go backThe first month at home... setting the rules
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30.11.2005
That’s how it is when I write at 1 a.m. after a day of working. I feel I will fall asleep every few minutes. That’s why I can only write parts of my thoughts with no order;). Of course, I am talking about the last days’ journal.
Since we live in a city it is easy to get Beti used to traffic, crowd and the noise of the city. Today I took Beti downtown to show her our beautiful Poznan.:) Cars and busses are nothing new. She didn’t even pay attention to them. Tram’s rumbling made her stop for a while, but that was it. The one thing that made Beti really intrigued were…raindrops falling on a sidewalk! And the only things that she was a little afraid of were posters flapping on kiosks.
We investigated both the raindrops and the posters thoroughly. After the inspection it was time to taste them both. ;) Anyway, Beti was most interested in…PEOPLE!!! If only she could she would jump into everybody’s arms. Of course this is what I want, so I encouraged those who wanted to pat her, but were not sure whether they should, to do it. Beti was tested during this walk. One quite mad German shepherd started barking at her, but my little brave puppy did not even move. Instead, she began to growl. This was the first time I heard how threatening she can sound!
We plan to repeat those educational trips as often as possible so that Beti feels comfortable in different situations. It is difficult to familiarize a Wolfdog with new situations when they are adults and therefore it is worth getting them acquainted with the world when they are still puppies. A dog takes everything as natural when it is a couple of weeks old. In the future those situations will not be stressful for it.
We had to cope was our first conflict situation. While giving Beti her evening meal (this one is the best because I cook if for her) I put her bowl on the floor (I didn’t hold it) and as usually I patted Beti’s belly. Of course, Beti knew very well what it all meant: oh yea, the bowl is mine so you can go away, and she simply growled. This was my mistake. I should have, as I wrote at the very beginning, held the bowl and shouldn’t have let such thing happen. I quickly realized that and grabbed the bowl. Now, Beti could eat and I could pat her, and almost eat from her bowl.
Amber and Beti had a beautiful “fight”.:) They played as two adult Wolfdogs which meant they bit each other. The craziness lasted for at least half hour. It was wonderful to look at them!!! One could see the amazing amounts of energy, but also how careful each of them was paying attention not to hurt the other one. Amber taught the little one how to tug a rope. I threw it, Amber gave it to Beti, they tugged for a while and Amber gave it back to me. It was like late retrieving. :) This was the first time I could see Amber was really happy that Beti was with us. :) And Beti was on cloud nine after “the boss” was so friendly. (Amber lied on his back and Beti sat on him! I will soon upload the pictures from that day).
29.11.2005
I am doing well with teaching Beti to come when I call her! She is a good student. This time I took...a chicken for a walk. I wish you could see how eagerly Beti would come every time I called her! Nothing was more seducing than the chicken, she would even stop playing with Amber and run to me whenever she heard her name.:) And this is how the playing looks like: Beti jumps on Amber’s head and hangs on his neck, and Amber pretends to be biting her. But when she is too pesky he growls and makes her fall on the ground. Then, Beti is a little and shy doggy for a while and pretends to be afraid, but a while later you can see her hanging on Amber’s neck again.:)
28.11.2005
This was a long and tiring day at work.:( But we were at work together! Beti got used to the new place already and it is not a problem for her to stay alone for a few hours (with dome breaks). She didn’t even wait at the door, but went to sleep on her blanket. Of course Beti is never left unleashed there. She stays there on a long leash so that she is not able to reach any wires, socket and other dangerous things. Whenever we are, the same rule applies. She cannot be given an opportunity to destroy anything. Sometimes I wonder whether my dogs are exceptional. Everybody complains about some destruction done by their dogs, and I never have ANYTHING to compliant about!!! Maybe when Beti grows up she will change, but for now she has no opportunity to destroy anything when she is alone and when she is with me she doesn’t want to or resigns very quickly after only one command from me, just like Amber does. Of course, I have to take everything Beti could do into consideration, have an eye on her constantly and react instantly. For example the problem with trying to get upstairs is over for now. Beti simply gave up on it after I scolded her when she attempted to do it.:)
I try to put a muffler on Beti’s snout. She is definitely not happy about it and makes up a plan how to take it of.;)
27.11.2005
Instead of sleeping long after our travel we had a marvelous walk in the snow!!! It was the first snow this year and the dogs were delighted! I have an impression that the colder it is outside the more Beti likes it. We got to know some new dogs. Beti prefers small dogs and doesn’t really know how to behave when she meets bigger ones. ;) She greets all people with pleasure, but is especially happy when children are around. Maybe she feels that they are as little and awkward as she. I saw how angry can Beti be for the first time when she played with dogs. He hates to be pinched in her bottom and to be pulled. This is the only situation when she is really angry. I am not amazed. How can you treat a lady like that? In such situations I always try to stop the game so that she doesn’t get angrier.
