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Top Lessons to Teach Your Puppy

Adding a new puppy to the home is an exciting time for the entire family.  You have the puppy crate ready, the puppy bed, puppy food, leash, toys, but are you ready to teach your puppy the essentials to healthy living through necessary commands?  It can be a bit tricky if you are a first time dog owner.  But it is not difficult.  All you need is love, positive reinforcement, and guidance from a professional.

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.

How to Feed Your Puppy-Part #2

In yesterday’s blog, we talked about the dos and don’ts of how to feed a puppy.  Today we shall continue that discussion and give you further tips to provide your puppy with a strong foundation to grow up and be a healthy adult dog.

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.

Ways to Build Puppy Confidence

A puppy has a lot to learn about the world and some things may seem scary at first.  But after overcoming different tasks, a puppy’s assurance soars.  Here are a few ways to help your puppy increase self-esteem in a positive manner.

Try Obstacle Courses

Puppies love to play and have lots of energy to expend.  Thus, obstacle courses are a great way to combine both and assemble a strong character along the way.  For when a puppy accomplishes the task of walking up a ramp, going through a tunnel or proceeding downhill then it boosts inner strength. It shows the puppy not to be afraid of something and that the pup can accomplish a task that seems overwhelming at first, but is a cinch to accomplish.  When you go through these little tasks, provide lots of praise.  Make a game out of it.  Provide rewards and keep the mood positive.  Your dog will be running through the obstacle course in no time.

Socialize with Others

The sooner your pup is able to socialize, the better for your dog’s demeanor.  Introduce your canine to other puppies on the same level.  Also, if you have visitors that come on a regular basis, such as a delivery representative or your mother, then have your dog become familiar with that person.  It helps your dog grow to be social and not aggressive.

For more tips on how to build your dog’s confidence at a young age, check out puppy kindergarten or puppy preschool classes today.  The instructor will be able to provide you with additional ideas and positive methods.

Training a Puppy to Walk on a Leash

puppy-on-leash-trainingTeaching a puppy to walk on a leash is not that difficult.  It just takes patience and lots or persistence.  If you teach your puppy how to walk properly on a leash from a young age, then it will keep your dog safe while on walks and makes it an enjoyable experience for the both of you to share.

Familiarize Your Puppy to Wearing a Collar

A puppy has no clue regarding the correct way to respond to a collar.  Thus, introduce the idea of wearing a collar from the very beginning.  A good way to do this is while the puppy is eating, slide a collar on.  The puppy will be distracted making this an ideal time.  Once the puppy does realize what you have done, it will probably try to rub it off by sliding itself against the floor or scratch it off.  It is important not to take it off.  It needs to get used to the idea of a collar on so it becomes second nature.

Introduce the Leash

Once your puppy is comfortable and happy wearing a collar, then it is time to clip on a leash.  It is not necessary to use a heavy-duty leash on your puppy at this time.  Choose a lightweight, thin leash.  And once the leash is clipped on allow the puppy to walk around with it.  As a result, the puppy will be accommodating when it is time to put on the leash later.

These are only the first steps to teaching a puppy to walk on a leash.  To find out how to implement the rest just check out a puppy preschool or a puppy kindergarten near you.