Puppy Training 101: Tips for House Training Your New Puppy (An Easy How-To Guide)

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Are you ready to start Puppy Training? Appropriate training and socialization are among your puppy’s basic needs. It is critical to begin training your dog as early as possible.

At first, training your puppy can seem a bit frustrating, particularly if this is your first pooch. The truth is that puppy training is a huge project. If you exercise it step by step, you will find the task to be far less daunting.

When to Begin House Training Puppy

Specialists suggest that you start house training your puppy when they are between 12 and 16 weeks of age. At that age, they can control their bladder and bowel movements to learn to hold them.

If your pooch is older than 12 weeks when you bring them home, house training can take longer. You will have to improve the dog’s behavior— with praise and reward.

The Best Way to Train a Puppy

Puppies as young as 8 weeks of age have the capability to learn the fundamentals, but keep in mind: The younger the puppy, the smaller the attention span. Puppy training lessons must be short, enjoyable, and enriched with many play opportunities.

The effective method to train a puppy is to perform exercises when they are well-rested. Ensure they are ready to go but not over-excited, as it can be harder for them to focus. Before you start, take your pooch outside for a potty trip, and ensure to take them out right after you finish as well.

You’ll require a pocket filled with great puppy treats. Puppy training needs plenty of rewards, so pick something like Wellness Soft Puppy Bites, which are small but also delicious enough to maintain your puppy interested in the training game.

Basic puppy training should take place in a distraction-free, familiar environment. You and your dog will eventually move to working outside and in new areas, but the training first stages must be occurring in a subtle area to ensure that it’s easy for your dog to focus on you.

It’s also useful to have several puppy toys available to go so you and your pooch can take play breaks. A tug toy, like a ball for fetching, or the Charming Pet Magic Mats Unicorn plush dog toy are excellent choices that enable your canine to burn through some puppy excitement before it’s time to focus again.

Puppy Training: Basic Commands

The first phase of training includes basic commands since it is a foundation for every other type of training. Basic commands such as “come,” “sit,” “stay,” “lay down,” and “leave it” are essential behaviors to keep your dog happy and safe as he explores the world.

How to train your puppy to come when called

To train your puppy to come back to you, you should learn to be more interesting than the rest of the world!

This is an essential command to train your dog because it helps to keep him secure and implies he can benefit and enjoy from an exercise off the lead.

  1. It would help if you had a reward to motivate your puppy to come back – an enjoyable game with a toy or a yummy treat. Show your puppy the food or toy.
  2. Take a couple of paces, then call your pooch’s name and claim “come” in an exciting, friendly tone – getting down low may also encourage him to come back to you.
  3. As your puppy comes to you, gently hold his collar and let him have fun with the toy or feed him the reward.
  4. Slowly increase the distance you are from your puppy until you can finally call your dog from room to room.
  5. Ask a friend to gently hold your puppy’s collar whilst you walk a distance away and then call him to come to you.(Don’t forget the reward!) 
  6. Once your puppy is regularly coming to you when called, you can start to exercise in a safe outside environment. Lengthy training leads can be useful for exercising recall when outside as they permit your puppy some liberty without giving them total free-range at this phase.

How to train a dog to sit

Training your puppy to sit is an excellent command, to begin with, your training. It can be a beneficial behavior for him to learn.

For instance, teaching your pooch to sit when the doorbell rings mean he is less likely to jump up on visitors when the door opens, and asking your dog to sit at curbs can make crossing roads safer.

  1. With your puppy in a standing situation, keep a delicious treat near his nose.
  2. Holding the treat near your pooch’s nose, move your hand in an arc over his head. As the dog raises his head to follow the treat, his bottom will go on the floor. The moment he sits, reward him, and give him praise.
  3. Practice this several times in short but regular sessions.
  4. As the pet constantly gets a reward for sitting, you’ll soon see, he sits for longer. You can now add the command “sit” as he goes to sit. Be careful not to claim it before your puppy moves into position, or he might connect it with the incorrect movement.
  5. Practice this several times in short but regular sessions.

How to train a dog to lie down

When your pooch has learned ‘sit,’ it’s time to train him to lie down.

This is a helpful behavior when you need your puppy to settle on the floor, either at home or out and about.

