Quarterly - Hudson Labradoodles

The
1
Australian Labradoodle
Quarterly
Winter Issue
The Journal of the Australian Labradoodle Protection Society
January - March 2008 1
Volume II / Issue I
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The
Australian Labradoodle
Quarterly
Editorial
________________
Curtis Rist
Editor
Issue I Table of Contents:
Article name…………………………...Page No.
Beverley Manners
Contributing Editor
Contributing Editor
Therapy Dogs at Work in the Library.....….…..4
12 months in the life of Rutands Yarra….…….8
Training a Puppy….……………………...…….14
Are Labradoodles ‘Kid Friendly’?……….…....19
Holiday Doodles…………………………...…...20
Art
and Publishing
________________
Edwin Rist
Art Director; Fly Boys
Productions Inc.
Columns
•
•
•
Associate Editor
Maya Stewart
Features
•
•
•
•
•
Tom Higgins
Editor’s Note.…………....……………….….….3
Pup Pinups……..…………………..…….……..7
End Notes………………………………..21
Contact the Editor at CurtisRist@yahoo.com for information
on submitting articles, or for any questions or comments you
may have regarding the ALPS (www.ALPSdoodles.org).
Cover photo by Edwin Rist, Hudson Labradoodles
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EDITOR’S NOTE:
The arrival of a new year is always a special occasion, but 2008 is of particular note -since it marks the 20th Anniversary of the first Australian Labradoodle.
In 1988, the Guide Dog Center in Melbourne
bred the first hybrid litter of Labrador Retrievers and
Standard Poodles--and dubbed the pups “Labradoodles.” Sultan, pictured right, was selected from the
litter as a service dog. Beginning the very next year,
Angela Rutland-Manners, and her mother, Beverley,
worked with the developing breed and selected for
characteristics that appealed to them, and infused as
many as 10 additional breeds to capture desirable
traits in a family companion that lay outside the gene
pool. The result is the ASD® Australian Labradoodle
that has come to be loved around the world for its
beauty and health, its low-shedding coat, trainability
and appealing character. Whether established kennel
clubs recognize it as a “breed” at this stage is besides
the point: Anyone who owns or encounters one of
these dogs knows in an instant the unique quality of
the breeding behind it, and values those breeders who
remain true to the Tegan-Rutland vision of the dog.
As a testament to these virtues, we’re lucky in this issue to be able to draw on the talents
of two writers who detail their experiences with Australian Labradoodles. Kate Pappas describes
in loving detail her first year with Yarra, who has changed her life in unexpected ways. Joyce
Bristow contributes an inspiring tale about her experiences training her two dogs, Amber and
Bella, to become “therapy dogs” to assist young children in learning to read. A special thanks is
due to contributing editor Maya Stewart, for helping turn these two stories into reality.
I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the breed. Happy New
Year, everyone--and Happy Doodling! C.R.
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The Wonder Dogs
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Amber and Bella make reading a breeze for youngsters
Amber was my first Labradoodle. As soon as
she was old enough and had all her shots I enrolled her in a puppy class, as much for the
socialization aspect as for the obedience. I
also began taking her everywhere she was
permitted: to stores, malls, office buildings,
and parks. I wanted her to be used to working
with me in any environment – different sized
rooms, different flooring, and different lighting. Indoors and out, we did our obedience
practice. The only constant was that there was
very little that didn’t change. If she was totally
comfortable in one environment, we immediately tried somewhere else. To be honest, she
was a dream to work with. Nothing fazed AmEven as a
young pup,
Amber
exhibited the
patience and
focus that
would ultimately turn her
into a first-rate
therapy dog.
By Joyce Bristow
I intended to do volunteer work in
hospitals and senior homes when I retired. It
was actually with that in mind that I selected
Australian Labradoodles to be my therapy
partners. The breed had everything I was
looking for in a therapy dog and much more
as I discovered later. Both my dogs, Amber
and Bella, became certified for therapy work
at the age of 6 months. Their temperaments
were so well suited to interacting with people
that all I had to add was some basic obedience, and establish a bond that enabled them
to trust me in new or difficult situations.
ber, ever.
When Amber was six months old I enrolled us
in a therapy training/testing class with Paws For
Healing in Napa, California. My intention was
to find out what more I needed to do with Amber in order to qualify. To my great surprise and
delight she passed all the tests with flying colors, and at the end of the day Amber and I were
a certified Canine Therapy Team! I drove home
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in shock – I couldn’t believe it. There followed a mentoring process where we worked with an
experienced team before we were allowed to visit on our own, but we were working in the local
hospital and several senior homes within a few weeks.
