Practicing the startle response is one of the most important things we do with 3-4 week old puppies. Practicing it over and over gives us an adult who can recover from fear and surprises.
During my pup's first thunderstorm with me, every time we heard thunder, i threw treats all over the floor for her. Now loud popping noises dont bother her, but she does start looking for some food on the floor.
And trust me. Having gone from rescuing for years to getting two Purpose Bred Rotties from a well respected breeder, it was unreal. Nothing phased those two. They actually slept through a 30 min fireworks display 2 blocks from our hotel once!! Training was a blast. One lived til 13, the other just shy of 14. They were worth every penny I spent.
This is also why most people shouldn't be breeding. There is so much that goes into breeding dogs. Of course I am happy to adopt my companion dogs, and I'm willing to work through their issues that arise from irresponsible breeding.. but with my working dogs I prefer a good breeder who goes the extra mile
This is also why it should be "adopt or shop responsibly" because if everyone who buys puppies actually bought from good reputable breeders with *contracts* there would not be dogs in the shelter to begin with
I wish more breeders would do this, particularly in LGD breeds. A dog whose purpose is to protect livestock outside in all types of weather absolutely needs to be bomb-proof. Yet I've met several that are afraid of fireworks, thunderstorms, gunshots, and even the sound of large tractors and equipment. Those are all things an LGD is absolutely going to encounter during their work, so exposing and desensitizing puppies very early should be a top priority.
Agree 100%. I responded to a post and adopted a 1/2 Pyrenees 1/2 Newfoundland from a litter dropped at shelter in another part of my state. She's adorable and having had and currently have a house full of rescued Newfoundland's I was right on adopting this girl so she didn't get lost in the shuffle. (So many great large dogs end up in shelters because people don't learn about the breed they acquire.) I was first in line and already the rest were gone before they opened, a responsible organization took them all but my Daisy was left behind. I asked why whoever took the others didn't take her and they thought it was because she was the runt. This was the absolutely the right thing to do and in the best interest of the dog if the other party wanted true working LGDs. Someone who doesn't understand LGD's could easily feel sorry for the dog and think that's 'sad'. I am 100% in favor of making sure LGDs that can't perform are adopted out from the beginning to live wonderful family lives. My girl, who ironically looks identical like my Landseer Newfy boy down to the same blaze on the nose to spots on the belly, is afraid of tissue box that drops on the floor. 😂 She startles and runs for cover. None of her 'siblings', the Newfie pack, are skittish and she is growing out of it a little, she's 13 months now, but she doesn't have the make up for service and not only wouldn't perform guarding livestock, she'd probably get injured or killed in the process. She's now living her best life because someone recognized she was never going to be a working dog. I so admire this channel not just because of the incredible training and love and respect they have for the dogs in their care, but more importantly the respect to honoring the breed and raising up the best of breed standards and not watering them down like so many. His Maligators were bred for a very specific skill set just like LGDs were bred be a 'partner farmer' in 'dog form' working to protect farms 24/7. Creating the best in breed requires more than just genetics, but highly specialized training and development; no different from an elite athlete. This man's legacy will be breeding amazing performers and healthy linages for decades. It's a privilege watching his journey.
@@traceytheisen8067 it absolutely is a privilege to watch his journey with Mama Thang and these pups! I just traveled to FL and back from North GA to rescue a yearling Central Asian Shepherd. The previous family bought him because he was cute and fluffy and had the trademark huge paws, but did absolutely no research on the breed, couldn't confirm if the parents were health-tested or working or of sound temperament. They were just told this was an "oops" litter because the parents tied right before the female's appointment to be spayed. With the exception of a couple of vet appointments as a young puppy, he hasn't left the house except for walks around his neighborhood. 1 year and 150 lbs later, only the husband could handle him in public (and I say "handle" very loosely because as I was observing them returning from their walk the day I picked him up, this dog was literally dragging the husband, pushing off on him to try to get away, and chewing and tugging on the least). I witnessed this dog lunge to grab a child that was maybe 4 years old, and they just barely contained him. I was told he goes for her all the time but "she's fearless," and it made me incredibly angry because they put that child in serious danger and set this dog up for the worst kind of failure every single time they allowed him to be close enough to lunge at her. 