Puppy Training

Train your puppy the right way

Puppies require routines and rules in order to be comfortable and happy in their new homes. While puppy training extends to the home environment, a training class can teach valuable socialization skills, helping to make your puppy less aggressive and more relaxed in new situations down the road.

Benefits of Puppy Training

In a class setting, your puppy learns skills and develops coping mechanisms that will serve it for the rest of its life. Of course, it learns basic commands such as "sit," "lie down," and "come," but more importantly, it learns how to be trained, and you learn how to train it. The skills that both you and the puppy learn in a puppy training class make it easier to complete longer-term projects, such as leash training puppy.

Regardless if you attend a training class or train at home, puppy training will build an important bond between you and your dog.

Puppy Training Tips

When potty training puppy, keeping a schedule is important. Take your puppy out at regularly scheduled intervals, and don't play with your puppy until after it has gone. Treats are a wonderful way to reward the puppy for going in the proper place, but play time should also be a reward.

While you're house training puppy, there will be accidents. Use a good pet odor neutralizer to clean the area, because if puppy can still smell waste, he will think it is the proper place to go. Remember, if puppy makes a mistake, it is best to ignore it as opposed to disciplining him for it.

Crate training puppy is a valuable tool for both potty and general training. When you are sleeping or away, a crate is the safest place for puppy to be. Lay newspaper in one area for the puppy to learn to eliminate on, and make sure there are toys and plenty of water. Puppies get lonely, so keep the crate where you will be — in the bedroom at night and in the main living area during the day —and gradually work up to leaving the puppy alone as it becomes comfortable in the crate.

Each puppy learns at a different pace. Discipline with love and reward with time. Depending on the situation, discipline appropriate to a puppy is saying "No" loudly and firmly, ignoring the puppy or placing a hand firmly on the muzzle to stop it from biting or chewing. Always reward the puppy with praise or treats when it corrects its behavior.

Training can begin as early as 8 weeks old, and should start no later than 10 weeks of age in order to prevent negative behaviors from becoming ingrained.

Properly training puppy from the start will help ensure your time together is safe and enjoyable for both of you.