Thursday, September 8, 2011

Puppy Training - Best Practices

The first few months of a puppy's life are extremely important. How the owner handles these few months will have a huge impact on the characteristic and behavioral development of the dog. Because our puppy is still young, it learns quickly. This is why we have to use this time to properly teach the puppy what is acceptable and what is not, how it should behave in certain situations etc. In this article I will give you some tips about the most important things that a puppy has to learn during its first few months that will determine not just the puppy's life, but its owner's as well.
The first thing a dog owner wants from a puppy is not to relieve himself inside their home. This is the first step in housebreaking a puppy. It is important for a dog owner to know how to house train a dog. Many people who lack this skill abandons their dogs eventually. This might take a while because we have to wait until the puppy is old enough to establish proper toilet habits. It's a good idea to confine the puppy to a designated area until we can start this aspect of house training. This does not mean that the puppy should be isolated. Remember that a dog is a social being and needs to be around people and other animals. There are great waterproof training pads available that we can put on the floor to minimize the mess a young puppy can make.
Once the puppy is older, we should observe its daily routine so we can predict when we will have to take the dog outside for a walk. Usually puppies will need to go outside in the morning, shortly after eating and drinking, after waking up from a nap or before night. We need to feed the puppy always the same time so we can establish their daily routine.
Never punish the puppy in case of an accident. Remember, it's not their fault. On the other hand, always praise the puppy when he uses his designated potty area.
Another important thing a young puppy must learn is not to jump on people. To prevent this, the puppy must be caught in the act. Don't punish the dog, just firmly tell him that it is not acceptable.
Socialization is another vital factor in the life of a puppy. If the dog is not well socialized during this time, it may become too shy or too aggressive later. The dog has to feel comfortable around people.
When teething, a puppy can cause a lot of damage in our home. While this is very annoying, and the owner can get angry easily, it is not the puppy's fault. We have to make sure that when we leave the puppy alone, he won't be able to get near any furniture or other objects that can be damaged with chewing. There are great toys for this purpose and we have to teach the dog to chew on them instead of furniture. Don't forget to praise the puppy when he chooses his toy to chew on.
While house training a puppy may sound overwhelming and complicated at first, it is important to master some puppy training skills because the time we devote to their training will pay off eventually. A well trained dog can become an important part of the family and will save a lot of trouble later.
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