Help, My Puppy is Afraid!

Help, My Puppy is Afraid!

By: Shay Cline KPA-CTP, FDM

It’s completely normal for puppies to feel unsure or even afraid of new things. In fact, it’s a healthy part of development. Just like human kids, puppies go through sensitive stages—called fear periods—when they’re more likely to startle or shy away from unfamiliar sights and sounds. These moments don’t mean your puppy is broken—they just need your support and guidance.

Step One: Take a Deep Breath

Seriously—take a moment to calm yourself first. Puppies are incredibly attuned to our emotional state, so your calm confidence goes a long way toward helping them feel safe.

Step Two: Assess the Situation

Can you tell what your puppy is reacting to? Is it something moving, still, loud, or unusual-looking? Understanding what your puppy is afraid of will help you respond thoughtfully.

Want to learn more about supporting your puppy to be confident? Reach out to Summit Dog Training for expert advice and tailored solutions! We’re here to help!

The Object is Alive or Moving (or Might Start Moving)

If the object is alive, or capable of sudden movements that may be startling for your puppy, calmly and confidently continue movement AWAY from the thing. 

• Create space. Calmly and confidently move away.

• Need to pass it? That’s okay. If your puppy is small, you can carry them. If they’re too big to carry, shorten the leash and "step up." Position your body between your puppy and the scary thing as you pass.

• Once you're clear, pause. Let your puppy sniff, shake it off, or just reconnect with you. That moment of calm reassurance is powerful.

If the object is not coming towards you…

If you have space to get far enough away that your puppy can observe from a distance, this can be a good learning opportunity!

• Find a distance that your puppy is comfortable watching.

• When your puppy is calmly looking at the thing from a distance, you can reward them with a treat (away from the thing, not towards it!)  and label what they’re seeing; “Good job. That’s the neighbor.”

• Don’t be tempted to push closer before they are ready. If you get a few brave moments, go ahead and continue on your walk. Try to end on a good note!

📹 Watch: Help Your Puppy Recover from a Startle
In this clip, we walk through a real-life example of helping a puppy bounce back from a surprise moment with confidence and calm.

The Object is Still

Great! We know it is safe and won’t suddenly turn into a scary monster! If you’re feeling calm and have time, this could potentially be a good confidence building opportunity for your puppy.

If the object is in your home or in a safe environment…

• Let your puppy approach or retreat at their own pace.

• You can interact with the object to show it's safe—like laying a scary coat flat on the floor.

• Pair it with treats and gentle praise as your puppy explores.

📹 Watch: Say Hi to Scary Objects – Building Puppy Confidence About New Things
This video shows a gentle, practical way to introduce puppies to unfamiliar things and help build curiosity instead of fear.

Leash Reality Check

Leashes can make scary things feel even scarier, since they limit a puppy’s ability to create distance. Be aware of this tension, and don’t force them toward something they’re not ready for. Instead:

• Let your puppy lead. If they show curiosity, follow their pace.

• Avoid dragging, luring, or coaxing to show them it’s “no big deal” —trust takes time!

Sometimes avoidance is the answer

If your puppy is afraid of something, don’t feel like you have to work through it right in the moment! Sometimes it is better for everyone to get out of there and reintroduce the concept later when you and your puppy are more up to the challenge or can have more control of the situation.

• For example: Your puppy sees a neighbor shoveling snow—giant coat, scraping noises, heavy movements… it’s a lot! Instead of pushing through, save the learning opportunity for in a more controlled setting. Later, show them the snow shovel indoors, let them sniff it on the ground, then gradually introduce movement while giving frequent treats.

What Your Puppy Needs Most is You

Your calm presence, thoughtful response, and willingness to meet them where they are make all the difference. Every “scary” moment is an opportunity to build trust—and confidence.

Need Help Building That Confidence?

At Summit Dog Training, we love helping families turn “uh-oh” moments into confident adventures. If your puppy is feeling unsure, or you're not sure how to respond, we’re here for you. Reach out or check out our puppy programs to get support from our expert trainers.