Amber and I found these therapy visits quite rewarding. Amber loved the attention and
truly loves visiting people. She seems to know immediately who is in most need of her. Even if
visitors are in the room, she goes right to the patient. It is uncanny sometimes. One of our favorite places is and adult day care center where most of the patients have Alzheimer’s Disease.
They love the dogs and the dogs can be off leash there. We can play ball or teach them tricks or
whatever they want on the day.
Amber and I had been working for almost two years when Bella joined the family and
basically went through the same training process. Bella was initially more timid, but she was
able to adjust as long as she had my support. She passed her testing as easily as Amber and so I
had two eager workers. Only one can work at a time but this gives me the ability to do more visits. One can work in the morning and the other one in the afternoon. That way they don’t get
tired, and I can cover more places. The need is great and the patients get so much out of the visits that I try to go as often as I can.
So it was with this background that we came to the READ program, which stands for
Reading Education Assistance Dogs. I was approached by the children’s librarian from our local
library. She was interested in starting a READ program and wanted to know if we would be interested in working with her on this project. Now I have to be honest. I had never heard of
READ and was skeptical of the idea. However, I was interested in working with kids so I agreed
to meet with her and to discuss how we might proceed with this. She explained to me that she
had seen a program in a library in another part of the state and how it was extremely successful.
She referred me to the Intermountain Therapy Animals website where I learned what I could of
the program. I ordered the training package that consisted of a DVD and a manual and pored
through the material. The librarian and I worked extremely well as a team. I began training my
dogs and she began to assemble the materials – posters, certificates, and paw prints, which we
would need. I also put out a call to other
Initially more
working therapy teams who might be intertimid than Amested in working with kids. We recruited six
ber, “Bella was
additional teams who viewed the DVD and
able to adjust
we went through the manual as a group. This
to therapy dog
core group along with the librarian develtraining as long
oped the program. We selected the site in the
as she had my
library, set up the environment so that it
support,” says
would be suitable, and began training with
Bristow. Both
the dogs.
puppies were
We agreed to begin training our dogs on
certified as
our own at first. We each selected a quilt or
therapy dogs by
blanket that would be our “working area.”
the time they
We started at home, then took the quilt to the
reached six
months.
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“Amber loves the attention,” says Bristow. “I
didn’t think the kids would believe the dogs were
listening, but they do! They even show them the
pictures before turning the pages!”
park or wherever. I started going to the
park during Little League practice and
soccer practice so the dogs would be used
to being around more kids. After that we
started taking them into the library before
it opened and sitting in our area, reading
quietly. Prior to announcing the program
we also began coming in during library
hours and selected a few children who
volunteered to help us prepare the dogs for
their jobs.
Once we felt confident everything was ready, we announced the program at a local press
conference. We received local newspaper coverage and also made the TV news, which was exciting. The response was almost overwhelming. We had kids lined up waiting to read to the
dogs. I honestly didn’t think the kids would believe the dogs were listening but THEY DO! They
even show them the pictures before turning the pages!
I want to give credit to the wonderful caring librarian Rena Gallant, Children’s Librarian, of theVacaville Towne Center Library in Vacaville, California, who started the ball rolling. She gathered pic“The Australian Labradoodle had everything I was
tures of all the dogs in the program and made a
looking for in a breed for therapy dogs--and much
wonderful large poster that is positioned in the limore, as I discovered later,” says author Bristow,
brary at all times along with a schedule showing
with Amber.
when each of the dogs will be coming.
She purchased a terrific selection of
books, most of them dog stories that the
kids can choose to read. She had certificates printed for each dog that we can
give to the child when they are finished.
She made some great paw prints, which
lead the kids to the dog area when the
dogs are there. She has been the driving
force and the program would not have
been such a success without her.
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PUP PINUPS
January 2007
Meet Coco Puff, above,
owned by Frank Savino and
Svetlana Chartier of New
York. At right, is Champers,
with pal, Smoochie, owned
by Heather Woodbridge of
Connecticut.