We still practice ‘come’. She is much better at the end of a walk, while at the very beginning she has too much energy and doesn’t want to waste time to stop even for a while. I teach her “come” so that she sits up in front of me and “heel” to the left. Beti learns very quickly and knows very well where to get a treat.
Her favorite spot in the house is under the sofa! She has a lot of her things there. Some sticks, pieces of wicker and cloths… The whole room is always cleaned by her.:)))
25-26.11.2005
It took some time, but we are finally home.;) We spent the last two days in a constant rush in a car. When we were crossing the border Beti charmed the custom officers, but when they saw Amber they didn’t even want to pat him and only said I was definitely protected very well.;) We went to Hanover. Beti drove 1000 km in the car and she was really wonderful. She is an ideal dog for traveling because she generally sleeps all the time in the car and only wakes up when we stop. After a long journey when she finally had enough of sleeping she went to a party.:) She was the queen of a dance floor for a while, apparently wanted to get some alcohol (although she is under age!) and went to sleep next to the guests. The dogs could not go everywhere so we practiced staying at home. It wasn’t a problem since she had Amber’s company all the time. The whole trip was great for Beti.
24.11.2005
And so it started! It was Beti’s bad day. First of all, she went upstairs a couple of times for a very bad reason, pooping. I don’t understand what is so attractive about doing it in one particular room! Maybe it’s the fact that this is the place where cats usually are.
But this was not the worst. We went for a long walk. It was wonderful, a little cold, beautiful sun and colorful leafs. And in this splendid atmosphere the bad dog completely forgot about me. She seemed not to notice me at all. She simply chased Amber and jumped on his head. (that’s her favorite game)
Of course it was my mistake. I gave her a little food before we went out so the treats I had with me were not that attractive. She didn’t hear when I called her. No reaction, just jumping and playing. I was not important at all... So I went really mad. The long walk was soon finished. I left Amber at home and took Beti with me. We walked quickly at the beginning, and then I unleashed her and cooled down a little bit. Beti walked rather close to me, came when I called her and greeted people she saw with great happiness. :) The treats were attractive again and the eye contact was back.:)
But she already had some new ideas in her head.;) When I came back from work I learnt that Beti jumped on a sofa and had a great fun there. She simply frantically ran on a sofa back and forth! This was too much for the whole family and Beti got a spank.
I feel as if little Beti was not willing to comply with the rules. It was a weird day…
I wonder what is wrong with scolding. I don’t spank her, but simply shake her holding her nape just like a mother dog would do with her puppies. I don’t scare or irritate her. When Amber scolds her she is really scared, but tries to play with him a moment later. When I do that she seems to be avoiding me…
Beti already lies down when I show her a gesture and she doesn’t even have to get a treat! So we started a new trick which is not eating until I let her. Despite being really hungry;) she waited for a moment until I let her eat. :)
Beti now has her passport and we are all going abroad tomorrow. This is Beti’s first travel abroad.
I will write more when we come back…
23.11.2005
It seems to me that my little dog doesn’t grow at all and that she looks the same all the time, but, weird enough, her collar is now a little too tight and it is getting harder and harder to carry her up the stairs…;) She eats really a lot! Did Amber eat that much?;) She eats dog food in the morning, but in the afternoon the only thing she is waiting for is chicken and rice. :)
What makes me really happy is that she doesn’t wake me up at night. :))) She woke me up only once, but generally she sleeps the whole night until 6 or even 7 o’clock! This is absolutely fantastic!!! After a walk she slept over two hours! The only thing I don’t like is her peeing.:( She still does it at home and sometimes I think she will always do that. :(
22.11.2005
I don’t like to feel uncomfortable and I don’t like to make my dogs feel uncomfortable, but what I don’t like even more is to give up and compromise if the dogs try to get something. So today we are going to work together again. And there is a huge improvement! We even have a kind of contract. Beti is quiet if I let the door open so that Beti can hear me sometimes. She still can’t see me. That’s something!
