Game of Fetch

Probably the most popular of all puppy and dog game, quite how a dog knows how to bring back an object to its master and then wag their tail waiting for master to throw the object again so that they can fetch it once more is one of life’s little mysteries. In this game you can teach the dog commands like “Fetch!” to instruct her to run after the object, “Stay!” to prevent her from running off until you give the command and “Give!” to instruct her to give you the object that she has returned to you.

Hide and Seek

Just like with humans you can hide an object and ask the puppy to find it. The object needs to be familiar to the puppy like a toy. To start, show the object to the puppy and get her interested in it, then when she isn’t looking hide it away under a cushion or behind the TV. The first few times you might have to help her find the object or leave it in plain sight but soon she will use her own curiosity and sense of smell to locate the hidden toy. This helps with obedience because you can command your puppy to “Stay!”, “Fetch!” and “Give!”. It also helps her to familiarize herself with the surroundings.

Socialization Game

This involves taking your puppy to a common area like a park, although it’s recommended to find out if there are any puppy kindergarten classes available in your area. This will introduce her to other dogs where she can learn to respect them without starting a fight or barking. Similarly it can help with human interaction if other dog owners pet and play with her.

The Exchange Game

This is an excellent game for teaching various tricks like rolling over (which is an expression of submission in the dog world), giving the paw for a handshake and coming over when called by name. When the puppy does as commanded give a reward like lots of affection and occasionally a treat. Don’t overdo the treats or she may come to expect it all the time and get upset if she isn’t given it.

4 Fun Games To Teach Puppy Obedience is a post from: Dog Training

Choosing a collar is relatively simple; just ensure that when it is fitted that you can slip two fingers sideways between her neck and the collar.

Not all puppies like to wear a collar. The first time you put it on they may whine, bark or scratch it off with their back legs. If your puppy is becoming very agitated about the collar, instead of taking it off, try to distract her with a toy or a treat so that she temporarily forgets about wearing the collar. You don’t want to let your puppy wear the collar all the time in the beginning, start off with short time durations and slowly increase the time that she keeps it on. When putting her to sleep you can remove the collar, particularly if you are using a crate, incase she catches it on something. Eventually you can make her associate the collar with walk times and going out of the house so if she’s not wearing the collar she should stay outside. Other people use the collar to associate it with being awake and going to sleep, so removing the collar is like getting ready for bed and she should go to sleep.

Once your puppy is fully accepting of the collar it enables you to start obedience training to ensure that she understands that you are the leader and that she must always listen to you. If you find that it is still a struggle to put the collar on you can always teach her to fetch the collar herself and reward her with praise. Fetching is an obedience trait and lets her know that she should be listening to you. The next step is to get her used to being on a leash, again, this can be started slowly and within the house. As you do your household chores you can lead her around.

One important point that many people don’t understand about the collar and leash is that it is a very effective training devise if used correctly. For example, never pull on the leash in order to cause discomfort to force your puppy to follow you. Puppies are very inquisitive, easily distracted and want to go off and investigate – not a good trait if you want to take them outside where you need full control over what they do. Instead of pulling, use gentle pressure by holding the leash tight. If your puppy stops unexpectedly then you should also stop but keep a certain amount of pressure on the collar so that the puppy will learn that to release the pressure, she needs to come to heel or carry on walking. For this training exercise it is advisable to have a short 6 foot leash rather than a long retractable leash.

Keeping the leash short enables her to listen and focus on your commands without getting too distracted. Once she responds to commands like “Come!” and “Heel!” then you can start using a longer leash.

Training Your Puppy to Accept The Collar is a post from: Dog Training

To prevent chewing you need to know why puppies do it. There could be a number of reasons, for example they could be trying to ease some discomfort in their mouth or teeth (particularly if they are growing new teeth around 6-8 weeks), out of boredom, out of curiosity or they might even just like the taste of your old slippers! Chewing helps them explore their surroundings, to discover the taste, texture, hardness of an item, just like a toddler might put a small toy in their mouth.

First and foremost, all chewable items need to be stored out of reach. The whole family needs to get involved so that items are not left on the floor and become adept at picking up items to ensure the puppy doesn’t chew.

You can’t stop your puppy from chewing, and being aggressive when you find that she’s just chewed her way through your new shoes is an ineffective way to stop her from doing it again – she’s got no concept of right or wrong, she just needs to learn not to do something. That said, there are two weapons in your arsenal that can help reduce the amount of damage the puppy causes.

You need to have a chewing toy on hand at all times. If you catch the puppy chewing or having the look like she’s about to chew, call her name, get her to come over and give her the toy to chew on. If she does this without question then reward her with affection, but try not to overdo it on the treats. If you catch the puppy in the act of chewing you should give a loud and sharp “No!” before taking away the object and handing her the chew toy. Never substitute a chew toy with an old unwanted shoe.

