Puppy Dog Training Tips

How Long Should Puppy Training Sessions Last?

It is not uncommon for people to ask how much time they should spend on each puppy training session.

There is no simple answer to this question as often it will depend on the breed of puppy, personality and obviously age of your puppy.

Some breeds are more willing to learn than others and if you have other well-trained dogs often the puppy will copy the older dogs which could relieve you of some of the training. 

What is important though is that before you even get a puppy you do some research to determine which breed will be most suitable for you and the environment in which you live. 

If you live in a very small property it would be very unfair to choose a Sheepdog for example.  Working dogs are happiest when they are working, whereas a Maltese Poodle will normally be quite content in a small environment. 

Don’t fall in love with that cute little face and curly tail if the breed is not suitable for you because it will only cause heartache later on – choosing a puppy is so important if you want to build a long and happy relationship with your dog.

The age of your puppy and breed will have a bearing on the length of the puppy training sessions.  Young puppies have a short attention span so keep the sessions brief and have them often and end with a game they enjoy. 

You can always incorporate the training of a puppy outside of the training sessions and you may find you get better results.  For example teach your puppy to sit before you throw the ball or to sit before you give it its food.

Dog training is the best investment you can ever make as you will be preparing for a lifetime relationship so avoid trying to teach your puppy too much in one training session, be fair and patient and above all ensure you both have fun.

Dog Quote:
Keep running after a dog and he will never bite you.
….Francois Rabelais

Puppy Training School – Preparing For The First Puppy Class

If you have decided to take your puppy to Puppy Classes at a Dog or Puppy Training School here are a few tips to help the first class go smoothly for both you and your puppy.

Firstly you will be training with your puppy so be sure that you dress in casual comfortable clothes and wear shoes with low heels and soft soles. It is not unusual to have to sit on the floor with your puppy so don’t go dressed to the nines!

Wear trousers if possible as skirts tend to flap in the dog’s face and you will need a waist bag or pocket for titbits.

Prepare your puppy too. Do not place a collar on your puppy for the first time on the first day of school, do this well in advance so that it is totally used to wearing a collar.

If you need to take the puppy by car to the venue ensure that the puppy is used to travelling in the car as you don’t want an over excited puppy arriving at school on its first day.

So a few days prior to starting school it is advisable to take the puppy for short rides in the car so that it gets used to it.

It really is not advisable to feed your puppy just before leaving for class. Rather feed it an hour or so before and let it spend time in the garden before you leave so that it can do its business.

Try and arrive at the Puppy School in good time so that you can give the puppy time to have another little run around and also so it can get acquainted with the area and other puppies.

There will no doubt be a variety of dogs attending the same puppy class, but if your puppy is already used to socializing with other dogs this will not be a problem.

If, however, your puppy is not used to other dogs then be prepared to give the puppy a lot of reassurance and love as it may be a little nervous. If you can, choose a spot next to another puppy of similar size to your own.

If you have enrolled your puppy at Puppy School for a full course then it really is important that you attend all the classes with your puppy. If however your puppy is not well, it is still worth your while to attend the class without your puppy so that you can catch up at home once your puppy is feeling better.

Give your puppy lots of praise at the end of the class and be sure to practice what you both have learnt in the training when you get home before the next lesson.

Consistency in training a puppy is very important so share the commands and training techniques that you learnt at the puppy school with the other members of your family so that you all use the same commands.

Develop A Routine For Your Dog

I thought I would talk on a more personal level today regarding why it was important for me to develop a routine for my dog, Zoe (that is her on the left), so she knows what to expect and look forward to and so that I can maintain my routine in my home office.

I work full-time at home online as I run my own online business which does require discipline as it is so easy to get distracted in the home environment. When I acquired Zoe, my tri-colored Jack Russell Terrier, I felt it was important to develop a routine for her as soon as possible so that I was able to carry on with my work and at the same time give her the attention she needed.

Zoe is not a morning girl!! I like to rise very early and put in 2 – 3 hours work online before breakfast, so it suited me fine that she preferred to stay in her bed until then!

