When should you start training your new puppy?

January 9, 2019

Any new pet parent will tell caring for a puppy is rewarding and fun. It can also be as exhausting and stressful as coming home with a newborn baby. Understanding how and when to start training a puppy is the best way to reduce frustration and start enjoying life with the new addition to your family. In general, most puppies will stay with their mothers until they are six or eight weeks old. Basic puppy training can begin as soon as you bring your puppy home. Like newborns, puppies can develop bad habits and behaviors early on, so teaching basic commands is crucial. Potty training and crate training a puppy, and leash training and dog obedience training are the best way to ensure a lifetime of fulfillment and a healthy relationship between you and your dog.

teaching the basics of puppy training

Basic Commands and Name Recognition

One of the most important puppy training tips is teach them early. Since everything is a new experience for a puppy, they are constantly learning and exploring. Teaching your puppy his name and a few basic commands can help eliminate some of the stress that comes with house training a puppy. By seven or eight weeks old, your new puppy should be able to learn basic commands like “Sit,” “Stay,” and “Down.”

When you are training your puppy at a young age, positive reinforcement is essential to successful puppy training. Using a method called food-lure training is a great way to teach a younger puppy. This puppy training method involves leading your puppy into the commanded position with a treat near his nose while you speak the command. Once your puppy achieves the goal, reward him with a treat.

Because puppies, like small humans, have very short attention spans, training your puppy is more effective if you spend short periods of time, everyday, working on puppy training, rather than longer periods of time, but only a few times a week.

Potty-Training

When most people think of house training a puppy,they are specifically referring to potty training puppy. Crucial for the lifelong happiness of you and your puppy, potty-training doesn’t have to be a stressful situation if you remember a few key tips:

Accidents will happen. It is apart of the training process so don’t get upset if your puppy accidentally goes where he isn’t supposed to. Just remember he isn’t doing it to be mean, so yelling at him won’t fix the problem.
If you catch your puppy in the act, simply stop him and redirect him to his designated bathroom area.
Supervision is essential for a potty-training puppy. If you leave your puppy unattended, he is more likely to get into something he isn’t supposed to and, inevitably, have an accident somewhere on your floor.

Housetraining a puppy should start as soon as you bring your puppy home. The longer you wait to distinguish bathroom times and places it is acceptable to go, the longer your puppy has to develop bad habits. Breaking bad habits is far more difficult than training from scratch, so don’t delay potty-training dogs.

Crate Training Puppies

Crate training may sound like a negative facet of dog obedience training, but in reality, crate training a puppy has several benefits for both you and your puppy’s happiness.

Crate training is helpful when potty-training puppy. Your puppy doesn’t want to relieve himself in the same space where he takes naps. When you are crate training a puppy you are also training your puppy to recognize designated bathroom trips.
Crate training a puppy helps your puppy feel at home. By creating a safe, comfortable space, your new puppy has a place all his own that he can relax in or unwind if situations get too stressful.
Crate training also helps reduce and even prevent anxiety in puppies. When you bring your puppy home, everything is new and puppies can easily be overstimulated. Instead of letting your puppy get overwhelmed with all the space in your home, giving them a safe space that is just their own is an excellent way to introduce them to their new surroundings without throwing too much at them.

Crate training your puppy can begin as soon as you arrive home with your new addition. Using a method of introducing your puppy to the crate in short time increments makes crate training a puppy relatively simple. If your puppy doesn’t take to the crate right away, understand that puppy training takes time. Try enticing them with a treat or a toy. Make sure you are making the crate a comfortable environment for your puppy, with blankets and toys and softs paces to snuggle up in for a nap.

Leash Training

When thinking about dog behavior training, don’t forget leash training. An essential part of the puppy training process, leash training can begin even before your puppy is ready to go outside and face the world on his first walk. It is recommended that you don’t take your new puppy outside your home or for a walk around other animals until he is fully vaccinated. Waiting until his vaccinations are complete is the best way to reduce the risk of rabies or other illnesses spreading to your new puppy through basic contact and normal puppy socialization.

The best way to leash train your puppy is to practice at home.Slip a collar on him when your puppy is in a good mood, playing or giving you snuggles. Then, using a leash, take short “walks” around the inside of your home or in your backyard. This teaches your puppy how to walk with you, not against you, and ensures he will be ready for the outside world when the time is right. When you pair leash training with dog obedience training, you can minimize the amount of yanking or straining your puppy can encounter when learning how to walk with a leash.

Obedience Training

There are several obedience training options available today. When researching dog obedience training it is important to remember these five puppy training tips:

Patience - training your puppy is like raising a child. No two are alike and it takes TIME. Just relax and understand that it’s ok if your puppy doesn’t grasp everything right away. As long as you remain calm, your puppy is more likely to enjoy obedience training and less likely to develop anxiety as a result.
Positive Reinforcement - smile! Rewarding your puppy with positive reinforcement like toys and treats is the best way to instill good behavior and habits in your new puppy.
Consistency - especially if you live in a home with multiple people. Don’t confuse your new puppy when everyone attempts to “train” your puppy with a different method. Pick one puppy training style and make sure everyone is on the same page.
Short Bursts - puppies have short attention spans. Trying to accomplish a laundry list of puppy training goals in one or two sessions is too overwhelming for your new puppy. You will generally have more success if you have short training sessions every day so your puppy has a greater chance of retaining what he just learned.
Puppy Training Classes - if you are looking for a little extra help with your dog obedience training or would rather learn alongside your puppy. Puppy school and puppy socialization classes are an excellent resource for pet parents to get a little extra help with their puppy training.

When it comes to puppy socialization, remember that the more positive social interactions your puppy experiences in his first four to six months, the more fun the world will be for him. If you choose to attend puppy socialization classes, puppy training classes, or any other environment where your puppy will be exposed to other dogs, remember he needs to be fully vaccinated first. Thought hey don’t aren’t experts in puppy training, the vets at Chipman Road Animal Clinic will let you know when it is safe for your puppy to start playing with other dogs and can recommend some helpful puppy training classes in the area.