Counter Surfing

Counter Surfing

By Benah Stiewing

Counter surfing is so much fun... for your dog! Dogs typically counter-surf for two simple reasons - it's interesting, which enriches their daily life, AND it often pays off with some high value rewards! However fun this behavior is for our dogs, it's typically not something we want them to practice in our homes. Not only is this hazardous for your food and other objects on your counter-tops, it can also be dangerous for your dog if they were to find & consume something unsafe. Below you will find enrichment, management, and training tips to prevent counter surfing and provide your dog with alternative behaviors that are safe and simple. 

Because dogs often choose counter-surfing as a fun activity when they are bored and don't have other, more positive outlets, we have to consider enrichment as a key part of our behavior modification plan for counter-surfing. When considering your dog's enrichment needs, you have to take into account your dog's age, breed, & preferred activity level. A dog with a high drive for hunting and working will be getting a lot of mental benefits from their counter-surfing routine, and we need to be ready to replace that with appropriate outlets instead!

Easy Enrichment Activities:

• Do training games or food puzzles for many of your dog's regular meals.

• Keep a freezer full of frozen Kongs & other stuffable toys for a regular mental exercise when your dog needs it!

• Teach your dog sniffing games on the ground, like find the treat or the toy.

• Add in some extra walks, runs, hikes, or other physical activities to your dog's weekly routine.

• Click here to view our recommended enrichment items & food puzzles!

Management is an essential piece of resolving counter-surfing behavior. If your dog is able to regularly practice getting up on the counters, and subsequently receives reinforcement (even in the form of a tiny little crumb of food), then they are likely going to continue to exhibit this very functional behavior. While we are working on replacing counter-surfing with better behaviors, we need to restrict our dogs' access to areas that have counters when we aren't around to supervise and redirect.

Even when we are around to supervise, sometimes our attention can be divided (i.e. cooking

dinner) and our counter-surfers can use that opportunity to sneak a tasty snack. Having a good management plan in place can help prevent that from happening! In practice, this could look like: 

• Use baby gates or exercise pens to keep your dog out of the kitchen when unsupervised.

• Keep food away in the pantry, cabinets, and/or refrigerator. 

• Avoid leaving food on the counter as much as possible. 

• When in the kitchen cooking, use tethering to keep your dog restricted to certain areas. 

• You can either tether your dog to your waist so you can supervise closely, or pick a nearby doorknob. 

The training game below is as simple as it sounds! We want to teach your dog that it’s more reinforcing to have all four feet on the floor. Through the enrichment and management techniques we discuss above, we’ve already made sure that your dog won’t ever be reinforcing for jumping on the counter. Now, we want them to learn what is reinforcing!

Four Paws on the Floor: 

• In your kitchen or other counter-surfing area, watch your dog and look for times when they have four paws on the floor. Mark and reward, then keep watching. Do they raise their nose up towards the counter surface, but keep their paws on the floor? Mark and reward! 

• If your dog struggles to even keep all four feet on the floor, you can ask your dog for a sit when they approach the counter. 

• Remember, we want to prevent the behavior, so ask them for a sit before they have begun to jump on the counter.

• You can add in mild distractions on the counter-top (think baby carrots or something else dog-safe) as your dog is ready!

Do you need extra support with your dog’s counter-surfing behavior? We’re here for you! If you want additional support for you and your dog, we offer in-person Group Classes and Private Lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado and Chatham, New York, and virtual coaching right in the comfort of your home. As you work through your dog’s counter-surfing, it’s vital to remember that your dog is simply being a dog and working to access what is reinforcing - the more we can understand this and pay our dogs well for desired behavior, the better we may serve our dogs.

