start that the wet business is reserved for
outside. On average a puppy have the call of mother
nature every hour for every month of it's age...E.g.
If the puppy is two months old, it should go outside
for puddle making every two hours. If it's three months
old, every three hours etc. Usually one shift can be
stretched. Meaning a 4 month old puppy should go outside
every four hours, but can "hold it in" for
8 hours during the night if needs be. By starting a
schedule like this you can always put the puppy outside
in time, and this way it will quickly learn that it
should go outside to do its business. Just remember
this is just a guideline, and not guaranteed to work
for all puppies. Be patient. Especially with very young
puppies, and be prepared to clean up when a mistake
does happen!. Have lots of newspapers handy if you cannot
keep to the schedule during the earlier stages. Hopefully
the puppy will make use of these. Leash
Training |
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Another
important thing your puppy should learn as soon as possible
is to wear a collar. Easiest way is to just put the
collar on and leave the pup to get use to it, without
making a fuss (but under supervision!). Some animals
freak out, others get totally lame and cannot put one
foot in front of the other, and others still, couldn't
be bothered. You'll have to figure out witch dog you
have. It goes without saying that if you're the lucky
owner of the latter, you have no further worries. You
can go straight to puppy obedience class.
If
you have the freaker, you'll have to be patient. First
put the collar next to the puppy’s bowl at feeding
time so that it can get use to it, and associate it
with pleasantries like feeding. Eventually you can
try to put the collar on again, but very loosely.
Make a huge fuss if the puppy doesn't freak out, and
give it a cookie for motivation. This process will
obviously take a bit longer, but eventually it will
associate the collar with nice things, like a walk
in the park etc.
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When
you have the "lame" dog. This is the
challenger! Obviously there's more then one way
to deal with this problem but for all of it you'll
need lots of patience. You can try the same as
for the "freaker". But you can also
try ignorance. This worked for me. Puppies turning
lame only have a sort of "mental block"
because of the strange situation. They have to
figure out on their own that there's absolutely
nothing wrong with them, and that the "thing"
round the neck doesn't influence the working of
the legs. So by putting on the collar and walking
away you give the puppy "time out" to
think... Eventually it will get thirsty, or hungry,
or mother nature will call. Eventually they will
have to move. As soon as they make the first move
it will kick in that there's nothing wrong...
But you'll have to monitor the situation. Obviously
you cannot leave the dog like this for an unreasonable
amount of time. If you can't get through with
the first "ignorance" treatment, try
again a couple of days later. Once
the dog can understand and obey simple orders,
and can wear the collar with confidence, you're
ready for "leash training"... Three
simple rules:
1)
You're puppy should never leave your yard without
a lead.
2)
Your puppy should always walk on your left hand
side.
3)
Your puppy should NEVER EVER be allowed to pull
on the lead.
No 2 is easy as you'll just have to repeat the
same procedure over and over again. As soon
as the dog strays to your right, Stop. Correct
it, and proceed.
No 3 is a bit more of a challenge... Trick would
be to start with leash training before puppy
understands its own size and power... As long
as the dog always think you are stronger, it
should never challenge you to begin with. Ideally
this should be imprinted by the age of 6 or
7 months. Otherwise the dog gets to big to be
physically corrected. As soon as the smaller
pup try to pull on the lead. Stop... Every time
this happen you should stop, until the puppy
realize that by pulling it's not getting anywhere.
For the more headstrong pup, try the following....
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Fit
the pup with a choke chain. Mark a mental square
or triangle out for yourself of say 6 x 6 meters
or so... Walk in a straight line to your first
mental marker and make a definite turn to your
next marker... Every time the puppy don't look
at you, and misses the turn the choker will
kick in and the puppy will have to pay attention.
Soon it will realize it's got to look at you
in order to see your movements... Then you can
vary your steps... Turn left, turn right. Stop.
Go slow, go fast etc... The pup will figure
out that it will have to keep watching you to
predict your movements, in order to avoid being
choked. Be patient! Some puppy's catch on very
quick. Others take forever, and others are just
plain headstrong, and will try to manipulate
you to get its own way.
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Be
prepared to spend time, and repeat all the time,
and you will see the fruit of your efforts.
Once
this is imprinted you have to make your dog
use to different noises, environments and people,
depending what you planned for this pet. Make
it to the park, to the flea market, walk in
the rain, in the sun, on tar, or gravel and
grass... You don't want to have a nervous dog
when it’s confronted with strange noises
or surfaces! Obviously if you never plan to
take your dog out his shouldn't be a concern,
but at least make it use to go the vet. You
can't really carry a 80 or 90kg male dog to
the vet if it refuses to be leashed or walked
into a strange building with strange people
(Trust me, it does happen!) If you plan to show
your puppy you will have to take special care
of above, but also train your dog to "stand"
and show it's teeth without panicking! If you
don't know how, ask your breeder to show you
how this is done! There's nothing as rewarding
as a well-mannered dog
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The
smooth/short haired Saint doesn't require
a lot of grooming. Regular brushing is
usually quite adequate. Of course even
the smooth Saint does shed at least twice
a year, and then you will need to use
a fine-toothed steel comb, to get rid
of the dead coat.
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On
the other hand the rough/long haired Saint
need a lot more grooming to maintain a tip-top
coat condition. Especially for the heavy
feathering on the tail and back legs. If
the area behind the ears, and armpits isn't
brushed out regularly, it can quickly turn
into an awful mat.
This said, it's also important to note
that the textures of coats do vary, and
some need more attention than others.