Show off your dog--and your
photography skills! Send
some glamour shots of your
Australian Labradoodle with
your name, the name of the
dog, and a brief description
to the Art & Design editor
at:
WeTieFlies@yahoo.com
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TWELVE MONTHS IN THE LIFE OF:
YARRA
chocolate, 9-week-old puppy walked out into
my arms licking my face! The first thing I
said was, “Oh I love you so much.” I had no
idea how in one short year that love would
grow into a most amazing bond. From that
moment forward, my life was forever
changed.
Yarra’s name comes from the beautiful
Yarra River that winds through Melbourne,
Australia, which is near her birthplace. She
has most likely reached her full growth at 15
months of age. She stands 25 ½ inches tall at
her withers,
weighs 54 lbs and
her coat is a silky,
wavy, chocolate
fleece with areas
of gold and silver
frosting.
Beautiful in
looks, Yarra was,
and is also a joy to
train, and I almost
feel embarrassed
to admit that it
goes so well. She’s smart, loves learning new
things and “gets it” right away. I started training her the day she came home. We continued, in the weeks to follow, with a private inhome trainer. The trainer said she was amazingly quick to catch on, and that each week it
was a pleasure for
him to work with
Yarra, because he saw
how committed we
both were. We actually DID our homework!
Many classes fol-
My Australian Labradoodle Extraordinaire
By Kate Pappas
For those of you who have a Labradoodle, you are already a member of that “secret society” of hands-on-knowledge, and
joy-filled-days, with a most incredible breed
of dog.
Prior to
getting
Yarra, having any
dog
seemed
like a
wonderful
dream, and
I thought I
knew what
it would be
like. I shopped, made new friends, and studied everything I could about the breed, canine
behavior, psychology, nutrition and training. I
was ready…or so I thought. Yet nothing prepared me for the emotions and the actual experience of seeing Yarra’s crate arrive from
Australia, my stomach rumbling, because I
couldn’t eat that morning. What if she were
scared? What if she
messed her crate and was
sad? What if...what if…
and what if?
When her crate appeared and the gate was
opened, all the ‘what ifs’
in the world disappeared
as a beautiful, silky,
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lowed in obedience at all levels, as well as
classes for tricks, social interaction with other
dogs, and the very important Canine Good
Citizen course, which she passed at 10
months old. Additionally, we took a series of
agility classes at appropriate levels for her
age and she’s currently at an advanced level.
Her agility trainers tell me she’s “a natural”
for agility and clearly enjoys what she’s doing. She’s able to run the courses off leash,
jumping hurdles, and climbing obstacles,
while I have trouble keeping up with her.
Yarra brings a tremendous amount of
joy to my life, in addition to my wonderful
family…or they would certainly remind me,
“Hey, remember us?” What I’ve learned
about having Yarra in my life is far different
from having children or grandchildren. We’re
supposed to raise our children to grow up,
leave home to make their way in the world,
have children of their own and so on. I can
see in my children and grandchildren that I
did well. Now I’ve moved on to a different
focus.
Yarra is mine forever and I don’t feel
selfish saying so. She gives so much to our
family just by being herself. Not a day goes
by where there aren’t peals of laughter ringing from our
walls. When I
read that the
Labradoodle is
called “the canine clown,” I
didn’t fully understand what
that meant until
Yarra came to
live with us.
There is no
canned laughter
in this house; we have a resident comedienne!
She has an uncanny way of getting
into mischief that is neither destructive nor
irritating. She’s trained to “drop” an item if
asked and she almost always complies. However, if I’m busy, on the phone, or my mind is
drifting off somewhere, and she feels it’s time
with me, I’ll hear a certain ring to the patter
of her feet on the hardwood floors. Ah ha! I
know that she’s stolen something and has
taken it to what we laughingly call her “lair.”
The lair is in plain sight and her intention is
obvious. I have to come to her to retrieve my
possessions! She has her own agenda and
figures that we should get with her program!
I find her antics very funny, innocent, and I
know she thinks we needed a bit of laughter
at that moment.
What have her treasures been, you
might ask? Shoes are always a good bet as
well as hats, pens, socks…very delicious and
any laundry she can pull out of the frontloading machine. Why not? We find it decoratively strewn about our back yard for our
neighbors to enjoy. I know she’s laughing at
us too, as we frantically race around to gather
it and return it to the washer, this time, remembering to close its door. She especially
enjoys helping me empty grocery bags; just
in case I bought a package of toilet paper she
can open herself.
