Basic Puppy Training
made easy

Start out the way you mean to go on, because believe me, that tiny puppy will be an adolescent before you know it, and from there it's just a hop, skip and a jump to full blown adulthood.

Those bad habits that seem cute now will be a whole lot less so when Fido weighs 50lbs (or even 120!)

But, training puppies isn't just about teaching them to 'sit' or 'stay'!

There are a few basic obedience commands that they need to learn, but there's also housebreaking and crate training, teaching them to be comfortable and well-behaved in all sorts of situations (this is called 'socialization'), and dealing with problem puppy behaviors such as biting/nipping, barking, food-guarding and more.

On this page you'll find an overview of the most important puppy training areas, as well as links to pages where you'll find more detailed tips and advice.

Housebreaking

If you can get this piece of puppy training right, you'll both be off to a flying start!

There are some simple rules you can use to help your puppy understand what's expected of him pretty quickly, and the secret lies in taking the task of housebreaking very seriously, right from Day 1. Supervision, consistency and patience are vital!

You'll need to help Fido realize that it's not okay to 'potty' inside the house. You can get this message across pretty quickly if you follow these guidelines :

• Designate a specific area of your yard as your puppy's 'Potty Spot', and always take him there to 'do his business'.
• Use a crate to help housebreak your puppy. Crate training a puppy works WITH your pup's natural instinct not to 'mess' where he sleep. It's the simplest, most effective and least stressful (for both of you!) method of housebreaking a puppy.
• Supervise your pup whenever he's not outside or in his crate. Your aim is to prevent any housebreaking accidents, as puppies learn through repetition and you don't want him to be repeating the wrong things!
• Take you little furball outside to go 'potty' regularly and frequently. An 8 week old puppy needs to go outside approx. every 30 minutes to an hour during the day, and after EVERY nap, mealtime and playtime.

Housebreaking your puppy requires patience, dedication and hard work, but it can be done, and without tears too.

Just remember, puppies are not born knowing how we humans expect them to conduct their 'business'! It's up to us to guide them in the right direction, patiently and lovingly... your little guy WANTS to please you, but you'll need to help him learn how.

However, if you're half-hearted or inconsistent about your house rules, your puppy will get confused and the whole process will be much more difficult and also take longer (NOT what you're aiming for!).

If you're ready to begin, check out Potty Training A Puppy page, for lots more tips and information to help you (and Fido) succeed.

Basic Puppy Obedience Training

Dogs are very intelligent and there's a huge range of commands (and even tricks) that you can teach your new puppy. For now we'll focus on what basic puppy training he needs to learn in order to become an enjoyable companion and family member.

• Learn his name
  If you want to be able to get Fido's attention you first need to teach him his name. First do this by using his name whenever you talk to him, play with him, feed him etc. For example, tell him "Good boy Fido" when you're stroking him, or say "Here you are, Fido" when you give him his food. This will help him to realize that when you say the word 'Fido' it usually has something to do with him.

  You can also help kick-start the whole name recognition thing by keeping a stash of tasty treats in your pocket and at quiet times when your pup is nearby, randomly say his name in a happy, upbeat voice. When he looks up at you and makes eye contact, say "Good Fido" in a happy tone and give him one of those delicious treats.

• Recall or 'Come'
  'Come' is one of the most important commands Fido will ever learn! For you it means you won't need to run all over the yard trying to catch him (a game which you'll never actually win by the way), but more importantly, it could quite possibly save your puppy's life some day.

  If Fido happens to escape through the front door while you're talking to a neighbor for example, "COME" could mean the difference between him slinking back inside or running out into oncoming traffic.

  Unfortunately teaching the recall is one of the most difficult puppy training tasks, and most pups will not be reliable about this for quite some time. It needs to be practiced over and over and over again, in all sorts of environments and situations. Your pup needs to learn to 'come' every time you say so, regardless of what he's doing or where you are.

  At first, the best way to do this is never to tell your pup to 'come' if he has an option of ignoring you! Practice this piece of puppy training with your pup on a long training leash, or with a length of light-weight rope attached to his collar.

  If he doesn't come at once when you call his name and say 'come', gently get his attention by tugging on the leash/rope and repeating the command in a happy voice. Don't 'reel him in' but continue to tug and encourage until he comes running. Then praise him lavishly and give him a tasty treat.