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Puppy Raising & Welfare

By Benah Stiewing

Raising a puppy is very exciting and also a huge responsibility - it’s critical that we, as their guardians, do our best to prepare them for a secure, confident, and stable adulthood. Puppies are born not knowing any human rules or desires - we have to prepare them for the expectations we will eventually have for them and reinforce the behaviors we desire. Below you will find some basic tips and techniques to help you prepare your puppy for being a well-adjusted dog. To dig deeper into puppy training, check out our blog posts for puppy training basics and how to handle common puppy problems. If you’d like more support, consider our webinar Adventure Puppy Basics, which gives a well-rounded, detailed approach to raising your puppy. 

Rest

Make sure your puppy is getting lots of rest! Puppies do not have the same emotional and physiological control as older dogs who will generally nap when they need to. If our puppies are getting extra nippy or loud, they may be over-tired and need to be encouraged to take a nap. By putting them in their crate in a quiet space, we can help them get the rest they need. Below is a video of Amber helping Jamie settle in for a nap in his crate. 

Confinement

Confinement is a very important skill throughout your dog’s lifetime! Whether it’s being home while you’re out running errands or crated for an overnight at the veterinarian, confinement comfort is an invaluable skill for your puppy. Our webinar Separation Anxiety Prevention is an excellent resource for giving your puppy the absolute best start with confinement! 

• Place your puppy’s crate in a quiet area of the house away from the hub-bub.

• Turn on a white noise machine so your puppy doesn’t have to hear all the fun happening without them.

• Inside your puppy’s crate, have a soft towel/bed, a toy, and a couple different options for chewing.

• Build a positive association with the crate! Click here to watch a video of Amber teaching Jamie about his crate.

• Feed all your puppy’s meals in their crate to continue building that positive relationship!

• Before putting your puppy in their crate for a nap, make sure their needs have been met to the best of your ability. If your puppy needs to potty or is hungry or thirsty, they won’t be able to settle.

• Use technology! A baby monitor can be used to keep an eye on your puppy while they are resting.

Potty Training

Teaching our puppy where to eliminate (and where not to!) is usually one of our first training goals. It sounds daunting, but with a combination of management, training, and physical development your puppy can master this challenge! Your new puppy is eliminating in the house because it doesn't know any differently yet, and it has a really small and still-developing bladder. Management is necessary to help your puppy make the right choice every time by removing most of the opportunities to make the wrong choice. Giving your puppy the ability to free-roam in your home means that they may potty indoors or get into something they aren’t meant to.

• When your puppy is awake: set a timer to take your puppy outside every 20-30 minutes during the first few weeks of a new house training regimen, even if you think he doesn’t need to go that often.

• When your puppy wakes up from a nap: Take him outside immediately! Every time!

• Puppies often potty after eating, drinking, and playing, so be certain to take them outside after these activities.

• Join your puppy outside to ensure that they have eliminated AND so you can reward them for making the choice we desire.

• If you are certain your puppy needs to potty (they just woke up from a nap, for example) but it’s just not happening, bring them back inside and put them back in their crate for 5 minutes (set a timer!) and then bring them back outside to try again. Repeat until you get the desired behavior. 

• Once you have been accident-free for a few days on the 30 minute increments, you can expand to 40-50 minutes between potty breaks.

• Never punish your puppy for pottying inside - they are not dirtying your floors on purpose, they are doing the best they can.

Biting/Chewing

Chewing is a normal behavior for dogs, especially from 8 weeks to 6 months. During this period, puppies lose a whopping 42 baby teeth and replace them with adult teeth!  Additionally, while humans explore the world through our hands, dogs explore through their mouths. Together, these two factors turn puppies into chewing machines! While this behavior is very normal, that doesn’t make it pleasant or fun and there are concrete steps we can take to help our puppies chew appropriately.

• Have lots and lots (and lots!) of safe toys and chews around your puppy at all times. Your puppy should always have access to something appropriate to chew, like Benebones, antlers, hoofs, and toys. 

• Use every meal as an opportunity to let your puppy chew! By using puzzle feeders, snuffle mats, Kongs, and Toppls, you can meet your puppy’s innate need and burn some extra energy. 

