TRAINING YOUR PUPPY

Puppies are extremely impressionable. Training your new pet will have dramatic and long lasting effects.  You can make your puppy a better pet and prevent 

unwanted behaviors. 

The best things you can do for you and your puppy:

• Don’t kiss your puppies face; doing this tells him that he’s the boss & you take orders; not give them. He/she can lick your face but not near the mouth or nose.

• You walk out the door before puppy does.

• You eat before puppy does.

• Don’t greet your puppy right away when you arrive home, take five minutes to set your keys, purse/wallet and your coat down before you greet your puppy.

• Have your puppy sit before providing food, before leashing, before going through doors.

• Remain calm when working with your puppy

• Reward good behavior, not bad.

• Never play tug-of-war or get carried away with wrestling.. 

Housebreaking:

Establish a routine. Keep the pup’s meals regularly scheduled to encourage more predictable elimination patterns. Take your pup out every two hours during the day 

and as needed at night. Select one toilet area. Take your pup to the toilet area five minutes after feeding, awakening, riding in a car, greeting new people,

 or chewing on toys. Also when you see him circling or sniffing around. When your pup relieves himself in the appropriate spot, immediately

 reward him with a food treat and verbal praise.

Socialization:

Dogs, like their wolf ancestors, are pack hunters. Efficient hunting in a pack requires a high degree of social organization. Dogs relate to people as pack members. It’s up to your family to become “pack leaders” by performing simple exercises and stopping aggressive play. Failure to do so may cause other problems.

Introduce your pup to a variety of positive experiences. Visit three new places a week (AFTER THE INITIAL VACCINATION SERIES IS COMPLETED) and 

introduces him to five new people at each place. Take your pup in regular car rides--use a carrier to insure safer driving.

Brush your pup daily. At the same time, handle your pup’s feet and ears and open his mouth for inspection. 

Massage him all over. If the pup fusses, say “no” firmly. When he is quiet, talk to him in a soft, pleasant voice. Expose your pup to various types of people,

places and experiences. Take care he has a good experience. Gradually acquaint him to very loud noises, like that of a vacuum cleaner turn it on and off from a 

distance.

Prevent Bad Habits:

Provide appropriate objects for chewing (NYLA-BONE products) and praise the puppy for chewing on these objects. It is best to rotate toys to prevent boredom. 

Gently punish inappropriate chewing (clap hands, shout) while directing the puppy to appropriate objects. Put your pup in a crate when you are

 unable to supervise. Crates should only be used as a safe or sleeping space, never as punishment.

Don’t allow aggressive behavior: Mouthing hands, tug-of-war, jumping up, growling, guarding food, and nipping. Competition between dog and owner should never 

be developed, even when it is playful. To handle aggressive play, stand perfectly still, cross your arms, and close your eyes to tell your puppy you are not interested in 

playing “rough.” When the puppy gives up, go and get an appropriate toy and praise your puppy for playing with it.

Don’t allow jumping up. Never pet or talk sweetly to a dog that has only two feet on the ground. Turn away and ignore him! Kneeing, hitting the dog under the chin, 

and squeezing the dog’s paws may actually lead to increased jumping. Make definite decisions about manners. Will the new dog be allowed on the furniture? 

Are any rooms “off-limits?” When you tell your dog “no,” you must be prepared to enforce your decision immediately.

Nothing is Free:

The “nothing is free” technique helps you establish leadership. The concept is to teach your dog “nothing in life is free.” The concept is to teach your dog “nothing in 

life is free.”  Your pup must obey a command before he or she gets anything he or she likes.  No food rewards are used.  The reward is what the dog wants in the 

particular situation, be it love, praise, pats, going out, etc.  Don’t allow your pup to be demanding in obnoxious ways. The only way your dog

 should get what he or she wants is by behaving.

Additional Training:

Additional training can begin as young as 8 weeks of age. Your dog should learn to:

Sit and stay on command
Come when called
Walk on a leash
Watch me

**With some high energy dogs, training may require some play time before training because they have too much energy to be attentive listeners.

What kind of leash? For large dogs a 4 foot leash is good. For small dogs get a six foot leash. Never walk a dog on a retractable leash- this can lead to neck problems

Collars- Dogs should always wear a collar with an identification tag and a rabies tag when outside. A microchip is a permanent form identification. Don’t put a chest 

harness on a dog that pulls.

Choke or check collars: A check collar is a communication tool. A short tug is enough to get their attention. Never pull hard on the leash when walking with a check 

collar. Use an appropriately sized collar. Remove the collar when your dog is not on a leash. If the dog pulls through a check collar consider a Halti or Gentle Leader 

head harness.

Crate Training: 

Use a crate when you cannot supervise your dog. Dogs learn very quickly that they are able to get away with certain things 

when you are not around. Crate train your dog so it doesn't have the opportunity to jump up on the furniture or counters when you are out. Never use a crate as a

punishment. Crates should be a safe space for your dog.