Beti does ‘lie down’ better and better.:) We practice “come” a lot when we go for walks. If you give a command to a dog you have to make sure that the dog does what you want it to do. Otherwise it will ignore your commands. I use a long leash to execute the commands. Every time Beti pretends not to hear me I pull the leash getting her attention and not letting her run away. Of course I Beti runs loose, but has the long leash on so that I can easily catch her. Of course I always do my best to make her come when I call her. She always gets a treat when she comes! I started teaching her heeling. For now I only let her know that it is worth to appear next to my left leg because she can get a treat. When she comes closer to my left leg I say ‘heel’ and the moment she walks next to me she gets her treat. She does it much better at the end of the walk.:) Is that the sign that she gets hungry?;)
21.11.2005
The weekend success makes me more eager to try to take Beti to work. She has the opportunity to socialize there and she learns to stay alone because I work in a different room. If I left her at home she would be completely spoiled.;) I also got some smelly dog treats. It was so funny when Beti got one. She was really happy and had fun for about an hour. Then she started howling and squeaking. Her concert begun every time I left the room.:((( I had never heard her howling that loud. Every time I went back to her she was quiet. We were both tired. Beti didn’t sleep at all that day and I so nervous that I wasn’t able to focus on anything. Somehow, we both made it till the end of the day.
20.11.2005
It’s another day of the course. Today only 6,5 hours. ;) The course begins early so the dogs were not even able to run too much in the morning. But Beti recognizes the room, greets everybody, checks if breakfast is finished and…goes to sleep. :) She plays with a young Husky every time there is a break. She doesn’t even have time to beg for food. ;) from time to time I take her outside so that she can pee and practice a little bit. We practice ‘sit’, ‘lie down’ and ‘come here’ in the hall. She reacts for my gesture alone and sits down. We have lived together for less than two weeks and she is already very attached to me. Everybody is amazed with her calmness and patience. I want her to be maximally opened to people so I am really happy when she has meets a lot of people. I just ask everybody not to excite her too much so that she doesn’t bite others’ hands. She is very delicate with me and I notice that she can control the intensity of biting.
She has become really heavy now. Our class takes place on the second floor and Beti is carried every time. Although the veterinarian excluded the hazard of dysplasia no Wolfdog should climb up the stairs in such a young age to avoid overloading the joints.
The dogs are so tired that they sleep the whole way back home. ;)
19.11.2005
It has been the longest day in the life of the little dog. She had so much fun that it would be enough for a week! She ran like crazy with Amon from the very morning or rather Amon was crazy about her. :) Beti is a great dog to provoke because she gets angry so nicely, as all little ladies do. ;)
We had a whole day of lectures and classes in Dog Therapy. I was a little worried whether Beti will make it through ten hours of classes, but it was all OK. After playing in the morning she slept for 4,5 hours of the first part. She was not at all fussy, but curled up under my chair and slept. After that we had an hour break so we invited Karolinka for a walk. She has been supporting my second Wolfdog since the very beginning. The girls made friends very easily and all of us plus Amber went for a walk to town. There was car traffic, a lot of people and dogs, but nothing bothered little Beti as she followed us. We did a little sightseeing of Bydgoszcz and then it was time for the second part of class. This time it was supposed to be over five hours. But it was really hard five hours! There were several dozens of people in the room, a couple of dogs, crowd and a lot of commotion during every break. My poor little nine-month old puppy, I thought! But for Beti it seemed all natural as if this was a way of spending weekends in this new family.;) she ate her snacks and went to sleep under my chair. During the breaks she managed to get several sandwiches somehow. (What is more, Amber was not worse than Beti!) Then she ran a little bit with other dogs, and again slept during the class. :))) She was even able to sleep in the noise! I could see she had enough in the evening, but she never complained.
And then we had even more surprises! In the evening, at my family’s, Beti got to know two children, Aga and Grzeœ. They were not able to sit on Beti as they do on Amber, but they could, and did, chase her or throw her toy, walk her on a leash or, at last, feed.:) After all that playing Beti drank a bucket full of water and refused further cooperation. ;) She went in her crate and the day was over for her… I take the crate wherever I go with a small dog. It is a good place to hide, a safe and familiar place where she can calm down even in a completely new place. And additionally I don’t have to be afraid that she will destroy something in other people’s house.
Now I know, and I am very happy about it, that Beti can go with us to Bydgoszcz for the course and attend the classes (passively). This is a fantastic way of socializing with people, dogs and new places, and a possibility to calm down during the classes. Maybe she will even get something from the lectures…;))) We will be going there every two weeks.
