Your new puppy has just been taken away from his mother and littermates. You may want to spread paper on the floor and put her food and water bowls in one corner. Scatter some toys around everywhere.

Prior to introducing a new puppy to your home, make sure to puppy proof it. Take an in-depth look at your home from the puppy’s viewpoint. As you move things out of reach, remember it is only for a short period of time. By removing these objects of curiosity from the start, it will allow you to work with your puppy on the basic training he will need to learn. Once your new puppy has learned his place, you can put your things back in their original spots.

As much as you want your new puppy to be a functioning asset in the house hold, remember that your puppy is still an animal. Puppies are product to their environment. The main instinct of dogs is to live in a pack. Your puppy will assume his new family is his pack. If your pup gets the sense that he is his own boss and can do whatever he wants, he is being taught he is the leader of the pack.

When first introduced your puppy to a crate, don’t just put him inside and lock the door. Try placing the crate in a room where the family commonly gathers. With close proximity of the crate with family, the puppy will feel he is still with the pack. Keep the crate in a place where it will stay, and simply keep the door open during the day. Most puppies are very curious, so generally they will walk inside. Others may be a little more shy with the crate, so give your pup some time to warm up to his crate. When he does begin to enter the crate, make sure to praise him. Try giving the crate a name. Repeat the crates name whenever your pup goes inside, and then give him a tasty treat.

Potty Training

It seems that all people should know to teach their dogs to go to the bathroom outside, but it is equally important for you to teach them to alert you when they have to go.  Unless you have a doggy door, you need to know when they have to go or you’ll end up with a soggy carpet, and that doesn’t smell so good.

Stop and Stay

Training your dog to stop and stay is very important when considering dangerous situations and manners around others.  If your dog runs off when you open the door or if they get off their leash, you need to have the control of making them stop and stay.  This also comes in handy when you have guests over and your puppy is pestering them.

NO jumping

Jumping may be adorable when they are puppies, but you don’t want your full grown dog jumping on children or elderly friends, so break the habit!

Puppy Socialization

Let your puppy be friendly and be around other animals, but know when to limit them.  It is fine to let your dog play with other kitties or dogs, but don’t let them start chasing, biting, or harassing the other animal. Don’t eliminate dog play, just watch over how your puppy acts around other dogs.  Basically, teach them their limits of puppy socialization in order to be polite around others.

Dominance

Many dogs mistakenly believe they are the alpha of the house and take over the space as their territory.  This is a horrible thing to let your dogs do.  Letting them think that they are in charge will make them lash out and become violent in situations that are not appropriate.  If your dog starts growling at you as a puppy, it is a good idea to take them to a dog obedience class.  One of my puppies used to growl, and a good way to show them that you are in charge is to simply flip them onto their back.  We repeatedly flipped him on his back whenever he acted out, and now he is now the nicest family dog you could ask for!  Doing this a few times will send the message that you’re the boss.

If you have any questions about puppy training, ask, message, or call our Florida dog training center.

Enhance the Relationship between You and Your Dog

The holidays are hectic.  There are family gatherings, big events, holiday parties and endless moments to share with the entire family.  I do not recommend adopting a dog during this time. It is a tough time to make a dog feel at ease.  A dog needs structure and a regular schedule.  It is nearly impossible to meet these basic requirements when your own schedule is unbalanced for the duration of the holiday season.  However, I do recognize that some people choose to adopt during this time despite expert advice against it.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind on why dog training is important to building a positive relationship between you and your new pet, and what each training session means.

What is Puppy Preschool?

Puppy preschool is a class designed to teach socialization skills.  It uses confidence- building exercises to ensure your puppy is comfortable meeting other dogs and playing with them.  It also covers basic house manners.  This varies from how to walk on a leash without tugging to discouraging biting.  Additionally, the class teaches puppies the “leave it” command.   This is a great time to start building that incredible, loving, strong relationship between you and your new puppy.  It is the foundation of what is to come.

Who is Suitable for K9 Obedience classes?

A six week K9 obedience course covers a wide array of topics, including how to greet guests politely, the “come” command, “lie down”, and how to walk on a loose leash.  It is open to dogs of all ages.  The only requirement is to be positive throughout the experience.  The more you interact with your new dog, the greater the relationship becomes.  These classes are just as much for you as it is for your pup.

To find out more about how dog training enhances the relationship between dog and dog owner, talk to a Florida dog training expert today!

Routine is Key

I have talked about routine in prior posts.  I mentioned how routine is necessary for playtime, feeding, and sleeping.  A dog becomes accustom to routine and needs it to live a happy and healthy life, but it does not stop there.  Routine is also key when it comes to house training.

Choose a specific time every day to take your puppy outside.  With young smaller breeds this could be as often as every four hours.  With large and older pups, it may be every six hours.  Do your homework to make sure the time chosen is suitable for your dog.

Once outside, show your dog the area designated for house training.  Wait a few minutes.  Allow your dog to explore the area.  After your dog expels of any waste in the targeted area, take your dog away from it to play.  When it is time to go again, take your dog back to the same spot.  Eventually, your dog will correlate the selected location with going to the bathroom.  Over time, your dog will automatically go to that area whenever he/she needs to go.

To learn more housetraining tips, enroll in our puppy preschool classes today!

Adopt from Shelter or Breeder

Adopting from a shelter is the way to go.  Check out your local animal shelter and see what breed dogs are up for adoption.  There are many dogs in need of homes living in shelters and rescue organizations.  If you are unfamiliar with shelters in your area, talk to a Florida dog training professional.  He/she will be able to guide you in the right direction.

