How To Start Training Your Puppy

Puppies are always learning new things, whether from their environment, interactions with people and other animals, or rigorous training.

This creates a fundamental foundation that will get them ready for adulthood. By obtaining the proper socialization and basic puppy training, puppies can grow into confident adult dogs.

If you follow this step-by-step guide to training your puppy, both you and the puppy can set success.

When can you start training your puppy?

When you first bring your puppy home—typically at around eight weeks old—you must immediately start training them. They are still young enough to learn basic cues like sit, stay, and come during puppy training.

Tips for Training Your Puppy

Take into account these basic puppy-training ideas to get you started.

Positive Punishment is used.

You may have heard of or even seen a dog trainer working with a young puppy utilizing various training methods. The use of positive reinforcement is the only acceptable training method that is supported by research, though.

Positive reinforcement refers to the reward of rewarding conduct that is desired. Avoid using harsh corrections, corrective equipment like shock, choke, and prong collars, and dominance-based handling techniques as Punishment since they can have long-term impacts that cause your dog to experience various sorts of dread and anxiety as an adult dog.

Before you do this, find out which rewards your puppy enjoys the most. Some puppies may find something as simple as a piece of their usual kibble exciting enough to learn with, while others may want something better, like a specialized training treat.

Then there are the puppies, who have no interest in feeding at all! Find those puppies a toy they enjoy and can only get for good behaviour. Praise is another effective way to reinforce a puppy positively. Essential praise, exclamations of delight, and “great work!” may be all that’s necessary for puppy training.

Reduce the training of your training

Keep your training sessions for an essential cue brief (5 minutes or less each), and try to spend a total of 15 minutes per day on average. Puppies require a happy conclusion because they have short attention spans, which makes them hungry for the next lesson.

Be consistent when training your puppy.

It’s essential to apply cues and training consistently. Use the exact phrase or hand signal while teaching your basic puppy cues like sit, stay, and come.

It’s also important to consistently reward desired behaviour, even when it’s not feasible. Therefore, stop what you’re doing, let your puppy out, and give them a treat if they are at the door and need to go outside.

Practice in a Range of Environments

Training a puppy in its natural environment is significantly different than taking it to a new location and having it wait for a cue, like a park or a beach. This is because kids may encounter various sights and odours outside the home.

Practice in various settings to give your dog the confidence they need to set any situation. Please remember that puppies shouldn’t travel to areas with plenty of dogs until they have finished their puppy vaccination series!

Be tenacious

Puppies grow and learn as they go, just like young children do. They make mistakes and occasionally won’t produce what you’ve asked for.

Be patient and try not to lose patience because every puppy learns at a different rate. You can make your puppy feel at ease by maintaining a routine for feeding, bathroom breaks, naps, and playtime. A safe puppy is more eager and ready to learn things.

Basic Puppy Training Schedule

So when should your dog teach the different cues? When does housetraining start? You can train your puppy using the following schedule.

7 to 8 weeks old

Basic cues (Sit, Stay, Come)

You can start employing basic cues as early as seven weeks old:

• Say a row once, such as “sit.”
• Reward your dog for sitting by giving him a treat.
• Once sitting, give your puppy a treat and some love as a reward.

Leash training

You can start indoor leash training at this age. Because they haven’t yet had all of their vaccinations, puppies shouldn’t be walking where other dogs are.

To start with, give them brief bursts of time wearing the collar or leash while rewarding them with snacks. Increase this time frame gradually. You can walk around the house on a leash unhindered once your puppy learns how to approach you. You can start training your puppy outside as soon as it has finished all of its vaccinations.

Basic Handling

Prepare your puppy for handling. Please reward them with a light rub on their ears and paws. This will make their nervousness as they become older during veterinary visits and nail trimmings and help them get used to having certain parts touched!

8–10 weeks old

Crate training

Your puppy should view their crate as a safe and peaceful place. Start by locking them in their crate for 10-minute periods when they are quiet and relaxed. Reward them for going into their crate. You can even feed them inside their crate to create a positive environment.

10-15 weeks

Eliminating the Bite

Puppies start to chew items at this age. They learn about the world by putting things in their mouths, but teaching them not to bite their hands or ankles is essential. When they start biting you, please encourage them to chew something more acceptable, like a toy.

12–16 weeks

Bathroom training

Maintaining a routine is essential for potty training. Make sure to take your puppy outside before meals, during playtime, and after naps. By this time, they must have mastered bladder control to learn how to hold it. Give your puppy a treat every time they relieve themselves outside.

Six months old

By the point puppies reach this stage, adolescence is the stage at which training is the most difficult to start. This makes it essential to start training them when they are young. At this point, you should continue training them so they may hone their skills in more distracting public settings, such as dog parks.