18.11.2005
We are traveling this weekend. It looks like it is going to be a lot of fun!
Beti started the day with going to work with me. Don’t worry, Amber was a babysitter. It turned out that you can boss around, provoke and bark even at work… Amber and Beti play so nicely! Of course they still remain the hierarchy even during their games. Little Beti jumps around like a hopper, and Amber lets her adore him. Sometimes he even joins her in the jumping.;)
We don’t have a long trip ahead, only 150 km, but the passengers in the car were amazing.;) There were four women and two wolfs.:))) The whole strong group went to Bydgoszcz for lectures. Beti was tired of her morning prancing so she fell asleep right away and slept all the way to Bydgoszcz.
Beti feels really god riding a car! I think that the earlier a puppy starts and the more it rides a car the smaller the problems with that.
Little Amon waited for us in Bydgoszcz. He is already six months old so he is only theoretically little. He is now almost as big and heavy as Amber! He is only 4 months older and he seems like a giant comparing to Beti. But psychologically he is still a puppy. Amon tried to make friends with Beti, but instead of treating her like a lady he pinched her…;) Beti showed him her real “bitchy” character. She will not accept a puppy to treat her this way only because he is bigger! He did all worst things, but when he stopped she would go to him herself. It was clear that she feels Amon’s young age. She is always submissive and respectful towards Amber (at least for now) and she would never dear to disobey him!
17.11.2005
It’s been a couple of days since Beti was given a vaccine. She is gaining resistance so I am beginning to add more attractions to her life.;) Wolfdogs have to be maximally socialized when they are young which means they need to experience as much as possible, for example traffic, crowds, escalators, strollers, and so on. I managed to raise Amber up so that he feels comfortable in most situations. There are some, however, that make him a little nervous. I want to teach Beti more.
For her first lesson we went downtown. Such events also teach her that people are friendly because everybody pats the dog and exclaims their admiration for the puppy. After the city tour we went to a garage. This was really interesting! There were so many cloths that smelled really different, a noisy screwdriver and a lot of other objects. Beti was really brave.:)
16.11.2005
Yesterday Beti was really good when she was left alone at home. Today is another trial. Beti is left alone for an hour. After I came back there was peace and silence. It’s great! A few days ago she still followed me everywhere I went! Beti retrieves toys I throw to her. Of course she is not really interested in giving them back so I use a sausage to make her do it. :) I throw a toy and make Beti come back with it. This is how we practice the future real retrieving. We also practice a new way of calling Beti. I call it an Amber-style call.;) I don’t show the treats to Beti, but call Amber and her. Beti runs right behind Amber, sits up and then gets her sausage!
15.11.2005
A sausage can make real miracles when we go for a walk. A thin slice can cure a dog from “selective deafness”. My dog comes every time I call her.:) It goes pretty well. Amber also takes advantage from this learning. (I mean from the sausage.;))
I try to teach the puppy “lie on guard” when she eats. It is a little bit harder to understand, but generally there is no problem with this either.
We go somewhere by car together almost every day. Beti doesn’t mind it. She only wants to squeeze as far to the front as possible and falls asleep. No motion sickness, no fussing!
She stayed alone in the car for a few minutes today. (When she was tired after a walk and a lot of running) She was very good and simply went to sleep. Today was also the first day when she stayed alone at home in her crate. There were no problems.:)))
14.11.2005
Now Beti feels completely at home. She even made a few trips upstairs alone. (Dogs are not allowed to go upstairs without our permission) I had to make a little wall at the stairs. It’s time to go through all the protection again. :)
If a puppy is to be left alone at home outside of its crate you have to take everything that could hurt it away. A dog really starts messing around when it is left alone, so a crate is the best solution. It is a great teaching aid. If a puppy doesn’t learn that it can destroy things around it will not do it in the future. Amber can stay in the house or in a car for several hours without a crate since he was 1 year old!!! And he probably sleeps.:)
Beti is getting better in “sit up”. She is probably not aware of that, but she sits up every time she sees my gesture or a treat.
She was very brave when she was given an injection!;) Beti is not a whiner, she doesn’t wallow in self-pity. After the injection she squealed a little bit and it was over.:) She simply went on chewing the doctor’s shoelaces. She even wanted to eat the stethoscope, but in general was very nice for the terrifying man whom Amber doesn’t like…
12-13.11.2005
We gained two different experiences in two days when we went for a walk.