What Type of Dog Breed

Examine your lifestyle.  Are you an outdoorsy person or a couch potato?  Do you want a companion to run with on a daily basis or a lap dog?  What is the size of your living space?  Would it be more suitable for a large or small canine?  You need to answer these questions prior to adopting a dog.

When to Start Dog Training

Your new pet needs to start training immediately.  It is healthy for your dog to learn socialization skills.  If your dog is a puppy, then enroll in puppy preschool classes.  You need to find the right training class depending on the age of your canine.  Using positive reinforcement is also a way to build a loving, strong bond with your dog.

To find out more tips about what to do if you are a first time dog owner, talk to a k9 obedience instructor today.

What to Do When Someone Enters

Does your puppy jump on visitors upon arrival?  It is a common trait amongst puppies, but this habit can be changed.

First, keep treats by the door.  Put these somewhere out of your puppy’s reach.  Then, whenever the doorbell rings or someone knocks implement the “sit” and “stay” commands.  Use the treats to reward your pup for sitting still and listening.  If your pup starts to stir, just give your pup a look.  Your dog will understand what it means.  Remember to never yell at your puppy.   Yelling doesn’t work on dogs.  It just confuses your pet.

What to Do When YOU Enter

How do you enter the house after a long day at work?  Do you call for your puppy in an excited voice?  Your actions have a direct impact on your puppy’s behavior.

For instance, if your pup is jumping when you open the door, and you are petting your pup at the same time, then this translates to your pet that the jumping action is rewarded.  The pup jumps, your puppy gets attention.  Instead, teach your puppy to be calm when you come home.  This will stop the jumping habit from escalating out of control.

For more advice about how to use positive reinforcement methods with puppies, talk to a puppy kindergarten instructor or enroll in puppy preschool today.

To get you started in the right direction, here are a few standard lessons that will enhance your puppy’s development into a healthy dog, and improve the bond shared between the two of you.  There are more lessons then what is covered, but at the least, this will give you a starting checkpoint.  To find out specifics, talk to a Florida puppy training instructor or a puppy kindergarten instructor today.

Teach Your Puppy Basic Training

Every puppy should learn to sit, down, stay and wait.  It will keep your puppy healthy and away from danger when need-be.  For instance, if you and your puppy are on a walk and traffic crosses your paths without warning, then tell your pup to stay via the stay command.  It will keep your pup from running out into the traffic causing fatal injuries.  It keeps your pup out of harm’s way.

Teach Your Pup Not to Nip or Mouth

Puppies tend to nip and mouth when starting.  You need to teach your puppy that it is not desirable behavior through applying positive reinforcement.  You do not want your puppy to grow into a dog that bites even during playtime, and that is occurs without this lesson taught from the beginning.

These are only two basics of puppy training.  There is much more to learn.  Talk to a Florida dog obedience instructor today.

When puppies reach three or four weeks old, they start to eat puppy food.  And the first time they see it, do not be surprised if they solely play around with it.  Puppies are not used to getting their food in such a manner.  Do not fret.  It does not take long for a puppy to understand the food is there to eat not to play around with.  Just allow your puppy time to figure it out.  Keep in mind, by the time a puppy reaches around eight weeks old, then dry puppy food should be eaten on a regular basis.

For medium, large and giant breed puppies, the food should be administered in a portion control technique.  It helps keep a puppy’s weight at a healthy number.  For if puppies develop too quickly then there are issues with growth spurts.  Too many calories taken cause a puppy to grow too quickly and develop bone growth issues.  However, if you notice any issues with your puppy be sure to consult with a veterinarian.

To find out more about how, when and what to feed your puppy and other puppy care tips, enroll in a puppy kindergarten or puppy preschool class today.  Florida dog training experts are here to help.

When puppy newborns arrive, it is important to keep the puppy with the mom.  The puppy, for the first four weeks, receives complete nutrition from a mother’s milk.  Thus, you want to keep the two together until the puppy has passed this stage.  And do not make any food substitutions for the mother’s milk.  It is a necessity for the puppy to grow up strong and healthy.  It is the foundation of the puppy’s entire life.

Next thing to pay attention to is that puppies expand much energy.  It takes a lot for the little one to move around.  So you need to feed your puppy lots of protein for this is what allows your puppy to have the energy to move about in a fit manner.  You need to check with a Florida dog obedience professional regarding the requirement for specific breeds, but for the most part, you need to feed your puppy food that contains twenty-five to thirty percent protein.

These are basic feeding tips for your puppy.  To find out more enroll in a puppy preschool or puppy kindergarten class today.

Puppies need nail trimming, grooming, shots, and training.  And sometimes these tasks are not always completed by you.  There are professionals who handle these duties with ease.  But if your puppy is not common to new environments and other people, then your canine could react in a negative manner to these fresh elements.  Socialization is a means of making certain that nothing bad occurs when placed in an unfamiliar setting.

Why Puppy Socialization is Essential

The more exposure your pup has to various environments, the easier it will be for your pup to remain calm or at ease during hectic situations.  For instance, let us say you are taking your dog out for a walk.  Along the sidewalk there is construction unfolding with jackhammers, traffic build-up, loud noises, lots of people and pedestrian congestion.  But you need to give your dog’s daily exercise.  You are not going to turn around and go back home.  If your dog has a certain level of socialization experience, then it will not be a problem. Your dog will adapt by ignoring these factors regardless of the sound level.  If your dog is not able to adapt to the situation, then your dog may react with undesirable behavior.  It could lead to aggressive interactions, fear, insecurities, and the desire to runaway.

Avoid any negative situation from unfolding by properly socializing your pup to a wide array of people and settings.

Learn Socialization in Puppy Classes

To find out more about your puppy’s needs, enroll in a puppy kindergarten or puppy preschool today.  An expert will be able to guide you on socialization and other necessary elements for proper puppy training.