  There's also a fun game you can play with your puppy and assorted family members! Have anywhere between 2 and 6 people sit in a circle, one of them holding Fido gently by the collar. Make sure everyone has a supply of his favorite treats and then take it in turns to call his name and reward him with a treat when he comes.

  Try to make sure the next person to call him is on the opposite side of the circle so he has to cross open ground to get to them and never let him have a treat from you if you haven't called him.

• Sit
  Teaching Fido to 'sit' on command is one of your easiest puppy training tasks. Most puppies take to this like ducks to water. First, get yourself a handful of treats then get Fido's attention. With him standing facing you, hold a treat in front of his nose (not close enough for him to grab it though) and then say "Sit" in a firm voice while slowly raising the treat up and away from you, as if to go over his head.
  
  
  Fido's puppy dog nose will attempt to follow the treat up and in response his rear will go down. As soon as his rump hits the floor, give him the treat and say "good sit". Let him get up and then try it again.

  When you're practicing any puppy training exercises, 3 or 4 repeats per session is usually enough for his short attention span,and 3 or 4 sessions per day is ideal.

Also, to see some puppy training in action, visit my Dog Training Commands page. The videos on that page can really help you to understand how this puppy training stuff works.!

A fairly new, but very simple and effective method of training your puppy called puppy 'clicker' training is both popular and fun.

You can teach basic puppy obedience commands with the clicker and it's also an easy way to teach all kinds of tricks and other behaviors.

Karen Pryor is a leading authority on all things 'clicker' and her clickertraining.com website is packed full of information, tips, articles and all the equipment you could possibly need.

As well as the puppy training you do at home, there are several different options for formal obedience training. At the very least it's a good idea to take Fido to 'Puppy Training School'. It will help you be sure you're doing things the right way, and is a great way to introduce Fido to other puppies in a safe environment.

It is important that you make sure your puppy has had all the necessary puppy shots before he starts puppy training school (most obedience schools insist on this) for his protection as well as the protection of the other pups.

Puppy Training For Behavior Problems

Most of these behaviors are rooted in normal canine behavior and interaction, it's not that they're 'bad' behaviors (in the dog world at least), but they are inappropriate as part of a human-dog relationship.

Your puppy really wants to please you and he's just waiting to learn how you expect him to behave, so again it's important to be patient and consistent when correcting normal puppy misbehaviors.

Biting and nipping is probably the most common of these puppy behavior problems and isn't a sign of a mean or vicious puppy, simply a puppy being a puppy! However, you do need to put the brakes that little Piranha fish while his teeth are still tiny.

Check out my Puppy Biting page for all the tips and advice you need.

To learn more about why puppies bark, guard, bite etc., and for puppy training tips to take care of them, visit my Puppy Behavior page.

Socializing A Puppy

If you want to have a confident, happy, well-rounded puppy who is comfortable in any situation and can go anywhere with you, then it's really important to begin socialization as soon as possible.

Socialization basically means getting your puppy used to different people, places and things.... and the more positive experiences Fido has the better.

Take your puppy with you whenever you can.Take him to the pet store when you buy his food; out in the car when you run errands (properly restrained and never leave him alone on an even slightly warm or sunny day); attend puppy classes, join a dog agility class etc.

Really, socialization opportunities are everywhere. There is one important thing to remember when practicing this particular aspect of puppy training, and that is to keep your precious puppy away from areas where un-vaccinated dogs may roam.

Do NOT go to public parks, or rest-stops on the highway. Even at Petsmart it's not such a bad idea to put a blanket in the shopping cart and push Fido around. Little dogs can be carried everywhere and there are dozens of special doggie carriers to be found.

Always remember to make each outing a pleasant experience for your puppy - puppy training should be fun (for both of you). Have strangers feed him treats (ones that you supply!), make a fuss of him when he is friendly but don't scold him if he's a little shy. He's just a baby and needs to get used to the big wide world.

You'll be rewarded for all your hard work by having a happy, friendly well adjusted dog that you can take anywhere.

Now you know the basics of puppy training and you're ready to help your pup be all that he can be :)

Puppies are little sponges just waiting to soak up all that you teach them (good or bad), so make sure he learns the right stuff!

How To Train A Puppy

Puppy Training Tips

Teaching Dog Training Commands

Potty Training A Puppy

Potty Training Schedule

Crate Training

Puppy Clicker Training

Agility Dog Training & Equipment

Dog Obedience Schools

Dog Training Books

Socialize Your Puppy

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