On Saturday we had a long fall walk with Amber. Beti is extremely brave. She runs and puts her noose everywhere. Usually she pulls Amber’s tail or leash. Maybe she thinks she walks him.;)
There is completely no problem walking on a leash. Beti walks right next to us. She runs to Amber when she is unleashed. Sometimes she follows me when I’m in the front. The walk was marvelous. Amber taught Beti how to dig holes and chew sticks, and…
On Sunday I took Beti for a walk without Amber. She was not that brave any more. The very first moment she met people she would get a little scared, but only a moment later she would run into their arms. It was hard to get rid of her later. Beti is more careful in contacts with others than Amber was when he was a puppy. We avoid contacts with other dogs for a while because Beti is still not vaccinated, but she simply freezes when she sees them in the distance.
She feels really good with children. We met some during our walk. Some were really small. The first thing she does is to lick them.:) But when they are too pushy she tries to chew their gloves. ;)
There are two things I learned from those walks. One is that I should walk alone with Beti more, the other that I should always have my pockets full of treats!
11.11.2005
It is a national holiday today so we spend the whole day together. :) My Beti is like a little angel. I don’t know whether all she dogs are the same when they are puppies or it is only her being so cute. She is not as go-ahead as Amber or Amon, but after the first moment of hesitation she flings into people’s arms. ;) She walks nicely on a leash although she sometimes stops when something makes her really interested. Amber is, of course, an absolute guru for Beti and I have to do all my best to turn her attention away from him. Reducing her liberty gives visible effects. She reacts much better when I call her.
Beti is the terror for our cats. She barks at them constantly! She is not allowed to chase them. Wolfdogs have a very well developed hunting instinct so I NEVER develop it any further by letting them chase the cats. It has always been the same with Amber. I have never allowed him to chase birds, cats or any animals in the forest. Now I am able to call him back whenever he starts chasing something. It is not about killing the instinct, but rather about the possibility to control him.
Beti reacts on dogs’ signals like growling or showing teeth perfectly. We, Amber and I, use them in various situations like eating or on a sleeping-place (bed). She also reacts on squeaking when she bites too hard. When she wants to bite I try to calm her down and always give her a toy so that she doesn’t bite my hands.
10.11.2005
Beti spent this day almost completely without me. She is very brave and happy at home. She sleeps a lot especially when somebody wants to lie down next to her. ;)
I encountered the first problem or a signal, I would call it. Beti doesn’t want to come back home from the garden and she runs away when I come closer. Unfortunately she associates my coming closer with going home.;( I don’t want her to learn that she can run away or not come when I want her to. Every time I go for a short walk she is on a leash and when we walk longer I always allure her with a treat.
Beti loves eating.:) She isn’t picky. She loves both the dog food and a regular food.
09.11.2005
My first real night with the puppy. She woke me up every two or three hours. Every time she falls asleep again. In the end we sleep until nine. :))) We go for our first walk still not contacting with other dogs, but in the forest in the colorful leafs. She finally got used to the collar. She no longer opposes it, but still scratches her neck.;) She follows the one that is first during the walk, Amber or me. We don’t walk too much today. Beti is still very little and she can’t get too tired.
Amber apparently gets used to the little new creature. They played a little bit in the garden, stared at each others trying to figure out who is going to get a cone and even chased each other a little bit! Beti wants to go everywhere with Amber now that he accepted her. I restrict their contact a little bit. There is time for playing, but Beti should also follow me. We have been structuring the basis of our relationship from the very first days. We have to cooperate. This is something that has to be practiced with Wolfdogs all the time.
Today Beti spends the whole day at home and I can see she feels good here. She is very calm even when I leave for a moment. She waits for me at the door, though. I start teaching her “sit up” when I give her food. I simply show her the treat, make a gesture with my arm, and, putting the treat above her head, I make her sit. I don’t push her or hold her back. “Sit up” is supposed to be a natural position when I feed her. ;)
08.11.2005
We both slept the whole night again! Beti apparently spoils me. Puppies don’t behave like that.;) We go to work together again. This time it is completely different. She falls asleep and I can even work a little bit.:))) She likes to hear me all the time, however. She is patient for three hours only. After the nap she no longer wants to be alone. I give her a smoked ear which makes her busy for a while.