PUPPY AND DOG TRAINING STRATEGIES

Petting:

If you want to pet your dog, call it to you, don’t go to it. Keep it brief and pet only for obedience. If your dog demands petting, either looks away (fold arms, turn head up & away from the dog) or asks for a sit or down and then pet when it obeys. Reward obeying commands with attention.

Practice “Look Always”:

Don’t let your dog demand play, food, or petting. IF your dog gets pushy, simply cross your arms, turn your head upward and to the side away from the dog. If your dog counters by moving to your other side, turn your head the other way. This is good practice to do any time your dog approaches you if he is very dominant and pushy. It is especially important if your dog has been aggressive towards you.

"Off":

The “Off” command is an essential skill every dog owner should teach their furry friend. It’s not only useful for discouraging unwanted behaviors like jumping on people or furniture but also essential for preventing counter surfing – a common issue where dogs snatch food or items from countertops. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of teaching the “Off” command and provide a step-by-step guide to help you train your dog effectively. By mastering this command, you’ll create a safer and more disciplined environment for both you and your pet. 1

Teach “Lie Down & Stay.” also known as "Down".

A good solid down, stay is one of the best learning tools. It teaches your dog to be patient and to wait for your command. You can practice while watching TV. Start with one-second stays for the first few days, and work up to longer and longer ones. After three weeks, most dogs can handle a half-hour down stay during a quiet time of the day. Correct breaks with a body block or a downward leash correction—not by simply repeating “down” & “stay” over and over again. If your dog gets up 25 times, then correct it 25 times with the same actions and tone of voice. Do not include anger in your correction. BE FIRM!

“Wait":

The pack leader has priority meaning they get to push out the door first to get something they want. This is why a lot of dogfights occur at doorways over who gets to go out first. Control the space in front of the dog and you control the dog. Use body blocks or head toward a door or doorway and then suddenly turn and go the other way if your dog tries to get ahead of you. This puts you back in the lead. Praise and pet your dog when it starts to turn around after you and keep moving until it reaches you. Practice this as you move around the house until your dog is content to stay behind you and follow your lead.

"Come": 

Come is probably the most important command you're pup should learn. It can be the difference between life and death if your dog sees a squirrel across a busy street and decides to chase it. Start with your dog in front of you, facing you. Step back and say "Name of pup, Come." followed by a reward of affection or food. Repeat. After he/she gets come then you can add in Wait. See how far away you can get and how long you can keep your pup in wait before saying come. Keep food rewards to a minimum. 

“Four On The Floor.”

Dogs interpret an increase in height as an increase in status. Dogs who sleep up on the bed are especially impressed with themselves. Keep dominant dogs on the floor, not up on the chairs, couches, or bed. If you want to cuddle, get down on the floor, ask for obedience, and then pet when your dog complies.

Teach “Heel” Leaders are in the lead:

Teach your dog to stay at your side while you initiate pace and direction.

This basic obedience program should make treating any other behavioral problems easier. A dog that looks to you for direction can be taught almost anything. It will be happy to work for what it wants and it helps keep its mind occupied constructively. Integrate this training into your day by asking your pet to perform some action whenever it wants to go outside, be fed, play ball, etc. Letting you be in charge will soon become second nature to the dog.

Most problem dog behaviors are NORMAL dog behaviors that are simply unacceptable to the humans they live with. Redirecting and retraining can make our canine companions better and happier pets.

"Leave It": is quite useful to prevent your pup from snatching your dinner plate or accidentally eating human medication.

A few more tips:

Do your homework! There are plenty of good books available to assist you in training your dog. Be cautious, as there are many philosophies of how to train a dog. Outdated or cruel methods are still widely available in print. Much progress has been made in the past few years in understanding how dogs think and learn. We are able to deal with problem behaviors much more effectively once we understand how a dog’s mind thinks. Read more than one book and pick the methods that make the most sense to you. Consult with our staff if you are having problems. In severe cases, we may refer you to a pet behavioral specialist.

Consider using the Gentle Leader or Halti halter. This is a different style of training collar, which takes advantage of the dog’s natural response to pressure over the muzzle and behind the ears rather than a choke collar. Head halters are more humane and more effective in solving several behavioral problems. There are short videos on YouTube on the use of this system.

Using food as a reward for learning new commands is OK, but don’t give a food reward every time. Giving food intermittently means your dog will perform commands for you even when you don’t have a food, and also prevents weight gain. Keep all training positive and consistent. Call us to discuss any specific problems that develop with your pet.

Recommended reading:

The Dog Listener by Jan Fennel

Cesar Milan

You can also find more information on pet training at AKC.org

1. https://dogtrainingblogger.com/teach-your-dog-the-off-command/ 

For more information on vaccines and preventable dog diseases