Some Saints have extremely soft baby-like
hair, and others are thicker. If matting
does occur, best is to sort it out with
a dematting comb. This is a handy tool
to have, and basically a comb with blade
edges the cut through the mat.
Pay
special attention to the fur between the
toes. Remove all tufts, and trim neatly.
Best way is to use trimming scissors and
cut against the grain of the hair. Keep
an eye on the nails. If a dogs get exercised
on hard ground, trimming is seldom necessary,
since that will wear them down but if
the dewclaws (of the back legs) wasn't
removed after birth (if born with it),
the nails might grow to long, resulting
in a painful ingrown toe nail.
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Eyes
should be kept clean by wiping it clear,
using a dampened sponge or cotton-wool.
Some puppies and young Saints tend to
have a teary eye, but in reaching adulthood,
this problem often clears itself, and
isn't course for concern. If, however,
it doesn't clear by adulthood, veterinary
advice should be sought, just to make
sure the dog doesn't suffer from entropion
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It's
advisable to train the Saint puppy from a very early
age to be bathed, otherwise it might turn into a horrendous
task. Be sure to wear old clothes for this task, as
you're guaranteed to get wet and messy! Before attempting
to bath the dog, it's recommended to first give it a
good brush out, to get rid of dead hair and mats. In
our nice hot South African weather the easiest is to
bath the Saint outside in the garden with a hose, rather
then indoors (weather permitting). Use a good commercial
dog shampoo. Not a commercial type for humans since
the dog's coat is different to human hair, and by using
a "human" shampoo you may dry out the coat
and skin, causing irritation.
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Never
ever try to point the hose directly into the dogs face,
since this might frighten and spook them. Rather start
from the neck down and backwards. Use a wet soapy sponge
on the face and ear aria. Soap the dog well, and work
the foam in with your sponge, and then rinse the dog
with the hose. Make sure all soap is out before you
start the drying process.
If you take the dog to the "drying" area,
be prepared to stand well away, since your Saint will
give itself a good shake to get rid of the excess
water. Choose a nice grassy, and very sunny spot to
dry your dog. If you do not have the luxury of a big
grooming table, or steady outside table, work on a
nice big towel or blanket as to not get the dog dirty
by laying/standing in dirt and dust.
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At
this point you have a choice to either use a commercial
dog hairdryer (recommended), or just the sunshine. (It’s
not advisable to use your normal hairdryer, since you
might burn the dryer out, long before the dog is dry!)
Start
by first drying excess water out with towels. Once
the dog is more or less damp, you can start blowing
out the coat, or alternatively just combing the coat
out in the sun, whilst rubbing with a dry towel. Obviously
this option is very time consuming. To get a nice
fluffy effect, you can blow-dry the coat against the
grain. If a dog was taught all this at a young and
physical manageable age, none of above should be a
problem.
Take special care to introduce the young dog to the
noise of a dryer. It's not recommended to use a dryer
on a older dog, that never experience this, as this
usually spooks them from bathing forever!.
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Travelling with your Saint can be a lot
of fun. Especially if your dog is well trained,
and enjoys the experience… I have
dogs that will actually refuse to get out
of a car, if the trip was to short!
It
helps if you start familiarizing your
puppy from early. Some puppies will easily
get use to the noise and motion of a car,
and others might be very scared. If you
have the scared puppy -don't despair…It's
nothing repetition and praise won't fix.
Then
take care to teach the puppy the command
for getting in and out of the vehicle…
You do not want to (later), manhandle
an 80kg male dog, in trying to convince
him to get into the car. Ideally the dog
should just jump in and out on command.
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Also
make sure your dog do realize that
the windows in the vehicle are solid
see-through objects, otherwise you
might end up with a dog hurting it
self. It should know the difference
between and open and closed window!
Once
your dog is familiar with the commands
and 'workings' of the vehicle you
can start with short trips around
the block until you are convinced
that your dog is relaxed, and do
not get car-sick.
Obviously
once your dog loves the experience
you won't ever have trouble getting
your animals to the show, to the
vet, or to the park.
Take
care that you also properly socialize
your 'traveling pet'. Your Saint
should know how to behave between
other dogs, people, and in strange
surroundings!
If
you plan to take your Saint on road
trips /holiday with you, remember
to have all the vaccinations up
to date, to have some form of identity
on your pet (e.g. Id tag or micro
chipped), and that your dog is treated
against ticks and fleas!
It's
also a good idea to have a current
photograph of the dog, just incase
of getting lost!
Do
have a supply of dog food and fresh
cool water handy. Especially on
very hot days.
NEVER
leaf your dog unsupervised in a
closed car in the sun. Not even
for a short while. The dog will
overheat much quicker then you think,
and it can day because of that!
Air
travel can also be a painless experience
if your dog is used to traveling
and is able to cope in strange environments
and circumstances. This won't be
a problem if the puppy was properly
socialized!
Always
try to get the most direct and shortest
flight wherever possible.
If you have a very nervous dog/
puppy, rather get the animal sedatives.
Don't feed the dog less then 5 hours
before the intended trip
Buy a big enough kennel… Ask
the breeder/ agent for help if you
are unsure of the correct size.
The animal should be able to stand
up straight and turn around in the
crate!
Mark the crate very clearly…
Address and contact phone no. Most
airlines will also give stickers
for "life animal" and
"This side up". USE these!
It's a good idea to first exercise
the pet before crating it…
This way it will most properly sleep
during the trip, and be more relaxed
Be sure to get the South African
"Pet Friendly Directory"
(by Sharyn Spicer & Janine Nepgen).
Great for planning your annual holiday
with your pet!
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