Beti gets her meal quite often and as regularly as possible. I don’t want to have problems with taking food away from her so from the very first day she gets her food from my hand or from a bowl I hold. She trusts me more this way, becomes more patient and learns not to bite hands. I sometimes exchange the smoked ear for a toy or other treat.
We spend the whole evening together so we play as long as we only can.;) Playing makes our relationship friendlier, and it reinforces trust and understanding.
I try to calm Beti down constantly. I don’t pull her toys or make her excited while playing. I don’t even try to take her toys so that she doesn’t run away with them. If she is too excited I try to calm her down by patting her or I just stop playing with her. The best game for her is stealing slippers. I taught her how to do this.;) Amber was brave enough to come down to us to the garden and smell Beti.:) But this was the only contact they had so far.
07.11.2005
Contrary to my expectations Beti slept the whole night and in the morning she squeaked asking to let her outside. I set two rules at the very beginning: don’t approach me when I eat and bed is mine. I did this after observing Amber. He doesn’t let her come close to him when he eats and when he sleeps. Of course many people would like to have their dog in bed, but I have a cat to hug at night. I prefer observing dogs’ behavior and make my life easier this way. It is different to sleep together on the floor or in the garden. I am introducing Beti to other dogs, but they are not happy and rather run away from her.;) Cats also keep away. I don’t make them do anything. They will get used to a new dog in the end.
We go to work. It is a new place and new smells. Beti doesn’t like the place, but calms down when I put her on my laps. She loves being hugged. She wants to be touched and always close to somebody. Beti sees her reflection in a big mirror and wants to call the other puppy. :( She hates being alone and is completely desperate whenever she can’t see me around. ;) I will try to get her used to being alone.
After we come back home we go to see the garden. This is the place puppies love!
I never leave the puppy unattended in the garden. I think it is good to observe it for the first year. Young dogs, first of all, know how to destroy everything around. They dig because they have too much energy when they are young, but when they grow older they do this simply because they are used to that if they learnt it when they were puppies. I never allow this kind of behavior and so I can leave my older dogs alone for hours. There is one more thing. There are almost no barriers a Wolfdog couldn’t cross, but one is really important, the psychological one which can only be taught to the really intelligent dogs. If you don’t want your Wolfdog to run from the garden in the future never give it an opportunity to try it! It’s the same with going upstairs for example.
In the afternoon I go out and leave Beti with my family giving her a chance to show her joy when I come back.;) And her joy is really great!
06.11.2005
First days in a new home are always hard for a puppy. It is taken from its siblings and looses the feeling of safety. The whole world is different. A puppy can show its confusion in different ways. It can be apathetic, nervous, it can howl, squeal or even have diarrhea.
Beti was tired after the events of the whole day so she slept most of the afternoon.:) this was the day when she rode by car for the first time, was at a dog show, got to know quite a few Wolfdog lovers and saw her new house with Alkor, her uncle. In the evening she showed a little bit how bad this world is for a lonely poor doggy. She played a little bit, but I could see she wanted to be alone. The most important thing is to make a puppy feel safe again. You should show a puppy its sleeping place, give it a little warm food, play with it and hug, but also let it decide how much contact it needs.
Nights with a puppy are usually long and there is usually a lot to do.;) Sometimes you may have to get up a couple of times if it wakes you up or you may have to clean your room in the morning. If you plan to keep your Wolfdog in the house it is good to get it used to a crate. I can assure you that both you and the puppy will be less stressed if you do it. Your house will not have to be renovated and your dog will be safe. A Wolfdog can do really a lot of mess if it is left unattended. I only heard some stories. My dogs don’t ruin the house, don’t get the floor dirty at night and can stay alone in the house and in the car.
How to accomplish it? It is very easy. A dog can have no freedom if it is unattended. When I sleep or go out my dog is in a crate. It usually helps with relieving itself because dogs don’t do this in the place they sleep. Your dog will wake you up. The other thing is that it will not hurt itself by pulling something off or biting something through. And of course it will not demolish your house, something a Wolfdog really is able to do!!! A dog feels really safe in its own place so when we come back home it is rested ready to go for a walk.:) All in all, your dog will be calmer and well behaved. But you should start learning it from the very beginning, preferably the first night.
You don’t have to apply all those rules the whole life. I think it is useful at the beginning when dogs learn the rules. It lasts about a year.
Beti was put in a crate the very first day. She was a little surprised and didn’t like it too much, but as soon as I lied down next to it and put my hand inside the dog fell asleep. At night I put the crate next to my bed. Next day Beti was happy to go inside. :)