• You can use sweet potato, pumpkin, canned food, raw (if you feed a raw diet), or kibble soaked in water to stuff in the Kongs and Toppls.

• Rotate your toys/chews/feeders so that your puppy doesn’t become bored with the same items.

• Plenty of regular rest for your puppy throughout the day - puppies that are overtired are often the most bitey puppies!

• If your puppy begins to chew on something inappropriate (like your hand or the couch), simply grab an appropriate chew item and give it to your puppy.

• Teach your puppy appropriate ways to interact with your hand instead. Our favorites are teaching a Hand Target or teaching “Lick not Bite”

• Lick Not Bite: Put a small amount of a delicious lickable treat, like yogurt or sweet potato puree, on the back of your hand. Present it to your puppy to lick off your hand.  Praise them while they do this!  If your puppy changes from licking to nibbling, calmly remove your hand for a few seconds, then represent your hand for them to lick again. 

Grooming/Handling

Whether you have a poodle or a labrador, all dogs will require a certain level of grooming throughout their lives. For a poodle, that could be a full groom every 6 weeks, while a labrador may only need their nails trimmed bi-weekly. Grooming is an important part of our dog’s welfare, so we want the experience to be positive and stress-free. Building a positive relationship with grooming is something we can start from day one with our puppies. If you want to learn more about preparing your puppy for grooming and handling, check out our webinar Cooperative Care for Better Veterinary and Grooming Visits!

• Prepare for your puppy’s first nail trim by slathering a Licki-mat with some peanut butter or wet dog food.

• Make sure your puppy has recently eliminated so they aren’t uncomfortable throughout the process.

• Offer your puppy the licki-mat on a towel or blanket - once they begin licking, reinforce with extra cookies tossed onto the licki-mat.

• Start very gently touching your puppy’s back, neck, ears, legs, toes, etc.

• If at any point your puppy leaves the mat/towel, stop touching them and do not force them to get back on the mat. This is your puppy’s way of declining the touching - though we want our dog’s to be comfortable with touching, we never want to force it on them and from a young age we want the puppy to understand that they can decline by simply moving away. If your puppy comes back on the mat/towel, give them a few seconds to just lick before you begin touching again. 

• If your puppy is doing really well with just touching while licking, in your next session bring a metal spoon and gently touch it to your puppy’s nails while they are licking. This metal sensation starts to prepare them for the actual nail trim.

• Once they can tolerate the spoon well, begin actually trimming one foot. Don’t try to trim all 4 feet in one session - aim for quality over quantity. Stay very far away from their quick (the pink part of the nail closer to their actual toes) so you don’t risk hurting them while you’re building a positive association.

• Once your puppy is doing well with their nail trims, practice at least once a week until they are around 6 months old - then move to bi-weekly. This is a sensation we want your puppy to be very comfortable with and look forward to because it means lots of yummy snacks for doing basically nothing!

• To help your puppy become acclimated to bath time, start building positive associations with the bathtub way before a bath is required. 

• Put down a non-slip surface in your bathtub to keep your puppy safe and help them feel more comfortable, then practice placing them in the bathtub and immediately giving them their prepared licki-mat.

• Stay with them as they enjoy their licki-mat and periodically scatter a few extra treats as they are enjoying the licki-mat. 

• As your puppy is successful with this exercise, start to gently turn on the water and allow it to flow into the drain as your puppy eats. If they seem uncomfortable, slow down the water flow or move it farther away from your puppy. 

Socialization

Socialization is about teaching our puppy how to cope with the world around him and how to handle future adventures. Our puppies are constantly absorbing information about the world around them so it’s vital that we ensure their first few months of life are as positive as possible. While it’s important for your puppy to be exposed to different dogs and people, think about quality over quantity and what skills you want your future dog to have. If you walk your puppy down the street and allow them to pull you towards every person and dog for a greeting, you’re going to have a much more difficult time teaching focus, attention, and loose leash walking. 

