What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How to say goodbye to a family dog
- Things to consider before bringing in a new dog
- Children and puppies: who’s training who?
- The importance of exercising your dog
- How crate training your dog benefits everyone, but especially your dog
Welcome to another episode of Free Range Dogs Podcast
In this episode, Web talks to members of the D’Amore family about the newest member of their family, Maggie, a Griffon. She joined their family after their 14-year-old lab, Toby, died and left them grieving. Through research, they found that the Griffon breed seemed a good match for their family and their lifestyle.
They brought her into a family with three children, a German Shorthair Pointer, a cat, chickens, and a variety of other animals. Maggie was 6 months old when they got her, and although no longer a teething puppy, she did need to learn everything about living in a house with three young children. Doug and Claire have worked diligently in talking with their children about how to interact with Maggie and how to set her up for success. Additionally, Fin, the German Shorthair Pointer, also joins in to train Maggie on the do’s and don’ts necessary for a happy family life.
The two things they have found to be essential when bringing a young dog or puppy into the house are: plenty of vigorous exercise, which they provide through daily bicycle rides or rollerblading while dogs run alongside; and having the dog crate trained. They discuss how a crate becomes a dog’s special place, his den, and allows him to have some downtime after lots of stimulating activity.
In addition to being a family dog, Maggie will be training as a bird dog, with which Fin will also be assisting. Doug will be reaching out to various local resources to assist in Fin’s bird dog training because dogs, like children, take a village to raise. Their children are included in all their passions and activities and will be the next generation of dog lovers and bird hunters.
FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:
Maggie, the Griffon, with her Family, the D’Amores