HOUSING AND WORK
Kuvaszok need lots of room to work. they are not apartment dogs, or to be in a pen.
Puppy's of course need to be protected. at night, by being inside or enclosing in a stall with what the will soon guard against.
It is not wise. to shelter them from what they are to guard til you think they reach an appropriate guarding age.
They need to be exposed as puppies to their daily routine, they need to be in their routine from the get go.
It is also not wise to expect two adult dogs whom do not know each other to protect the same property. The new dog will be the intruder. The same intruder you have already taught the existing dog to protect against. New dogs need to be introduced as puppies.
Else their can be fatalities. Puppies do not pose a threat, although they should still be observed with the existing dog.
The pups have to be exposed to their duties now. Whether it is to guard you or your property. They are working dogs, for a house pet, another dog would be more suited. They need exercise in large amounts. Not just the occasional walk in the park.
They can get out of hand very quickly. They are powerful dogs, that can quickly overcome someone. Simply by playing.
PLAY RULES
simple play rules to teach them.
This goes for any breed of dog, small or large...
Never let them play bite any part of your body.
always give them a towel a rag or stuffed animal or other toy, that you use when playing with them.
I wouldn't let stuffed animals have eyes or anything pups can choke on or let them play with them unsupervised.
kids can play tag with pups by running and having something hanging from the back of their pants for the dogs to grab on to, so if they get it, they win.
of course if they get it, my kid usually falls to the ground , like oh, no!, and they start rolling around.
Always have appropriate chew toys they can't break up into small pieces when teething and playing when they are unsupervised.
If they are wanting to play and grab your hand, tell them no if they use their teeth,
eventually they will learn to bring the object of play to you, instead of grabbing your hands.
But at first they may pull your hand with their teeth and you should just say no and get a toy the two of you can play together with.
Soon they will learn that hands are for petting and feeding them their food.
You don't want them thinking it's ok to bite and try to relearn them, which is confusing to everyone, once they are 100 lbs. Your kid will still be small when they get big, even a play bite can hurt.
FIRST BRINGING PUP HOME
When bringing home your pup, for the first time,
i would let them get to know and trust you.
feed them and love them. let them out to the bathroom
at this age they will not run off in the road. just watch them and call them to you, as you pick them up. they will learn quickly to come to you, when you call them, you can give a treat everytime they come. they will always look forward to coming to you.
they will want to be with you and learn to trust you quickly.
if they are to be outside the first night.
Take them outside to their area before night fall, (maybe around 4pm)(feed, again early morning, within an hour after you wake.)
pet them as you place their food there also, let them know this is where they get fed and is their sleeping area. if for some reason they won't eat because they are afraid, try putting the food in your hand and bend to their level for them to eat out of your hand. this has worked many times, then if you set your hand next to their food, they will probably eat on their own..
spend some time with them in their area. before leaving them alone. If you have a cat that loves dogs, maybe the cat can stay with them.
try to have their area where they can see everything around them, so they get familiar with what they are to see and expect everyday.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR PUP
if you just wanted to introduce their sleeping and feeding area to them. You still want to get to know them. Just have em hang out with you. This is your pup now and he will learn how you do things. Their is no set pattern for someone's life. Just however you personally live. and do things.
the more time together, the more bonding you are doing.
POTTY TRAINING
If you take the pup back into the house, remember to let him alieve himself outside first.
everytime the pup finishes playing
eating
or after waking
the pup will have to use the restroom, almost immediately.
just take him outside, or to his area .after each of these events. it will seem almost constant.
try to keep the pup next to you inside the house
for ex. close the doors to any other room but where you are. so if the pup does go potty, you see him starting to do it, and can say NO, very loud and pick him up and take him outside.
in the act is the fastest way to teach.
maybe not the first day, but very soon the pup will easily sneak off in another room and potty, if the other rooms are not kept closed off. correcting him then is just pointless.
you have to catch the act and say NO and then put him out to finish the job.
HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR PUP TO ACT AS AN ADULT
any pets you have he will protect as he gets older and you, his caregiver, he will protect you with his life.
if he is to be your personal guard dog.
you have to figure out now, what is acceptable.
if you don't want him randomly attacking strangers, he needs to be socialized. or else everytime you have a new visitor, he will try to get them, if he is in the house with you alot, you'll have to put him in another room when visitors come (and have listen to him trying to get out to save you). Getting him to another room will be a feat in itself.... IF he is not socialized....
very strong, determined dogs, that have a mind of their own. They are bred to be in fields protecting livestock without any human supervision, so yes they have a mind of their own although they do want to please you. they just need to know what their boundaries are from the start so they can please you.
so it's up to you now, to decide what duties your dog will perform and how far he is to go with that.
with SOCIALIZATION, he just learns to know the difference in strangers. exposing him to your daily life, not excluding him from anything, he will learn through smell what is right and wrong... and you can always trust that. of course the sudden knock on the door will get him going.
also remember that these dogs are in the same group as a doberman. known as guard dogs. kuvasz are just rare and some people don't really understand their capabilities.
LEASH TRAINING
doesn't have to be difficult. puppyhood is a busy time...
first let him have some time getting use to his new collar.
remember to ck the collar alot because they grow so much it can soon choke him.
don't do it so loose they they can get snagged on anything. make sure once the collar is on that he can move just enough to move freely. if he scratches at it too much, you should give him breaks between wearing it, so to get use to it.
once he is use to the collar, could be a couple of days. put the leash on it and let him drag it around for as long as you can supervise him doing it.
then when you are ready for your first walk simply hold the leash and follow him, not restrcting his movement. just don't let him get into danger.
don't pull on it, just let him go where he wants within a safe area while you are simply holding it.
then say no to areas he is not to go and tug a little tug.
he may not like that. if he pull against you too much just pick him up and put him in the proper place and continue. don't make training lessons too long. frustation is easy and next time may fight really hard. we don't want it to be a painful lesson but an excitment that he looks forward, to going to new places. and being with you.
within your yard or area, whenever you are outside let him be with you. he will not have the roaming instinct for a few months. with the roaming instinct will kick in the protection instinct as well
.try to never walk him around the neighborhood, or the road. when he gets a few months older and he is outside freely with you, he will think it is ok to go to those places without a leash.
THE WORD NO AS A CORRECTION
always say his name pleasantly, so he comes when you call him, if you say his name as to correct him.
he may think it is a bad thing and not want to come when called.
always use no or a simular word to correct him. just make sure you use the same word for correction, everytime.