• When you’re out in the world with your puppy, think about neutrality and the reaction you eventually want them to have towards a change in environment. 

• Grab a coffee at your favorite shop, get your puppy out of the car, and sit outside the coffee shop with treats and your puppy on-leash. 

• Bring a comfortable mat for your puppy to settle on and some low-value chews like an antler or a Benebone. 

• As the world passes by, reinforce your puppy for the behaviors you want (lying/sitting down, attention on you, chewing on their antler, and watching stimuli pass by) and use the leash to prevent them from approaching people passing. 

• If someone wants to greet your puppy, ask them to wait until you have your puppy’s attention, reinforce with a treat, then release them with a “Go say hi!” cue. 

• If your puppy offers attention on you during the greeting or after it’s finished, reinforce your puppy with a treat.

From 7-16 weeks of age, puppies are in a critical socialization period that offers us a fantastic opportunity to help them acclimate to our world. Remember that learning is always happening, so what goes on in our homes, backyards, and friend’s homes is just as important as the trip into town. If you are central to Fort Collins, CO, our Adventure Puppy Camp is an excellent learning opportunity for your puppy and a chance for you to take a break!

Raising a puppy is so much fun! You get to learn about this entirely new life and build a relationship together from the very start. At times it can feel overwhelming and challenging, so take lots of breaks and ask for help when you need it. If you need extra support, don’t hesitate to contact us today and get started with in-person or online training to help you feel better prepared to raise your puppy. 

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Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!   If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.

Holiday Drop-Ins

Happy November!  It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is barely 3 weeks away!  With the busy holiday season rapidly approaching, it's important to keep your dog's brain and energy engaged in a positive direction.  That way, your pup can be on his best behavior when the in-laws come to visit and you have one less thing to worry about!  

Don't have the time to commit to one of our 6 week classes?  No problem!  Come take advantage of one of our four holiday drop in classes:

Family Dog - This one hour class focuses on good behavior in the home and getting ready to get out in the community for your dog or older puppy!  You and your dog will learn specific skills like sit, down, stay, come, loose leash walking, greeting people and dogs calmly, and more!  For dogs and puppies over 6 months of age.  Class dates are Thursdays, November 17, December 1, December 8, and December 15 at 10:30am.  Click here to register.

Leave It! & Park It! Games -  Come practice your dog's recall, leave it, and settle skills in an hour of fun and good practice for your dog!  What better way to burn off some puppy energy before your holiday party than with this hour-long class!  No prerequisites - great for dogs over 6 months of age.  Class dates are Wednesdays, December 7 and 14 at 5:30pm.  Click here to register.

Fun/Foundation Agility -  Are you and your dog interested in getting started in the fun dog sport of Agility?  This hour-long drop-in class is a great way to give it a try - and to give your dog a fun activity during the busy holiday season!  Prerequisites:  Dogs must have basic skills such as heel, sit, down, stay, and come.  Class dates are Mondays, December 12 and 19 at 6:45pm.  Click here to register.  NOTE: Must have a minimum of 4 students registered to hold these drop-ins.

Rally -  During the holiday season, come in for an hour and learn new skills with your dog!  This class is more than just practice time, and your instructor will be teaching a different Rally lesson each week.  Great for new or more experienced students.  Preregistration is REQUIRED so that the instructor can design an appropriate lesson/course for all participants!  Class dates are Mondays, November 28, December 5, and December 12 at 5:30pm.  Click here to register.  

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us!  Or if you are interested in starting off the New Year on the right paw, check out our January schedule.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Puppy In The Park

I just need to brag about some great students for a minute! Over the summer months, we met weekly in City Park, Fort Collins, for Puppy In The Park drop-in class.  This class was for graduates of my Puppy Basics and Puppy Confidence classes who were looking for extra opportunities to practice the skills they learned in new and more challenging environments.  And let me tell you, between baseball games, family reunion gatherings, and distracted PokemonGo players wandering through our makeshift classroom, the learning environment at City Park has certainly provided lots of great challenges!  

