Basics To A Successful Puppy Training

Getting a new fur baby is such an exciting moment. The tiny paws, playful and clumsy ways they just melt everyone’s heart.

When getting a new puppy it is easy to spend hours playing and give them all the attention a they deserve, but don’t forget the training part to a successful path.

Puppies learn quick too so it’s a perfect time to start training early. The journey requires patience, consistency, and positive reinforcement but it totally doable if you never trained a dog before.

Key tips to get your puppy going in the right direction. Consistency is key when training your puppies to good behavior:

Establish Routine

Set consistent meal times, potty breaks, and play sessions. Stick to a regular schedule for sleep and wake times. In addition, puppies have short attention spans, so keep training sessions brief (5-10 minutes) and frequent throughout the day. This helps prevent boredom and keeps your puppy engaged.

Socialization

Introduce your puppy to new people, animals, and environments gradually.

Make sure these experiences are positive and enjoyable. Proper socialization helps prevent fear and aggression as they grow older.

Basic Commands

Teach simple commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “come” using treats and praise.

Sit: Hold a treat above your puppy’s head and say “sit.” It may take a bit of repetition, with my dogs I noticed it may take a few tries but they all learn this one quick. The moment you see your puppy sitting, reward immediate with a treat.
Down: While holding a treat, guide his attention down to the ground. Always use consistent on the word of choice. Whether down, on the ground, etc. Once the puppy is down, immediate reward with a treat.
Stay: Gradually increase the duration of stay while rewarding.
Come When Called: This is important because you want your dog to come to you when you call. Start this training indoors and use a quiet room with minimal distractions. Teach your puppy to respond to their name. Say their name in an upbeat tone. When they look at you, mark the moment with a “yes,” then reward with a treat or praise. Another method is to turn around and run away from your puppy. Their natural instinct is to chase. Let your puppy catch up to you, then reward with a treat or play.

Practice these commands daily in short, fun sessions. For further in depth training, I strongly recommend an online course. There are many available for free. I recommend K9Training. They are free and very easy to follow training. Another one is Brain Training – they have a great training for Housetraining Basics.

Remember to use the same verbal and hand cues for each command to avoid confusion. Consistency helps your puppy understand what is expected of them.

Be Patient and Consistent

Remember, puppies learn at their own pace, so be patient.

Stay consistent with your training methods and expectations.

Use Positive Reinforcement

Reward good behavior with treats, praise, and play.

Avoid punishment, as it can confuse and frighten your puppy.

By following these steps and being patient and consistent, you’ll help your puppy learn important skills and behaviors that will set them up for a happy and well-adjusted life.

Potty Training

Take your puppy outside frequently, especially after eating, drinking, or waking up.

Reward them for going potty outside and clean up accidents indoors calmly. Begin training your puppy as soon as you bring them home. The earlier you establish good habits, the easier it will be for your puppy to learn and adapt.

Crate Training

Introduce your puppy to their crate as a cozy den. Encourage them to enter voluntarily by making it comfortable and rewarding. Reward your puppy with treats, praise, and affection when they exhibit desired behaviors. Positive reinforcement helps reinforce good behavior and builds a strong bond.

Chew Training

Provide appropriate chew toys and redirect inappropriate chewing to them.

Puppy-proof your home to prevent access to dangerous items.

Leash Training

Introduce your puppy to wearing a collar and leash indoors. Encourage them to walk beside you with treats and praise. Set boundaries and correct unwanted behaviors with a firm but gentle tone. Avoid yelling or physical punishment, as this can damage your relationship with your puppy and lead to anxiety or aggression.

Social Skills

Arrange playdates with other friendly, vaccinated puppies.

Supervise playtime to ensure it stays positive and safe.

Here are 3 Online Puppy Trainings that I recommend:

K9 Training Instituteis one of the top graded online training workshops available in a click distance. They provide some of the greatest free workshop to improve dog and pawrents relationships and prevents poor behavior.

Dog Academy is another with the most comprehensive, accessible, and effective dog training, in-person and online. With a nationwide network of 1,000+ expert dog trainers and hundreds of hours of online content.

By investing time and effort into training your dog and utilizing reliable training guides, you can ensure a happy, well-behaved companions who enriches your life and the lives of those around you.

Brain Training has professional CPDT-KA certified dog trainers helping people to eliminate bad behaviors in dogs and train well behaved, obedient, loving pets…by showing them how to bring out the ‘hidden intelligence’ inside their dog.