🤬 He also lunged straight at my face while the older son was holding his leash and very narrowly missed me. They had an appointment to surrender him at a county shelter if I didn't show up, but judging by the way the dog behaved that day I have a feeling the shelter probably would have euthanized because the dog could barely be handled and would absolutely bite given the chance. The 8+ hour trip back home was...an adventure to put it nicely. He's been with me since Sunday afternoon and is finally starting to open up to me a little. It's taken a TON of treats and cheese, a few doses of trazodone, and a LOT of patience. But so far he's conquered stairs (he'd never been exposed to them), wood floors, and is slowly learning that his crate isn't a bad place. He was spoiled rotten by that family, never crated, never exposed to lots of common obstacles and allowed to pretty much run the house, and it really shows. He would posture and growl and lunge just when I tried to put a leash on him. I discovered that "sit" is the one command he knows, so I've been using that to help him learn to work with me for treats, freedom etc. and that has built a little bit of respect and relationship between us. I was finally able to pet him on the head earlier today, but I'm still going REALLY slowly with putting a collar on and leashing him. Once I can leash him and feel fairly confident that he won't redirect on me because he dislikes being led around, I'll start off with nighttime walks. It'll be quieter with fewer distractions and will allow us to work on leash manners without being approached by people. I'm a farmer, so if we can work through some of these issues we'll have a chance to see how he does around livestock. Got a LOT of work to do on our relationship with each other before he can be trusted anywhere near them, though. He'd probably be a much better adjusted dog if anyone had taken the time to just expose him to obstacles and noises and strangers (not to be forced to interact with them, but to learn how to be neutral around them) and busy areas from the time he was very young. I can't even imagine the kind of dog he would have turned into in a shelter environment with all of the overwhelming smells and sounds and sights and strange humans and dogs and constant barking. He wouldn't have had ANY sort of mental or emotional framework for how to respond.
Some of them are legit reactive to animals. That's their whole reason for existence. 🤷🏼♀️ Most breeders are just not up to standard. If you go into it to make money, either the standard of care will be lacking, or you'll be severely underwhelmed by the amount of money to be made. If you count every hour raising them up to be proper working dogs, you won't even make minimum wage. Don't go into breeding for money.
It's so cute how they're all watching you with such curiosity. Even when they're a little startled, they're very trusting of you and seem to regard you as a sign of safety.
That's why you should never react in a big way in front of your dog about something trivial! They will learn that they should be afraid from their pack members :)
It's not so much "trust" in him, as it is - like he said at the beginning of the video - that they are too young to have developed any true fear response yet. From an evolutionary perspective, it doesn't benefit super-young puppies to be fearful (it would just be a waste of energy), since they're not agile enough to escape danger anyway if they get scared. Keeping them safe is the mother's job at this stage in development.
Thank you for helping me feel better about my choice of rubbing my dog with a trash bag to help desensitize her 😅 she is a rescue and used to be terrified of trash bags. I had to slowly introduce her to an empty one and I knew she was recovered when we had a 5min cuddle session with an empty bag and belly rubs 😂
the air-pillow popping is how i got my dogs to not feak out during fireworks too.. i make a play out of it everytime. now they just watch everything with curios eyes and dont panic
I've found that kittens are similar in the early growling thing! A lot of the times their first few interactions with people (or really, anything relatively 'new' to them) is tiny hisses. It's not true aggression, and they grow out of it quick, it's just the instinctive response to new stimuli.
@@SunnyvaleTrailerParkSupervisor Yeah true. But there are amazing breeders in the world who actually don't care about money instead care about helping people
@@SunnyvaleTrailerParkSupervisor To me, the only time they're money grabbing bastards is when they create abominations with high prices, those with genetic abnormalities that hurt the dog in terrible ways. That or they raise untrained or abusive standards on the animals.
Lets' talk about the real purpose of this video, giving Mama Thaaang a moment to herself 🤣🤣🤣. Look at her walking away, as if saying, "Oh my babies are in the best hands, I just need a moment to rest and collect my thoughts". 😆 Seriously, anyone who gets one of these gorgeous puppies is so blessed. These puppies are raised with total love, adoration and preparation. We need more breeders like Modern.
The amount of effort and time spent will make these dogs priceless. They will be so balanced, amazing. Thank you for sharing all the information and the actual interactions😊.
@@keylargo7647this beautiful intelligent breed is like elite athletes. When they’re full grown they’re like a machine. Always needing some sort of stimulation but very living snf affectionate. They have sn smazing. Onnrction euth their handlers they really are poetry in motion to watch their more “formal” training in service.
I've seen plenty of dog / puppy training videos and articles, but not a single one had noise training like this! So interesting and yet so simple! And really important
These puppies are so cute. I love how malanois and GSD’s always start off lookin like potato’s and then turn into little mini-wolves. I think Yellow or Grey is definitely my favorite, but they’re all so CUTE!