Immediately after breakfast we got into the routine of going for our morning walk. This keeps my blood circulating and gives my eyes a break from the computer and Zoe gets a good start to the day.

I walk Zoe on a 15 foot retractable lead which gives her quite a lot of freedom and there are areas where I can safely take her off the lead too which she really enjoys. She sticks close to me and does not run off and immediately stands still when I say the word wait.

Once back home she is happy and content and as she has the run of the front garden and the house she is in and out for the rest of the morning doing her own thing, such as guarding the house, basking in the sun or chasing lizards in the garden. Every so often she will pop into my study just to say hello and to let me know she is still around!

I have always made a point of setting aside about 30 minutes after lunch and supper for what I term quality play time. As I am finishing up in the kitchen she will arrive with her favorite toy for a game of tug-of-war! When I say “back to work now” she is quite happy to stop playing and let me return to my computer.

We set out on our second walk of the day at 4pm and she will come into the study to remind me. This is usually quite a long walk and on the way back we stop in to see my mother where Zoe gets a biscuit! At exactly 5pm she will come to me and lick her lips as if to say “please can we go home now so I can have my supper”! Her inner clock is extremely accurate.

We return home and once again she is content to do her own thing until I have had my supper and again she will bring her favorite toy to the kitchen ready for another game of tug-of- war.

Back for the last stretch of my working day on the computer and she usually sleeps under my desk until I tell her it is bed time. She loves this because she races down the passage to the bedroom with another special toy and waits beside it for her two biscuits.

Zoe loves to go in the car and I just have to say the words shall we go in the car and she runs and sits beside the car door ready for me to put her harness on so she can sit on her specially covered part of the seat in the back, with a short leash attached to her harness and secured so in the event of sharp braking she cannot fall off the seat or be thrown around the car.

All in all the routine keeps both of us exercised, allows me to run my home business without unnecessary interruptions, Zoe is content and knows what the day holds for her, she rarely gets bored and she is a great companion.

It took time to get the routine established. When Zoe was still a puppy I played more frequently with her but for shorter periods of time. I took her to puppy school at a dog training center close by when she was 4 months old and continued training her at home. I stuck to the daily routine as rigidly as possible so now she knows exactly what the day holds for her and she is such a pleasure to have around.

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How To Stop Puppies Biting

We all know how puppies just love to bite! And… those little teeth are as sharp as needles!

Although they do it naturally, biting is something that puppies must be taught not to do very early on.

Puppy biting needs to be addressed while they are young because dog bites can lead to major problems including legal action.

Whilst it may seem fun and funny to have a puppy biting, once it grows up a full-grown dog can do a lot of damage if they are in the habit of biting, particularly to children.

You have no doubt already found out that dogs have immense strength in their jaws so it is easy to see how even a playful nip can do permanent damage to a child.

Normally, puppies are taught to control their biting (bite inhibition) by their mothers. But, in most cases, we get puppies as pets that have been taken from their mothers at a very young age before they have been taught by their mother and so it is up to us to take up this role and teach them as puppies not to bite.

If you allow your dog to socialize with other dogs from a young age they will quickly learn from their elders, provided they have been taught well, that the desire to bite needs to be controlled to avoid retaliation and an ensuing fight.

A dog will become less aggressive as they grow older and more pleasant to live with if the puppy is taught not to bite, either by interaction with other dogs or by its owner, at a very young age.

You could consider taking your puppy to a dog training school where it will be able to interact with other dogs and where it will quickly be corrected for any unacceptable behavior.

Within the first three months of their life puppies should generally learn to interact with other dogs.

There should be no delay in getting to work to solve this problem as the longer it is left the more difficult it becomes for your dog to socialize correctly and they can become dangerous later in life.

The sooner your puppy can learn correct behavior patterns the better they will be in the long term – just like children!!!.

Getting your puppy to behave correctly in the presence of other animals such as cats and any other pets that they might come in contact with during their life is also important.

You will find that pet stores and vets keep many items that are available that can give your puppy suitable satisfaction to bite and chew.

As long as action is taken early on your puppy will soon learn what is right and what is not right to bite.

