Why.

Meet Roxy. 

Roxy is my friend of 11 years, my guru on her species and my inspiration for creating COMMIT To Your Puppy.

Roxy has a bit of a strange character. Born on a mountain island in Hong Kong, she was picked up by dog rescue people when she was 4 months old. These formative months spent roaming wild amongst her kind means that Roxy knows how to be around her kin. She offends neither the sensitive nor the fearful types. She can convince any dog, young or old, to play a round of chase. She accommodates dogs with bad manners yet has no problem telling the worst offenders what to do and where to go. You can take Roxy to any fido party and she would hold her own.

Outside of canine environments however, Roxy seems a different dog, some might say “high strung”. From the first day we met, Roxy has acted timid with people of any category. She still shies away from pats, is allergic to cuddles, has never and will never spoon in the bed. Roxy hides when she hears thunder and trembles when she sees anything flapping overhead in the breeze such as a canopy or umbrella. She freezes when she feels anything placed over her body, like a blanket or her leash. Roxy has a bizarre relationship with food, rarely accepts treats, and when she does, accepts only half-heartedly. She is the only dog I know who needs to be begged to eat a lamb chop.

Roxy has lived with us in 4 countries across 3 continents and has spent 95% of her waking days being doted on by a loving family. Yet the first 4 months of her life gallivanting wild has left an imprint and she has never been able to shake her quirky fears and phobias. “What went on with Roxy?” is a question that keeps us guessing. The only thing we know for sure, as told by dog rescue, is that Roxy did not socialise sufficiently with humans in the early days.

A ton of research now tells us that the first 4-6 months of a puppy’s life are crucial in shaping attitude and behaviour, basically setting up the stage for the rest of their lives. This sounds dramatic but working with dogs and seeing this first-hand with Roxy, I’m convinced that training early, quickly and gently is the key to raising a successful dog and fun friend and partner in life.

Confidence, Obedience, Manners, Mouthing, Independence and Trust are the 6 key areas you need to focus on immediately upon bringing puppy home. Let’s dive into each of these areas in the next few pages. But first up, a word on Food!

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