I took my GSD pup outside to play fun games any time there was fireworks or commotion. We also happened to be renovating our house, he can sleep through anything now
These dogs will the definition of bomb proof. Will be not only outstanding working dogs but just dogs in general. Will be the epitome of a persons best friend and the word dog
My curiosity got me here. First I thought that you'd do this for clicks, but I'm glad that I was completely wrong. The explanation was great and to the point, so thank you for providing this.
god the bowl dropping is so real. I scare myself half the time when a bowl drops on the concrete at work (i work at a boarding kennel). Id rather not have dogs get scared of the noise and react defensively or become terrified of me by accident.
I just want to climb into their pen and get covered in puppy kisses!! I really wish I could get one of these to train as a service dog- they are really getting fully set up to take on life! Thanks for being an ethical and responsible breeder- it means a lot!
You should consider writing a short book about raising puppies. It may not be a best seller but it would absolutely bring better puppies to thousands of homes around the world.
I always (jokingly) say my GSD's breeder did too good a job desensitizing to the vacuum. If I didn't tell him to move, I'd have to vacuum around him 😆 I did a lot of research to find a good breeder but I love getting to see all the details of what that means in practice! ❤
They are so cute sitting there like students eager to learn while you do loud things. I hope when I get a dog the breeder will have done even half as much as you do for your pups, though clearly ideal is just as much. But this also helps me know tactics for our future puppo regardless. And also just melts my heart with the adorableness
I think if we take the time to train our grown dogs too, it’s never too late to learn either ❤ This training could probably help against being afraid of thunderstorms too~
I love that this works not only bc of the lack of fear response, but because they trust you! They always look so attentive to what you’re doing, no matter what it is
Such a joy to watch these little puppies grow and learn with love and lots of positive reinforcements. I’m too old now to have a mal but I absolutely love the breed. I only wish I had come across them 30 plus years ago. I’ll just keep watching as many videos about them as I can. That way I can enjoy them vicariously. Thank you snd blessings
They’re growing so fast!❤ I love how they all have such clear personalities already, like how pink is such a socialite and black is a solo adventurer, but they’re all so confident 😊
Would it be too much to say that this gentleman is my idol? Like... Sir... You live in (what looks like) a cabin, and have the most genuine/authentic relationship with the most powerful dogs in the world. If I can even just TRY to do what you do with a single dog, I would feel so accomplished. Thank you for what you do and for spreading so much positivity and amazingness not only in the dog community but as a human being.
My rescued dog are not used to distraction, sounds, etc, and got scared for almost every thing. 2 years and she's still scared of vehicles sound, and run away every time we saw one while having the day walk. I haven't found any useful video to overcome anxious, scared dogs even in famous dog trainer accounts. People should learn from you so the pups will grow up strong and confident like The Thanglings!!
I have a new timid cat, and my house is usually a quiet controlled place. I would shut off the furnace, make sure the fridge wasn't going to cycle the fan, and take my other animals out with me. I'd slam the door on my way outside and leave for about 15 minutes. It's been teaching him that nothing, absolutely nothing changes just because he's scared.
Amazing Amazing Amazing. So many breeders all over do not do what you do getting the Thanglings use to loud noises and objects❤. So glad to see this. I had bought a Mali Pup years ago that was afraid of everything and anything
This is SO important!! I have a rescue dog (adult) with generalized anxiety and reactivity and a big part of her training for both is teaching this kind of resillience and the ability to think through (and quickly let go of) those big feelings!
When I got my Boston Terrier we would just play hard whenever there was fireworks going on. He couldn't care less about them now. I see so many people having to use supplements, drugs, special vests, all kinds of extra things because somebody in the past didn't expose the dogs to this stuff.
I am fostering a litter of gsd mixes right now and will be using these techniques with them (they are a couple weeks behind age wise) thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Pinks little tail wag when she looked at you was so damn cute. She's already bonding with you 🩷 So glad you are showing this. I think there needs to be more education to the general public on what responsible breeding practices look like. It makes for more informed pet owners (even if they dont get a mal), and hopefully will help people think twice before attempting to breed on their own with no experience or knowledge of what goes into it. These are great practices for raising ALL puppies regardless of breed. I wish it was done more, I think that there would be less behavioral problems and less pet owners who get in over their head with a highly anxious dog.
this ought to be required watching for every breeder but also every new puppy owner. I'm no expert I feel like most of these lessons can apply to any breed. most dogs I've seen are deeply emotional; that separation anxiety can hit them hard when their owner's at work or on vacation
4:13 Ooh, that's a Shark NV752! Great vacuum, the best I've had the pleasure of working with! (Bit of a connoisseur here, been doing housekeeping for 15+ years 😅)
The only thing my shep was scared of was the letter box when it rattled in the wind! Otherwise he just lay there occasionally giving you the eye to say stop making such a racket.
