Puppy Training Tips

Are you Puppy Prepared?

They are so cute, right?? Until they keep you up all night, chew everything in sight and going potty in the house. It is so important to train them properly, right from the start!

Be puppy prepared!!! By focusing on the things, they do right by rewarding them with food, which can even be their kibble, if that is what you feed them or a high value, treat. This is positive reinforcement training. We focus less on what we do not want and reward the behavior we do want. For example, if you take puppy out and they go potty, we immediately reward them with food, so they will associate going potty, outside with a positive reward. Hence, they will do the desired behavior, to get the desired reward. These methods can be applied to all areas of training. Positive reinforcement (R+) is recommended by professional organizations and is backed by the science, on dog training.

The model for positive reinforcement was developed by B.F. Skinnier and it is one of the four quadrants known as Operant Conditioning. Positive reinforcement trainers, use only 2 of the quadrants: R+ positive reinforcement and P-, negative punishment.

Puppy Preparation:

Do you have a plan for when you bring your puppy home? Proper preparation is essential! Puppy proofing is a necessity! The proofing continues as they continue to grow. We want to make sure that we any potential harmful items, out of reach. have all our valuables and potential puppy hazards out of reach and/or blocked off. Set you and your puppy up to succeed! The better prepared you are, the more successful you will be! Of course, we are going to train them, but in the beginning the less we have to worry about, the better prepared we are! Do you have other pets, in the home? Plan your introductions and make sure that you don’t ignore your other pets needs etc. after bringing the puppy home.

Do you have kids, do they know how to properly engage with your puppy? Please provide guidance to your children, on puppy dos and don’ts. Rough housing is never a good idea! There are many things to consider, we will cover a few of them here.

Puppies Place:

We definitely need a safe place for puppy to be, we can’t be watching them all the time. Where are they going to sleep? Do you have a crate, if that’s what you are going to use, is it the right size? The crate should be small enough, or partition a larger one, so that puppy won’t go potty in the crate. I have purchased or borrowed, small crates and switched them, for larger ones, as the puppy grew. I moved everything, from the previous crate, to the new larger crate.

We are creating a safe place for them to be, particularly when we can’t be monitoring them. I use high value treats, to lure the puppy into the crate and leave the door open, so they can go in and out, I get really excited about the crate introduction, puppies are happy when we are happy. It’s like we have a big party! Yeah, we are going to the crate!! We are using positive reinforcement, by providing a reward, for the desired outcome – going into the crate! Also known as rewards-based training. I to put different types of toys and treats, in the blankets, at the back of the crate, so they will go to the back of the crate, to get the treats/toys. Where will the crate be? Of course, we can use more than 1 crate and/or move the crate within the house or take it with us, when we travel etc. I found that, my dogs, were fine, with being in the crate, but wanted to be in the same room as me. We always want to make their crate, or their spot/bed/blanket, a happy place for them to be.

Sometimes breeders send a blanket, with the puppy, for that familiar smell of their Mom and their litter mates, I put that in the crate too. I put safe toys, in the crate for them to chew on, something that smells like me also. Anything that they love/value – that’s safe to be in there, should be in their crate. If you are using a cage style crate, I have found that putting a blanket over it helps, by leaving a couple of inches, of the crate (at the bottom) uncovered, so they have to lie down, to see you. Please make sure to remove their collar, when leaving them in their crate, I hang mine on the outside of the crate.

Puppy Feeding Time:

Have you decided what to the feed them, there are so many great options, for food, do your research first and have their food ready for them. I recommend starting with a small bag, to make sure they like the food. Please always check with your vet, when considering food choices. Slow feeders and puzzle feeders, are becoming very popular!

These types of feeders, stimulate cognitive functions, in that they have to figure out, how to get the food. Adding, water or other flavoured (dog friendly of course) fluids, to their kibble and then freezing it, works well also. Instead of them just hovering down their food, it stimulates cognitive functions – it also takes them longer to eat. Create a feeding schedule, puppies are normally fed 3 times a day, please always check with your vet. Plan their meal times and who is going to feed them and at what times. Where are you going to feed them, this is particularly important if you have multiple dogs in the same home. We want to prevent resource guarding/food aggression, proper planning is a must! Please also make sure, if you have small children, to ask them to let the puppy eat, without any interference from them. I offer lots of prevention plans, for potential resource guarding and how/where/when to feed your dogs. It’s super important to set these things up correctly, from the beginning, to prevent any possible issues, This is not to say, there will be issues, just that we want to make sure there aren’t any!

Puppy toys and teething suggestions:

Toys, especially for puppy chewing – which there is going to be a lot of. We should have these things prepped, that way we can grab and give. Teething for pups, just like when our children are teething, can be painful and uncomfortable for them. Using cool/frozen treats, can sooth the discomfort of teething. I recommend, filling an ice cube tray and dropping treats into the individual cubes and freeze them, this way you can just pop one out, as you need it. There are also chew toys, that are designed to be frozen. Food stuffed chew toys, are a great option too! The puppy is rewarded for chewing, as the food is dispensed whilst they are chewing. I use puppy Kong’s too; I layer mine with kibble and wet food and then freeze them. Nyla bones are an easy, quick option. Just when you think that your pup has finished teething, they revert back to chewing on things, around the age of 8 or 9 months, they are getting their molars.

Physical and Cognitive Stimulation:

Physical exercise and playing are essential, to your pups, physical and mental well-being. They relieve stress, reduce boredom, burn off puppy energy and help you and your puppy bond! Training can be made fun too! Look for things that your pup seems to do naturally, do they like to chase toys, do they like to play tug? What is your dog’s breed and what genetic traits do they have and enhance those. Set aside time every day, for you and your pup to play/train. I recommend feeding after the training, so they are likely to work harder, for the reward. Tired pups are way less likely to get into things, they will be too tired.

Scheduling:

Puppies, like kids, need a routine for feeding, pottying, exercise, training and enrichment. It’s also important that we leave our puppy alone, for short periods of time, often people will get a pup when they are on vacations, so they can spend more time with them. This is great, except our puppies don’t experience being alone and sometimes this can lead to separation anxiety. We need to incorporate a routine for them, that aligns with our schedule.

Disclaimer:

The information contained in this article except where a link or a quote is provided, is based solely on my experience with my dogs, my clients dog and the many shelter dog’s that I have had the privilege of working with. As well as, my education and the many webinars I have attended, podcasts I listen to and books I have read.