New Puppy Training Tips: Start Early!
Apr 24
Still deciding on a puppy? Check out our pages on Yorkie puppies for sale, Maltese puppies for sale, Havanese puppies for sale, Pug puppies for sale, and more puppies for sale in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
We can’t stress enough that the key to long-term happiness for you and your new puppy is firm, consistent training that starts from day one. That cute little puppy will eventually be an adult dog. Behaviors that might be cute now, won’t be forever. It can be tough to resist the urge to let your puppy get away with things that you know won’t be acceptable later, such as getting on furniture, chewing on shoes, and barking. Decide now what behaviors are acceptable and which are not. Then become prepared to stick to those rules for your puppy.
One easy way to train your puppy and yourself is to take a puppy training or obedience class. This is also a great way for your puppy to become more socialized. Dogs that are socialized early are less likely to fear strangers and bite or bark incessantly. Training classes offer the additional benefit of providing you with someone experienced to learn from, who can answer questions, and can provide assistance or advice if you have problems training your puppy. If you can’t fit a puppy training class into your schedule or you can’t afford one, you can still socialize and train your puppy. There are numerous books as well as websites that offer advice on puppy training. Below are a few of our suggestions to get you started with successful puppy training.
Consider crate training. Crate training offers many benefits. Your puppy will enjoy having his own space or den to call his own. It will be a reassuring place for your puppy to relax. It also provides a safe place for you puppy to be while you are away from home or asleep. This will limit his ability to explore areas that might be dangerous for him. It will also provide a place for your puppy to be when there’s a lot of activity going on, and he might get caught underfoot and injured. In addition, it can be a more desirable location than the living room floor or couch for your puppy to chew on treats or other messier chewies such as rawhides that can involve drooling.
Be firm about undesirable behaviors such as jumping and barking. While it is a natural response for a puppy to jump and bark when excited, these behaviors should not be allowed as they could be dangerous in an adult dog. Excessive barking can be problematic for people living in apartment buildings, as well, as just inconvenient and annoying no matter where you live. Firmly tell your dog no, as soon as it begins to bark or after one or two barks if you want them to learn that giving a warning is okay. Use a firm, even tone, which is different from when you are angry. If the puppy persists, use a slightly, sharper tone. Never laugh, smile, or otherwise encourage the behavior. Jumping should also be discouraged as it could lead to accidents such as knocking over a small child, dirtying or damaging clothes, and making other people uncomfortable. If your puppy jumps, tell him, “No jumping,” and push him gently back down to a sitting position. Then tell him, “Good dog,” for sitting. Lift your hand. If the puppy jumps again, repeat the process until he stays for a reasonable amount of time or loses interest.
Just following these few suggestions will get you off to a great start with your puppy and will keep undesirable behaviors to a minimum. From here you can decide on other tricks such as sit, shake, jump, and so on that might be fun for your puppy to learn. Just remember to start out short and simple. Don’t forget to check out our selection of puppies for sale in Ohio and Pennsylvania.
