PUPPIES
"When is the best age to begin training a new puppy?" My answer is always, "From the moment your pup first comes into his new home!"
Daily tips to help you begin working with your pup from the moment you bring him home:
- Offer lots of praise and encouragement when your pup shows appropriate behaviors.
- When working on a particular skill or playing with your pup, keep each session short. Puppies have a VERY limited attention span. Short sessions that end with your pup still wanting to engage helps to encourage positive future interactions with your pup.
- Set your puppy up for success. Request behaviors from your pup when you are reasonably assured the behavior will occur. If your pup is interacting with a butterfly or chasing a leaf, it's probably better to wait till he is focused on you than to request a behavior when he is otherwise engaged.
- Monopolize on a puppy's natural instinct to focus on you. Take several walks throughout the day around your property, allowing your pup to just follow you. During these walks it's important to allow your pup time to investigate his new surroundings and be a dog.
- When your dog begins to run toward you, call him and offer lots of praise when he arrives. Sort high-pitched sounds, clapping and stepping backward are three tips which typically encourages your dog to come to you.
- Manage your pup's access to areas in within your home until he can be trusted to exhibit the behavior you want.
- Every day be consistent with the rules, expectations and messages that you send to your pup.
Have fun, be patient and most of all enjoy the journey. Raising a puppy or adopting a new dog is about the ride not the destination.
