PUPPY TRAINING

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Puppy programs are the most important thing we do, because we are setting the dog and family up for over 10-15 years of happiness!

Training puppies is FUN! Puppies are cute and they warm our hearts!… But there are some things you need to know about puppy training in order to do it the right way!

What you will generally see with puppies

Leash Walking - Lots of times puppies don’t like walking on leash, so first things first we want to let the puppy wear a leash around the house and drag behind the pup to realize the leash isn’t too bad. Next, we need the pup to walk on the leash so we must hold the leash and start walking in and outside of the home. Lots of times the puppy will lock their legs up, so we must force the dog to walk with us. This is an interesting process, but necessary to the progression of the pup.

Nipping - This is common and almost all puppies nip! It is just part of having a puppy, however we have lots of ways to solve this. Check out “Problem Training” in order to learn more.

Potty Training - Potty training is something that most owners deal with and have issues with. In this cert, there is a section called “Potty Training” which outlines all the possible ways to fix this issue.

General Knowledge 

Treats - Use LOTS of treats! Puppies love treats and when teaching the basics, use lots of them!

Socialization - When a puppy is 8-16 weeks old, it is the BEST time to socialize them! Take them out frequently to non-high-dog-traffic areas for socialization. It is a good idea to take them to a coffee shop, the store, walk them in the neighborhood, etc. with you to get them used to people of all shapes, sizes, colors, looks, vibes, etc.

Going against the vet for socialization - When a puppy is under 16 weeks and not fully vaccinated, the vet will suggest NOT taking the dog out. They suggest this because they care about the dog and don’t want anything bad to happen. Vets see sick puppies ALL day! So they are biased to think that taking puppies out is always a bad idea. We suggest still taking the dog out and socializing it, but in non-high-traffic-dog areas.

Short bursts of training - Puppies have SHORT attention spans! They learn in quick bursts! So use this to your advantage and do quick and fast training and then stop on a positive note.

Inflection - The idea of using commands is to use your normal voice eventually to get the dog to listen to your normal voice, right? In the beginning and with puppies, dogs may require a bit more inflection in the voice and a higher pitch more excited tone. Once the dog is doing good, try using your normal voice to command the dog.

Inflection Tips - If the dog is moving slower or not enthusiastically, try raising your voice to a more excited pitch and tone. If the dog isn’t listening use your deeper more commanding voice.

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