Recently, my dear friend Patsy was
spending the weekend with me and had just
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bought a lovely black hat. We were anxious
to sit down, relax and talk, but I forgot to
warn her that everything she didn’t want stolen, should be put up high. We spent the evening chatting and having a great time; then
finally went to bed. I awakened in the morning to hear Patsy saying “Yarra, drop it.” She
was laughing while saying it so I wondered,
“Uh oh, what does she have now?” What
Yarra had, was the lovely black hat that was
no longer intact! The crown of the hat had
come off with a little help from Yarra of
course, and what remained was a topless,
brimmed hat. Patsy placed it on Yarra’s head
and we howled with laughter seeing her furry
brown head poking through the top of the hat.
Yarra looked as though she was meant to
wear that hat. I bought Patsy a new hat that
weekend, along with a new cell phone for my
grandson, because somehow it made it to her
lair and was saturated in so much drool, it no
longer worked. All in all, it was an expensive
weekend.
Despite her being a furry little thief, I
would
describe
her as
the ‘perfect dog’. She is highly intelligent,
kind, funny, mischievous, and loveable.
There is a human quality in her deep golden
eyes, as if she looks into my soul. We connect
in a way I never thought possible with an
animal.
I often watch her ‘thinking’ about and
trying to figure out how to do something: Example 1: Chasing a grandson who will try to
outsmart her until she notices a short cut on
her own and catches him, while we are laughing our heads off.
Example 2: Figuring out that if she steps on
the foot lever of the trash can, the top opens
and she can get to the trash. Oh well, back to
the ‘ole drawing board.
Yarra knows how to get my attention
in ways that could be annoying if not for her
unique timing. I have to stop, laugh, and sort
out what she’s telling me. Often when I’m
working in my studio she’ll stand in the
doorway and give a soft woof, then walk
away a few steps and look back at me. She
woofs again, at which time I follow her. She
will jump on the couch, and I will sit with her
for several minutes talking to her and petting
her. Then I go back to work, and for her,
that’s enough! She just
needed me to check in with
her for a little bit. It’s a pleasant reminder to “take a break
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and go smell the roses”…or the Doodle, in this case…or more importantly
go see what the Doodle has been up
to.
Then there is what I call her
‘Emily Post’ personality. She lets me
know when it’s dinnertime by giving
her “whisper woof” at the refrigerator,
then goes to sit politely on her rug
which is her spot. She’s so patient
waiting for her meals; I could leave
her sitting at her spot for an hour and
she would be OK. She won’t get up
and rush to the bowl; rather, she waits
until she’s called and then walks
calmly to dinner. Her manners are better than
some humans I know.
I’m often complimented for having
such a well-trained dog and while I know
we’ll always be training, I’m thankful to everyone who notices her accomplishments. My
philosophy is that “life is training” during
which you must learn to enjoy what you have
and “pay it forward.” Yarra and I are works in
progress. I have all the time in the world to
devote to her. We’re a good team!
With all her silliness there is also an
intuitive quality to Yarra that showed itself
shortly after she came to live with me. Her
sensitivity and gentle nature demonstrated the
fine therapy lines from which she was born. I
have it all, wrapped up in one, brown bundle
of joy. Life is good.
When I was waiting to get Yarra, I
spent as much time as possible with one of
my best friends, Phyllis, who was terminally
ill. When Phyllis was no longer able to go out
or to speak, I would sit with her, hold her
hand and talk to her about the wonderful
puppy I named Yarra, who would soon be arriving. I told Phyllis I would bring Yarra to
visit her, to sit on her bed and give her sweet
puppy licks and she smiled at that vision
I taped pictures of Yarra above her bed
so she could see the puppy she would soon
meet. Sadly, that never happened. One week
to the day after I got Yarra, I had planned to
take her to visit Phyllis for the afternoon.
Phyllis died that morning, but I believe that
somehow she does know Yarra. We have important work to do in memory of Phyllis.
Yarra will be more than a pet or companion
for me. She and I will be partners in therapy
work and visit people who need the comfort
and company only an animal can provide.
When I returned home from visiting
Phyllis’s family the night she died, I expected
a happy, wiggly puppy to greet me at the
door. Instead I was met by a quiet, somber
Yarra staring at me. I sat down with her and
she put her head across my feet and stayed
there for what seemed like forever. It was that
moment I knew I had a companion more special than I thought. She was 10 weeks old at
the time. It was stunning and powerful, and I
knew in my heart we were bonded for life.