Dog Quote:
To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
….Aldous Huxley

How To Stop That Dog From Whining

Do you also have a problem with a whining dog?

It is actually very common for people to have problems, particularly with puppies whining all day long. However, most puppies will outgrow this behavior.

Puppies generally whine for two reasons. Either they are looking for attention or they are anxious.

If a puppy wants attention, it will continue to whine if that attention attracts a reward.

Rather than giving a reward to stop it from whining, it is better just to give your dog attention in the form of eye contact, as a reward will only encourage it to whine all the more.

Ignoring the dog completely until the whining stops, no matter how long it takes, is often the best solution. Once the dog realizes that it is not getting the reward it expects from whining it will usually stop.

Another method you can use is to blow a whistle when your dog is whining and when it stops you stop. This method often works faster than simply ignoring it.

Being anxious is another reason why dogs whine. This occurs particularly when nobody is around and they experience separation anxiety. If you are unable to find somebody to be with the dog when you’re away, this can be more difficult to solve.

You need to start off by leaving your dog for short periods of time and then gradually increasing the time you are away. It can help if you leave the puppy with suitable toys to play with plus fresh water and food.

A further method to stop your dog from whining is to buy a clicker from a pet store and ignore the whining until it stops. When the dog stops whining, wait for a few seconds and then click the clicker, and then be sure to reward it in some manner.

It will not be long before your dog learns that the reward comes from it being silent.

Dog Quote:
My advice to any diplomat who wants to have good press is to have two or three kids and a dog.
….Carl Rowan

How To Leash Train A Puppy

Learning how to leash train a puppy is well worth the effort to be able to take the puppy out on a walk, even though it is not as easy as you might think it is! Puppies love being with their owner and you will enjoy being with your puppy! Both you and the puppy will benefit from the effort and the steps for leash training are easy to follow.

Before you start make sure to get the proper size collar and leash. You can ask a vet, the breeder or at the pet store. It is important that both the leash and collar should be a good fit for your puppy’s size. If the collar is too small you could hurt your puppy and if it is too big he will get it off.

Putting the collar on the pup is the first step you need to take to leash train a puppy. The pup will work hard at trying to get it off at first, but do not remove the collar any time that he is trying to get it off. This lets the pup know that the collar is something he will have to get used to. It will take a little while for him to get used to wearing it. Have him wear it several hours a day, but keep an eye on him so he doesn’t get it caught on something and hurt himself while he is trying to remove it.

Once he is accustomed to the collar, the next step in leash training a puppy is to attach the leash to the collar. Talk to your pup while you are doing it, let your puppy know you aren’t going to hurt him and be gentle and consistent.

At first the puppy will pull on the leash and you will have to resist pulling the puppy. Initially, do this in your home or your yard and leave the leash loose. Let the puppy pull the leash around the yard and play with it so he gets used to it.

You need to achieve a balance when you move on to walking the puppy with you holding one end of the leash. Don’t let the puppy pull you and do not pull the puppy around by the leash. Use your voice and talk to the puppy, let him know what you are doing. It takes time but he will get the hang of it.

Every walk will be a lesson in leash training for the both of you so it will be an ongoing learning process. Don’t let the puppy run off and do not tug on the leash. Use the tone of your voice and your body language.

Where the dog walks happily near to the owner is the ideal walking situation with the leash hanging a little slack between them. When the dog stops to investigate something that interests him, the owner stops too. When the owner wants to continue the walk, he doesn’t pull on the leash, he calls the dog with his voice. If the dog wants to go faster, he doesn’t pull on the leash he just walks a little ahead. That was the ideal situation of course, but you should have that some of the time, if not all the time!

Continue with consistent leash training and never forget to reward your puppy with attention and praise when he or she gets it right. When you have mastered how to leash train a puppy, your little dog will always walk with you instead of trying to take you for a walk!

Dog Quote:
Oh, that dog!
Ever hear of a German shepherd that bites its nails?
Barks with a lisp?
You say, “Attack!” And he has one.
All he does is piddle.
He’s nothing but a fur-covered kidney that barks.….Phillis Diller