Cassie's mom sent me these pictures from one of the classes, and looking through them made me so proud!  These pups have all made great progress since we've started working!

Cassie the Australian Cattle Dog

Ryder the Australian Cattle Dog

Anaali the Golden Doodle

Briar the Labrador Retriever

Stinson the Hungarian Puli

Chief the German Shepherd

Great job, everyone!  Keep doing fun things with your pups!

Two Seminars Coming Up In Fort Collins!

Summit Dog Training is partnering with Kriser's Natural Pet in Fort Collins to offer two different seminars in July.

Monday, July 18th will be Hiking with Your Dog 101 from 6-7pm.  Come learn about a variety of equipment options, foundation skills, and safety tips that will make hiking with your dog an enjoyable experience for everyone involved!

Monday, July 25th will be What to Expect When You Are Expecting . . . A Puppy! from 6-7pm.  If you are thinking about adding a puppy to your family in the near future, this seminar is a great way to get lots of info in one place!  Topics include house training, puppy chewing, basic manners, and more!

For both seminars, please RSVP to amber@summitdogtraining.com to reserve your spot.  You can also sign up online.  The cost for each seminar is $5, and 100% of the proceeds from these events will go to benefit Animal Rescue of the Rockies.   

Puppy Basics Graduation June 2016

Six adorable puppies graduated from Puppy Basics last week!  This class has always been one of my favorites to teach; watching pups and their owners get started on the right foot reminds me why I love dog training!  

In addition to some fun graduation games to show off the skills that the pups learned over our six week class, all of the pups also completed the elements of the AKC S.T.A.R. Puppy test.  This test demonstrates that each pup has achieved the foundation skills necessary to become a polite citizen of our human society.  

Our next puppy basics class starts Saturday, July 16th, to be held at City Park in Fort Collins, Colorado.  Because this class will meet in a public place frequented by a lot of dogs, registration is limited to puppies over 16 weeks old who have completed their veterinarian-recommended vaccines.  We will meet at 9am on 6 Saturdays to beat the heat and the crowds!  If you'd like to join the class, visit our Sign Up page.  If you have any questions you can send us an email!

Here are a few pictures from the graduation class this past week:  

Why Summit Dog Training? • Fort Collins Dog Trainer • Northern Colorado Positive Dog Training

At Summit Dog Training, we believe in adventures.  We believe in fresh air, sunshine, mountains, and deep breaths.  

We also believe that no adventure is quite complete without a four-legged companion by our side. Dogs tend to enjoy every moment of every adventure in a way that is infectious.  If we follow their lead, this natural enthusiasm can enhance our sometimes less-perfect human enjoyment and encourage us to be more present, more free, and more mindful at every step of each experience.  

I caught this infectious excitement about experiencing life from my Australian Shepherd, Roo, almost 8 years ago now.  His enthusiasm and energy for all things outside and active has kept me on my toes since I first brought him home.  Even today as an official canine senior citizen, when we are backpacking together he does about three times as many miles as I do, running back and forth between the exotic new smells and scenery and his human family.  This enthusiasm never fails to make me smile like the crazy dog person I am, and every time it reminds me why dogs are a wonderful addition to all types of adventures.     

But in order for humans and dogs to fully enjoy outings together, there are some skills necessary on both ends of the leash.  This is the mission and passion of Summit Dog Training: helping dogs and their owners prepare for doing awesome things together, whether that is a peaceful walk in the park or hiking off leash in the beautiful back country of the Rocky Mountains.  These adventures are founded on friendship, trust, and effective communication between dog and human, and this is something that is attainable for all dogs and their people!    

We believe that dogs enrich our lives and our adventures, and, in turn, that inclusion in our adventures also enriches the lives of our dogs.  Are you and your dog ready for a new adventure?