Another technique taught by some experts is to remove the puppy to a neutral area when you catch them chewing on something. Again, use a loud “No!” before picking them up and taking them to a place with toys which they can chew.

If there is still no improvement, then there are a few ‘last resort’ options, which should only be considered if after several weeks the positive affirmation approach hasn’t worked. This includes confinement to a certain area, for example a spare room where there is nothing but her toys to chew on and anti-chew spray which is a non-toxic solution that you spray on your shoes and furniture and has an unpleasant taste. The problem with these approaches is that it doesn’t have any reward or positive affirmation.

If you see your puppy go for the designated chew toy on their own accord, make sure you praise her with some kind words and affectionate stroking. This positive affirmation tells her that if she needs to chew, going for the chew toy is the right thing to do.

Training Your Puppy Not To Chew The Sofa is a post from: Dog Training

Potty training and accidents around the house are one of the biggest hurdles you will have to overcome with your new puppy and how you train her and the way you handle yourself will go a long way to creating a happy, calm and healthy dog. It is very easy to get angry and upset when you have been doing potty training for many weeks and your puppy looks up at you wagging her tail while sitting next to a small puddle. There are some horror stories on how some dog owners go about puppy potty training which sometimes goes under the guise of housebreaking, but hopefully after reading this guide you will pick up some new techniques to make the process as easy and mess-free as possible.

First and foremost though you should know that your puppy will go potty around your house. Even after several weeks of training, it will still happen, unless your puppy is kept outside you can expect to be cleaning up her accidents several times a day.

There are so many factors to consider. Some experts say stick to a routine of feeding and walks, others say read the signs that your puppy needs to go potty, and others say reward your puppy with affection when they go potty outside. The truth is that it probably requires a combination of these factors and none is more important than the other.

Looking for the signs that your dog is looking to relieve herself is very important because you can direct her outside to teach her that if she has that feeling she needs to go outside as soon as possible. The ‘look’ can be anything from whining to barking to sniffing around in the corners of the room. If you take your puppy outside and she does go to the toilet, make sure you reward her with plenty of affection. The major issue with the ‘look’ is that just like babies, puppies are not aware of bladder and bowel movements and they can be 16 weeks old before they start to understand the signals they are getting that they need to go potty.

Now looking for the signs is all very well if you are in the house all day and able to keep an eye on her 24/7, but it’s much better if you teach her to go at a set time of the day, which is often during walking time. By taking her out for a walk at the same time each day, and when she’s learned that going to the potty should be done outside, eventually she will be able to hold on until when you go out.

Potty training is a process that should be richly rewarded when she does something right and corrected when she does something wrong. If you happen to catch her just after the event has taken place indoors, look at her and use the “No!” command, then immediately take her outside. If she happens to go again while outside make sure you lavish praise and affection on her.

One method some people advocate is the crate training method. This is based on the fact that dogs don’t like to go potty in the area in which they sleep, so if you keep them in a crate while you are out of the house, they will hold on until they can go. Obviously if a puppy doesn’t have awareness or control over their bodily functions until 16 weeks then this method means that they will likely end up sleeping in their own mess.

At the end of the day, everyone needs to be involved with the puppy potty training, everyone needs to know about the tell tale signals that she needs to go and that she should be taken outside as soon as possible and rewarded if she goes. Similarly if there is an accident, then saying “No!” and not getting angry is essential.

The Art of Puppy Potty Training is a post from: Dog Training

So why do puppies chew and bite? Most experts tend to agree that just like babies, puppies like to explore their world with every sense that they have. If you have children how many times have you had to rush over to stop your baby from putting something in their mouth? Puppies are said to be just the same. Chewing is one way to explore the world around them, but biting or nipping is used to ascertain dominance within the pack. More often than not, a bite is not meant to cause harm, unless the puppy feels really threatened, it is to find out where they belong in the pack, if the nipping gets a bit too vicious, the mother will bring the puppy in to line. In this case, you need to be the mother and teach the puppy that biting or nipping is not acceptable.

When your puppy arrives in your home she will bite and chew to learn about the environment around her. If you have young children this will be a big concern for you so make sure you talk to them about how they should act and behave around the new family addition – it’s important that as your dog grows up they obey not just you but all the family members and being consistent with your commands and treatment will teach your puppy how to behave.

One of the favorite things to nip is your fingers, and while it might cause a sharp pain your puppy isn’t intentionally trying to hurt you so it’s very important that you don’t get angry. Getting angry could cause your dog to become nervous and anti-social. Instead of pulling away quickly, which your puppy could interpret as a game, use a short loud command like “No!” or “Stop!”. Other members of the household need to be taught this too because the sooner your puppy realizes that humans are not for biting or nipping the sooner you can be confident enough to have guests over to your house.

