When deciding on getting a new puppy there are so many things you need to prepare for and even some basic training is required. This may include things like; toilet training, feeding, walking and commands. So, I will be talking on these topics today enlighten you and giving some helpful hints/tips along the way. Your starting from the beginning with the new little ones, yes, they may have some small things taught by their mother but will need additional training in order to become the mature pet.
Puppies from the age 8 weeks of age leave their mothers to come and reside at your home forever, this is when you can start simple training with them. The one thing I always say to new owners with puppies is to keep the training sessions short and simple, around 5 to 10 minutes. Remember, they are still young, processing a lot of new information with new surroundings and people. Another helpful tip, is always by ending your training sessions on a positive note and you can do that by ending on something they already know how to do.
Positive reinforcement is a term used frequently in this industry, which means a process of giving a reward to encourage the behaviour you want to see in the individual/animal. The idea behind this is not to bribe but use something that they value which can include; food, pats, word praise, toys and even walks. I know it’s hard to say don’t yell or use punishments when bad behaviour is shown but it can cause them to become confused and unsure what is being asked of them.
House training has many things involved when bringing home your new baby. Keep them confined to small areas (1 or 2 rooms or where the family spends most their time) of the house at first until you have the potty training down pat. When it comes to feeding your puppies, try to stick to a schedule as this will allow you to monitor them. Crate training is also an option; it is when no-one is around to supervise them, a dog’s sanctuary to say the least. It also is to provide a confinement for reasons of safety, security, house training, prevention of destructive behaviour and even travel. (I will further discuss this topic as this is also quite a lot of information in regard to this topic- also helpful hints)
Always, take them out after they have eaten, had something to drink, have awoken from a nap and simply take them outside every 20-30 minutes for a toilet break. Once they go to the toilet outside, make it big a deal, use praising words “good dog, yes” and even pat/treat them too. If you happen to see the puppy going around in circles and sniffing indoors that is a very strong sign they need to go outside to the toilet. Avoid scolding and cleaning up messes when they are in the same room, don’t use bleach as this tends to stimulate their interest even more.
There are many commands that you can teach your new fury friend, but the starter ones include; sit, come, loose leash walking and lay down. I will go further into detail in my next post as it can be quite daunting, in my puppy-preschool we learn these over 4 weeks amongst other things. Puppy Pre-school classes are very helpful as you have continued support, we are there to answer all your weird wonderful questions, to be able to socialise your puppies and much more.
That’s a just a small introduction in puppy training as there is so much information on offer including so many helpful tips along the way. Don’t worry, I will dive deeper into some of the above things mentioned above in the next coming weeks.
I don’t want to overload you with too much, so I keep things short and simple so your brain can retain these very informative articles. Just a reminder I love writing these for my readers because I love to teach and give you easy tips to follow to make things easier for you at home with your fur kids.
Regards Brooke’s Inspired Pet Services
