the coat or, for short-haired dogs, with a bristle brush. If you need to wash a very dirty puppy, then it is better to do this with warm water without soap.

Puppy tying. You can’t raise a puppy on a leash - it will be rickets. But periodically tying it to a chain fastened near your pet’s place is very convenient, even necessary, starting from the age of three months. This is done to reinforce the “in place” command when guests arrive and in other cases when it is necessary that the puppy does not dangled underfoot. Of course, most of the time the puppy should be in a free state.

At first, the puppy needs to be tied only to the chain, otherwise he will get used to chewing on the leash. To sit on a leash, a puppy should be taught gradually, alternating imprisonment with affection and a walk, so that your pet perceives this as one of the types of service to a person, and not as a punishment.

It is absolutely necessary to tie or lock up a half-adult puppy (and a large dog) in a rural area (in the country), if the site does not have a reliable fence. The dog, left to itself, begins to look for entertainment, running out into the street, barking at passers-by or in search of "goodies" in the garbage heaps. So it's better to temporarily limit her freedom, compensating for this with an extra walk with the owner and training sessions.

When you get a puppy, get ready to endure a lot: torn wallpaper, gnawed shoes, furniture, dirt. The puppy cannot immediately learn the numerous prohibitions, and the punishment should follow only immediately after the misconduct, and by no means when you came from work, discovered the fault and beat the culprit who is not able to connect cause and effect with such a gap in time.

Gnawing, dragging and tearing is a natural need for a healthy puppy. When leaving home, be sure to remove small necessary things that are accessible to his teeth, especially shoes, needles, threads, pens. Raise the wires of the floor lamp, telephone, hanging curtains, tablecloths higher. To some extent, the puppy is distracted from pranks by large raw bones, a carrot, a wooden chock, a tennis ball, a hockey puck, a large soft toy, for example, a home-made “sausage” made of rags almost the size of a puppy.

You can not punish the dog after some time after the accomplishment of the act. This can only be done on the spot and at the time the puppy violates the required standards.

A small puppy is afraid of space, new objects, unfamiliar living beings. Gradually, the passive-defensive reaction is replaced by an indicative one (the reaction “what is it?”). The puppy learns that certain phenomena bring pleasure, others are indifferent, others are unpleasant, for example, an angry cat, but can be eliminated by active action - an attack. Gradually, step by step, he settles in the world. Together with his mother or owner, he gets acquainted with the street, field, forest, recognizes a lot of smells, objects, develops his attitude towards them. This is how the behavior and nervous system of the animal is formed. But all this happens normally only if the puppy is given attention, dealt with, taken for walks. You can not limit the care of the dog only feeding and maintaining cleanliness. She needs EDUCATION, which includes a gradual acquaintance with the world, training and everyday contact with the owner.

Walking with a dog outside the apartment, enclosure or yard where the dog is kept is absolutely necessary for its well-being, the formation of the nervous system, contact with the owner, and as a means of preparing for hunting.

An urban dog breeder has to take his pet out 2-4 times a day for natural needs: in the morning - immediately after waking up, in the afternoon - at 13-14 hours, after work - at 18-19 hours, at night. If it is not possible to take the dog out during the daytime, you can limit yourself to a three-time walk, but then in the morning they feed the dog only a small part of the daily diet.

When keeping a dog outside the home, there is no need to take it out for natural purposes, but at least one walk-wiring per day is absolutely necessary for her.

The author was convinced by experience that only a few dog breeders know how to take their dogs out so that each “big” (more than 30 minutes) walk brings maximum benefit. In this regard, it is possible to advise the walk to be divided into several stages. The first is the dog's departure of natural needs away from the doors and windows of living quarters, playgrounds and other equally unsuitable places. For a future guide dog, it is absolutely necessary to learn how to do this on a leash. Then, if the territory allows, you need to give the pet a little run and frolic in a free state, preferably with one or two peaceful dogs. For a blind dog owner, this is possible only: in a fenced area; in the presence of the sighted; if you are sure that the dog will come on command.

But the joint running of dogs, as well as the communication of their owners, should not take all the time. As soon as the dog runs, you should remind him that he has an owner. The dog needs to be called and repeat several methods of general obedience, alternating tedious ones - walking side by side, holding in the "lying down" position or "sit", with your favorite teams - bring the ball, jump over a low barrier, come on the command "to me" for affection and delicacy. And after that, a little wiring on a leash along the nearest lane, boulevard and even a crowded street will be very useful. This is especially important for the future guide dog. It is necessary to accustom her to calmly (without fear and aggression) relate to: transport, people, various noises, cats, and so on, that is, everything that she may encounter during further work. The calm, even behavior of the dog in various situations is the key to successful work in the future.

Education and training
Education and training собаки обеспечивают выработку у нее навыков и поведения в целом, которые обеспечат удобство ее содержания в повседневной жизни и возможность успешного использования на охоте или иной службе. The dog must be obedient and balanced, know its place and, on command, perform a number of necessary techniques - sit, lie down, appear at the call, walk side by side, bring game and abandoned objects, and also stop any undesirable action on the order: “no” or otherwise. signal.

The behavior of all animals is formed as a result of the innate desire of each living being for the necessary comfort for this type and the continuation of its kind. The achievement of this comfort, that is, the satisfaction of needs and protection from dangers, is provided by innate reactions - reflexes and complex chains of these reactions - instincts: motor, food, orientation, defensive, sexual and others.

The scheme or order of occurrence of a conditioned reflex is as follows: first, the animal perceives a signal - a conditioned stimulus that affects its senses, then follows a stimulus - an unconditioned stimulus that compels to the desired action, and after that the reaction (reflex) is fixed by positive emotions resulting from the cessation of unpleasant impact, when receiving food, in a word, as a result of satisfying an urgent need.

The same sequence must be followed when training a puppy. So, when learning to sit down by order, the command “sit” is first given. There are two ways to force a dog to sit down: by mechanical action, by pulling the collar up and slightly back while simultaneously pressing on the dog's sacrum, or showing a tidbit from the hand held in front of the dog's nose slightly up and back. In the latter case, the dog itself adopts a sitting posture as the most comfortable one in an effort to see and smell the desired treat. And so that she does not bounce and stand on her hind legs, the trainer steps on the leash lowered to the ground with her foot. With any method of influence, mechanical or food, the adoption of the desired posture is stimulated by encouragement.

Commands - conditioned stimuli, an incentive to one or another action - are most often given by voice. The command should be short, sonorous enough to be spoken in an undertone and called out if the dog is at a great distance. In all cases, commands are given in a confident commanding tone, without abusing the volume and threatening intonations.

Distortion of commands by derivative words or their synonyms is unacceptable. “Sit down”, “sit”, “sit down” or “to me” and “come here” - the dog perceives as completely different signals. A trainer who forgets this will never achieve the perfect obedience of his pet.

In some cases, commands have to be given with gestures.

Coercion to the required action in learning always follows the command. It can be very diverse depending on the specifics of the reception, the individual characteristics of the dog and the skill of the trainer.

Most often, mechanical action is used, for example, when sitting or laying down a dog with the help of hands, when exposed to a long leash after the command “come to me!” or whistle. Sometimes mechanical impact causes pain, for example, a jerk of a leash, a strict collar - a parfors. But in the latter