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Another amazing incident occurred very recently. I started to clean my
desk area, stood up and pushed my chair
back then began going through the piles
of papers. I decided to sit down to finish
the desk, when I remembered the chair
wasn’t there and I fell… hard! Startled,
though not seriously hurt, I yelled out in
surprise, and Yarra came running to
me….whining, licking and pawing gently
at me. Then she raced around the house
barking wildly as if calling for help. No
one else was home at the time. She came
back and pawed at my hands, which I placed
around her neck and my big girl backed up
slowly and helped me sit up. I was treated to
a Labradoodle facial and a look of concern
and I gave her a big hug in return. That’s my
girl!
Since the Labradoodle is such a sociable dog, taking her out to be around people is
part of our daily life. I’ve never met anyone
who didn’t love her and she has made converts out of friends who have said, “I don’t
really like dogs.” It’s impossible to not love
Yarra. She’s a “Spokes-Doodle” for her breed
and I’m asked about her everywhere we go.
People even stop their cars on the street to
ask about her. She’s been petted, hugged,
handled and photographed by many people
over the past year. She always has a big smile
on her face and I can see how much she enjoys the attention.
Whenever we’re out, children are
drawn to us with parents asking if it’s OK for
their children to pet her, and the answer is
always yes. I keep cookies in my pocket to
give to the children for Yarra. I ask them to
hold the treat in the flat palm of their hand
and she takes it, barely touching them. When
they pet her, they always say, “She’s so soft.”
An Ode to Yarra
By Kate Pappas
Because of you, I am so complete
You came into my life and in a fleet
I accepted those things I couldn’t change
Nor did I want to rearrange
The beauty of your sweet little soul
I invited you in to help make me whole
To share with me your love and trust
To let you know you are not just
A dog, a creature or furry pest…
Because of you
I can be my best
There are no limits to loving you
No invisible goals for me to pursue
The absolute joy of watching you sleep
Knowing you are the baby I’ll always keep
Close to my heart, my side and my dreams
You enter them and everything seems
Simple, pure, good and intense
Playful, silly, like me, that makes sense
So we’re in this together, my cocoa puff
You came into my life
Now….I have enough.
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and happy to be alive.
Yarra has given me a profound perspective on life; teaching me what’s important and what isn’t. It’s not about self interests, but what we bring to our surroundings
and the people we meet. I know we bring
people happiness, contentment and laughter,
which is the best medicine, and the reality
that there really is a dog such as Yarra.
Author’s Note: I would like to thank Maya
Stewart for believing I could write this article; my husband Randy for sharing his life
with Yarra and me; my best friend Nisey for
being Nisey and to Dee and Lynne for their
sage advice and wonderful friendship. A special thank you to Yarra, my coco puff, who
makes me a better person. - K.P.
One little toddler tried to climb on her back to
ride her, but Yarra was completely unconcerned as the baby’s Mom swooped her little
one up while people around us were laughing.
Because of our good fortune, we participate in fund raisers to raise money to help
less fortunate animals. At one particular
event, I entered Yarra in the
“Best Smile” category and
she was in competition with
about 30 other dogs. Since her
smile radiates throughout her
whole body, the three judges
awarded her 1st place and told
me their faces hurt from smiling at her! She won a blue
ribbon for her beautiful smile
Our entire family has
changed in subtle ways this
past year with the presence of
Yarra in our lives. If either my
husband or I have a bad day,
once we’re home, just seeing
Yarra’s smiling face and
happy wiggle, lifts our spirits
immediately. The licks, sniffing and poking her face into
any bags or such that we
brought home makes us smile
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TRAINING DAY
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Every encounter with a young puppy can be turned into a training opportunity. Here’s how to plan the interactions.
By Curtis Rist
gether. Rather than just going for “training,”
with no particular goal in sight, it is important, especially with a young pup, to focus on
tangible milestones that can then be carried
into adult life.
What should the new owner be focused on? In this regard, it is easiest to focus
on the “nots.” In short, a well-trained dog
doesn’t do the following:
Of all breeds of dogs, the Australian
Labradoodle is one with endless potential –
as a pet, as a therapy dog, and as an all-round
family companion. Gifted as it may be, however, a dog doesn’t train itself. Instead, it requires a steady course of teaching, particularly in its youngest months, that can help
turn an ordinary canine into a pup star.
In the past, dog training began at six
months or older, in the belief that a mature
puppy would be more capable of learning.