If your puppy is in a biting mood, fetch one of her toys and make it the chewing toy. Hand her the toy and let her bite it for a while. Command the puppy to stop biting by saying “Give!”, over time this repetitive training will teach her that biting is only acceptable on this one toy.

Biting is an anti-social behavior that you will want to eliminate quickly, so be pro-active with the training but do not get angry if she doesn’t get it right all the time.

Puppy Training – Stop The Biting is a post from: Dog Training

Instead you need to teach her that the crate is the place where she can go to sleep and relax while the family is out of the house or there is no one to pay any attention to her. By leading her in to the crate when she is getting sleepy she will learn that this is the spot where she should sleep. Similarly when you are doing separation anxiety training, leaving her in the crate with a few toys teaches her to be calm when you are gone, although to begin with always make sure you are around when the puppy goes in to the crate.

You can do positive reinforcement with the crate by leaving various treats inside which she can discover all on her own. You can also feed them inside the crate if they are a bit hesitant to go inside.

Remember, you are using the crate so that the puppy has a small private sanctuary, a little bit of personal space. Don’t attempt to play with her while she is in the crate, if you want to show her off to friends then allow her to come out of the crate on her own accord.

Many experts extol the virtues of crate training when it comes to puppy potty training. This is because dogs are very particular about where they go potty and their natural instinct is to not go anywhere near where they sleep or take rest. By associating the crate as the place where the puppy sleeps and then immediately taking them outside when they wake up you can reinforce the potty training that you are giving. If the puppy does go to the potty outside after coming out of the crate, make sure there is a lot of affection and rewarding on hand to give positive affirmation that she should always wait until she is outside to go potty.

One thing to remember though is that just like human babies, young pups have no concept of bladder and bowel control and will need to go multiple times per day. Therefore it is important that you don’t allow the puppy to stay in the crate for more than a couple of hours when she is young. As she gets older and becomes conscious of when she needs to go potty then you can stick to a schedule of sleep, feeding, walks and going outside.

If your puppy does go to the potty while in the crate you need to use positive affirmation by leading her outside to see if she goes again. If she does, reward her with affection or a small treat. Clean out the crate and use an odor neutralizer so no trace of the accident is left behind.

How to use Puppy Training Crates is a post from: Dog Training

If you find that your puppy is always jumping up and on people it may be that this behavior has been encouraged in the past due to her not being taught that it is unacceptable. While you will obviously love the puppy as one of the family, what may seem cute when she is small may become a nuisance as she grows larger and stronger.

As with other training techniques, everyone in the household needs to be aware of the procedure to follow when your puppy starts jumping and becoming over-excited. By simply turning around and not facing your dog you are effectively showing her that her actions are getting no attention or affection.

Other people that come to visit should also be informed about this procedure, particularly if they are coming specifically to see the puppy and may be quite happy to have such a cute creature jump and bounce all over them. This could have the undesirable effect of teaching your puppy that it is acceptable to jump up at strangers!

Another behaviour that seems cute and acceptable while she is still a puppy is jumping on the couch when you are sitting down or jumping on your bed in the morning. Again, allowing her to do this is teaching her that it is acceptable, but as she grows larger you might not appreciate it as much and get angry when she jumps in to your lap while you are reading a book. When you berate her it will cause confusion because the behaviour had always been tolerated in the past.

To stop her from doing this you need to teach her from a young age that she can’t do it without permission from you. Simply standing up or getting out of bed when she jumps on and leaving her alone will be enough to make her understand that if she does it, she gets no attention and could be left alone.

If your puppy is jumping up due to over-excitement, maybe it’s feeding time or walk time, then using the ignoring technique until she has calmed down will eventually teach her the correct behaviour that is required. Put down the food, or put the leash away until she has calmed down.

As with many behavior traits, you need to consider the long term with your new family member. What may seem cute now can quickly become tiresome when she is fully grown – imagine not being able to invite your friends over for a dinner party because you know your dog will cause a nuisance. It’s better to have a little tough love now and bring up a calm, respectful dog than to have a problem dog on your hands.

How To Stop Your Puppy Jumping On People is a post from: Dog Training

Teaching your puppy to not bark for every little thing involves a lot of training and a reward and punishment approach. Take note though that punishment should never involve aggression, violence or any means to intimidate your puppy!

If you have not corrected the barking behaviour in the past then your puppy may have learned that her bark is a way to get what she wants, whether it’s to get treats, be fed, go for a walk or just general attention, if she barks and you give her what she wants, it’s taught her that barking is the way to manipulate you.