While the attention span is certainly shorter
in a younger pup – few would be able to
make it through a one-hour training class, for
example – the process of training an Australian Labradoodle puppy can begin as early as
8 or 9 weeks of age. Working in small, focused sessions that are incorporated throughout the day, it is possible to get very far with
a young puppy. Every interaction with a
puppy can be a moment for a training opportunity.
No Nipping. This means ever. Mouthing, or
“teething”, as some people call it, is never
appropriate, and a sign of larger issues within
the dog-owner relationship. The puppy would
never bite at its mother dog – and if it did,
would receive a sharp retort. Puppies nip
each other, to be sure, but this is among
equals, and is surely not what pet owners
want to have happen to them.
No Jumping Up. One of the worst bad habits, and one that turns off non-dog lovers for
good, is a dog or puppy that jumps up on
people. Beyond muddy paws and extra drycleaning bills, this also can be dangerous.
One elderly pet owner I worked with recently, for instance, suffered a broken ankle
from a dog that jumped up and knocked her
down. Some attempt to use the command
“off” to attempt control a dog that has
jumped up, but this isn’t really a command --
Setting the Goals
Everyone wants a trained dog, but it is
easy to fail to create an organized plan, or to
lose interest in this, and have it become a
chore – rather than something that can inspire
both a dog and an owner in their lives to14
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because the dog shouldn’t be “up” in the first
place.
pup when it gazes at you initially with a treat
at your mouth for a few seconds, then offer
the treat.
No Pulling on the Leash. Walking a
dog should be a moment of quiet meditation,
a chance to move and breathe and have free
and happy thoughts. All of this is ruined if the
puppy cannot walk without pulling, turning
each outing into a mini Iditarod, only without
the prize at the finish line. Pulling creates
pulling, and the more a dog feels it can pull,
the more it will – with the result that the habits become hardened. There are at least 10
different breeds in the Australian Labradoodle, but the Siberian Husky is not among
them!
SIT. Hold a treat above the pup’s nose so it
looks upward, but not so high that it jumps,
and at the same time gently tuck the pup’s
tail-end beneath it. Do not press down with
force on the pup, as this can harm its developing bones. Say “Puppy, Sit” in a sweet yet
commanding voice. When the puppy sits,
give it the treat, praise it, and repeat this. The
Starting Right
Training a puppy begins with getting
the pup’s attention. If the puppy isn’t watching, or looking, then it won’t be able to
learn. The first step is to get your puppy to
look at you when you train him. Unless
you’re sure you have a pup’s attention, it
may not do what you ask. For this, treats
help enormously. Find something a puppy
finds irresistible – small pieces of cooked
chicken or beef work well, as do small
pieces of cheese. Whatever the food, quarter
inch cubes are sufficient – it’s a treat, not a
meal.
To lure the pup, begin by moving the
treat back and forth between your mouth and
the pup’s face. The goal is to have the pup
gaze at you intently, as you gradually increase the distance between the two of you –
from six inches, to several feet. Praise the
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REWARDS THAT WORK
When training a puppy, it is essential
to reward good behavior, so that the puppy
understands what is being expected. To reward puppies, trainers have a three basic
tools that work in combination.
Food. Australian Labradoodles are
food motivated, as anyone who has ever
seen them clatter after an empty bowl well
knows. With a puppy, it helps to find food
treats that motivate them – and that means
the more delicious, the better. Puppies are
often unmotivated by dried or baked biscuits; instead, they tend to prefer fresh
treats, such as quarter-inch cubes of
cheese, or cooked meats such as chicken or
beef. The more delicious the better.
Praise. Giving food treats alone as a
Above: The perfect down stay should allow
a trainer to walk around the dog without it
breaking the stay.
reward can be counter-productive in the
long run, since puppies will very quickly learn
to behave only when they know their owners
have food. For this reason, it is important to
vary the rewards, by praising a puppy with
an enthusiastic voice. The higher the pitch
the better, and if the puppy’s tail wags, then
the reward is working.
Below: “Come when called,” the most important command a pup must learn.
Timing. In dog training, as in com-
edy, timing is everything. Puppies live “in the
moment,” so it is important to praise or reward the puppy with food the instant it offers the behavior that is being requested. If
a puppy comes when called, for instance,
the food has to be offered that instant,
rather than a half-minute later. If a puppy
lies down on command, the verbal praise has
to be given on the spot
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puppy will sit only for an instant at the beginning, but this is enough to begin learning
the task. As the puppy sits longer, ask it to
stay – hold for a number of seconds.
ning toward you. Immediately give it a treat
DOWN. Once the pup learns to sit, teach the
puppy comes to the whistle 100 percent of
puppy to lie down. Take a treat and bring it
the time, and make sure that while you are
and praise. This has to be practiced daily
when the pup is young in order to fully ingrain this behavior. Repeat this until the
close to the pup’s nose, then move it straight
training the puppy always gets a treat when it
down to the ground, then out and away from
comes to you. This is a Pavlovian exercise.
the pup. The action will cause the
pup to lie down. You may have
to gently pull its front legs out
and forward in order to do this,
or gently lie the puppy on it side,
which is fine. Never press down
with force on the back of a pup
in order to get it to lie down.
Reward the pup with a piece of
food, then praise lavishly when
the puppy is down.
COME WHEN CALLED. This
is the most important thing a pup
can learn, and is very easy to
teach at a young age, but gets
more difficult as a pup gets older.
Buy a whistle, let the pup wander
about 10 feet away from you,
then blow the whistle and call the
pup’s name. When the pup looks
at you, open your arms, call its
name again, and blow the whistle
again and again as it comes run17
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WALK ON A LEASH. Most training manu-
has to be handled very carefully) but to meet
als show pups being tugged sharply in order
other people. Take the pup to the supermarket
to follow a person on the leash. This is not
or the post office, for instance, and stand
necessary with a young Australian Labradoo-
there while people pet the puppy, and provide
dle. Instead, begin with the puppy off the
treats which people can offer. The more peo-
leash. Lure or put the young pup to your left,
ple the pup is exposed to when young, the
and hold a piece of food just above its nose.
more easygoing it will be throughout its life
Say “Let’s Go” and begin to walk, with the
when it meets new people.
food dangled near its nose. The pup will fol-
No Excuses
low along eagerly, even as you loop back and
forth, make figure eights, and in general set
the pace. After a few paces, give the pup the
The other part of training comes from
treat, and start again. Steadily increase the
keeping up with a realistic assessment of your
distances from a few feet to a few dozen feet.
dog’s strengths and weaknesses. To focus on
The pup will very quickly learn to walk with-
the parts that need changing, it helps to make
out pulling and will stay very close to your
a list of the things you don’t like about him.
side – without the leash. Once it does, simply
Does he jump up whenever anyone greets
repeat the process, only this time attach the
him at the door? Does she bark incessantly in
leash. The puppy will respond in the same
the house, or pull when walking on a leash, or
way, without pulling, and will steadily in-
lunge at other dogs?
crease the length of time it can walk
By focusing on these weaknesses,
rather than excusing them and concentrating
on the dog’s strengths, you can tackle the issues your dog faces – and turn the dog into
the best companion possible, which is what
every Australian Labradoodle is destined to
be.
smoothly.
SOCIALIZE THE PUP. We’re all familiar
with dogs that find new situations stressful,
whether it is those we encounter in the vet’s
office or among friends. The Australian Labradoodle, fortunately, is naturally at ease with
new people and in new settings – but it does
require conditioning to make the most of this.
Try to take your pup with you whenever you
can, not so much to meet other dogs (which
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Are Labradoodles KID FRIENDLY?
(Most Definitely!)……..
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ANIMAL CRACKERS: Sara Appel of Oregon
trusts her dog, Leeloo, in any situation -- including
sharing a snack with her granddaughter, Sofia.
“The two of them are the perfect playmates,” she
says. “No matter what Sofia does, Leeloo just
calmly loves the attention.”
A CHILDREN’S MAGNET: Yarra,
owned by Kate Pappas of California,
makes friends wherever she goes,
both indoors and out as the two photos below prove. To smooth along the
interactions, “I keep cookies in my
pocket to give to the children for
Yarra,” says Kate. “I ask them to
hold the treat in the flat palm of their
hand and she takes it, barely touching
them. When they pet her, they always
say ‘She’s so soft’.”
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Happy Holidays!!!
Festive Doodles
Above: Zoe with Sjors, Sabine, and
Max van Kuipers from the Netherlands.
Right: Stella of the Daly Family in
Brooklyn, with a cleverly attached
Santa cap.
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Final Notes: CANINE COLD RELIEF
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By Lucy Knisley (www.stoppayingattention.com)
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