Ignoring your puppy, while it may seem a little bit cruel, is a very good way to teach her that barking doesn’t get what she wants. If you have already fed, played and spent time with her for the day and she’s still barking then try being in the same room but literally have your back to her, showing no attention whatsoever. When she eventually stops barking you can give her some attention to show that it is given on your terms and not hers.

Your puppy may be barking because she feels lonely, particularly if she has been left alone for a long period of time with no attention. This separation anxiety manifests itself as consistent, almost whining, barking. While your puppy needs lots of attention, she also needs to be taught to be at ease when left alone for long durations, like at night or if the family is going out for the day. You can start with short periods of isolation and build it up from there. Ensure that the puppy has enough toys to play with while you are gone though.

Of course, if none of these tips are stopping your puppy from barking then you need to re-evaluate how your are feeding and interacting with her. Maybe she needs a bit more food at dinner time or another 30 minutes a day for walking and attention.

How To Stop Your Puppy Barking Continuously is a post from: Dog Training

Your new puppy won’t have any conscious control over their bladder or bowel movements, so just as a young baby will go potty without knowing it, so will your new puppy. In the beginning she may need to go as many as 10 or more times a day and if you don’t keep a sharp eye on her from the beginning, then you’ll start to find small puddles and other accidents around the house. To puppy-proof your home you should make sure that there are no gaps or small spaces for her to crawl in to and go to the potty. This means blocking off spaces behind the couch, under the stairs and behind other furniture. Having plenty of disinfectant and cleaning materials on hand is also advisable. Accidents are always easier to clean up on hard floors rather than on carpet, so see if it’s possible to confine the puppy to an area of hardfloor like in the kitchen and utility rooms.

As your puppy explores her new surroundings she will use her mouth to help her learn about the world around her. This means that slippers, shoes, bags, newspapers, mail, remote controls and cushions become a very interesting target. While she goes through her chewing phase and while you train her not to do it, consider removing all items like cushions and shoes and storing them all in an area the puppy can’t get to.

Whilst talking about putting things out of reach, the same applies to food. Your puppy will be able to smell food regardless of where they are in the house, so if you are eating a snack while watching TV and absent mindedly put it down to answer the phone, then expect to come back to find the snacks gone and one very satisfied puppy. Keep any food in the kitchen in a place where the puppy can’t reach and remind everyone not to leave any food unattended while the little pup is roaming around. Because a lot of food today comes in cardboard, cellophane or very thin plastic, to help puppy proof your food, buy plenty of robust plastic airtight containers and store any dry food like cereal in it rather than the original packaging.

You will need to designate an area where the puppy can sleep and have some downtime. This should be somewhere where she won’t easily be disturbed and is always in the same place. Some people use puppy crates which are like a den where the puppy can have its personal space which shouldn’t be invaded.

If you have a yard, then chances are the puppy will start using it for going to potty. Have some tools and materials available to remove the mess as soon as possible, particularly if you have children also playing in the yard.

How To Puppy Proof Your Home is a post from: Dog Training

Except it doesn’t always work out as planned. What you see on TV is the edited version that is designed to make the trainer look as good as possible – chances are there is a whole film editing room somewhere with the outtakes where the dog didn’t do exactly what was required and that wouldn’t help the reputation of the trainer!

So you may have discovered that training your puppy isn’t as easy as in the TV shows or maybe you are wondering if puppy training classes are worthwhile.

Training your puppy from Day One should be your priority, the earlier you can teach her obedience and routine the easier it will be. For this reason it’s advisable to check out some puppy training classes in the local area. This serves two purposes; an experienced professional will be using all their knowledge from training thousands of dogs and it introduces your new puppy to other dogs from a very early age.

Most puppy training schools will have various different classes depending on the age and what the owner is looking to achieve. Just like for children, you can enroll your puppy in to a kindergarten where will learn social behaviour skills like how to interact with other dogs, how to interact with children and adults along with training them how to stop behavioural traits like biting, chewing, jumping and excessive barking.

Obedience training is not usually recommended for young puppies as they should learn basic social behaviour first. Obedience training will cover more advanced behaviour traits like learning how to act when there are a lot of humans around. It also helps the dog focus on your commands like sit, heel and stay which will give you confidence to take your growing puppy outside. Finally it also gives training to you, the owner on how to be the leader and ensure your dog obediently follows your commands.

Most vets and pet stores can recommend a puppy training school to you, but before enrolling there are many factors you need to look at. Take some time to attend some of the lessons to find out the teaching and methods being used by the trainer, do they have a dedicated area for teaching puppies or is it done at the local park? Are other classes going on at the same time which could distract your puppy? Also talk to the trainer to find out their background and experience – do they have any qualifications that makes them an expert or are they basing everything on experience? You need to find out if the school offers classes that are suitable and of course if they are at a convenient time for you!

Finding a Puppy Training Program is a post from: Dog Training