With a treat in your hand and your puppy in a sitting position, move your hand from your pet’s nose in the direction of their chest, then right down towards the floor. Training your canine to lie down in 5 simple steps:

  1. Your pooch must follow the treat into a lying down position. Praise him and reward him with the treat immediately.
  2. Practice this several times in short but regular sessions.
  3. When your puppy is regularly following the treat into a lying down position, you can begin to say the command ‘down’ just as your pooch is getting into the down position.
  4. Practice this several times in short but regular sessions.
  5. While your puppy is lying down, offer him treats; this will increase the time he spends lying down.

How to train a dog to stay

Training your pooch to ‘stay’ or ‘wait’ is an easy command to teach and can help keep your puppy safe, for instance, asking your canine to stay in the back of the car while you clip a lead on to their collar. 

You will want your pooch to be well-trained at “lying down” on command before moving on to ‘stay.’ 

This is our 6 steps on how to train a puppy to stay using a positive reward system.

  1. Command your puppy to lay down.
  2. Give your puppy a hand signal – for example, a ‘stop’ sign.
  3. Rather than giving your pooch the treat immediately, wait a couple of secs. Say ‘stay’ and afterward reward. It’s essential to reward your puppy while lying down and not if he has back up.
  4. Practice this several times in short but regular sessions, progressively increasing the length of time your puppy stays in the down position.
  5. Next, you can begin to extend the distance between you and your pet. Start by just taking one step back before giving him the treat and then progressively and slowly increase the distance.
  6. Exercise in various locations – outside the house, in the garden.

How to train your puppy to leave it

Some canines can see it as threatening and distressing when we take something away from them, particularly something they value, like toys or food.

Sometimes as dog parents, we want to take things away from them, for example, when they are having fun with your favorite scarf instead of a toy or when they’ve picked up something dangerous.

Training your puppy to ‘leave’ is about educating him that it’s OK to take things away from him because it means he’ll be rewarded.

  1. Give your puppy a yummy treat and encourage him to “take it” in a friendly voice.
  2. Take a treat in your hand and make a fist. – Your pooch will most likely try to lick and nudge your hand with his nose to get the treat out – don’t react to any of these attempts.
  3. Wait calmly and patiently. Wait for your puppy to back-off from your hand, even just momentarily. As quickly as they back-off and there is a little gap between your pet’s nose and your hand, open your hand, release the reward and offer him plenty of praise.
  4. Practice these three steps until he constantly chooses to move away from the reward. 
  5. Once your pooch is continually moving away from the reward, you can start to include the command ‘leave.’ Claim this as he back off in a mild tone and then open your hand to offer the treat and plenty of praise.
  6. Practice this several times in short but regular sessions.

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Crate Training a Puppy

Training your puppy to love his crate is among the essential early lessons he’ll learn in his new home. Puppy crates use dog denning instincts, and because dogs seldom soil where they sleep, the crate will serve to speed the potty training process.

Set up your crate properly

Picking the perfect crate for your pooch is essential. The size needs to be big enough to ensure that your puppy can turn around and lie down conveniently but not so large that he can sleep in one corner and potty in the other. Keep the crate in a common area in your home, not the garage or basement, so your dog doesn’t see going into the crate as banishment.

Use puppy treats

To start crate training your puppy:

  1. Introduce the crate by placing treats inside and leaving the door open for your pooch to explore.
  2. Let your puppy explore the crate without closing the door, and give him some more treats for resting inside.
  3. Continue this initial process in several short sessions until your dog goes into his crate without hesitating.

Feed meals in the crate

Once your puppy is successfully going into the crate, start feeding him his regular meals inside of it. Close the door while your pooch eats, then wait a couple of mins after he finishes before you open the door.

Try interactive dog toys

One more method to speed up the acclimation process is to leave the crate door open and use a strong rope that your pooch can’t destroy to link a puppy-safe interactive toy inside the crate.

Offering your puppy a treat-stuffed activity toy within will certainly help your puppy find out that good things happen in the crate!

Gradually, work up to offering your dog a busy toy in the crate and closing the door for 10 minutes. Stay near where your puppy is crated initially, but slowly work up to leaving your canine alone while he is crated. Slowly add more time to your puppy’s crated periods until he enjoys to hang out inside while you’re not there.

Don’t over-crate

Remember that over-crating your puppy can cause him to soil it, which will hinder your progress and make you feel hopeless. You can determine your dog’s safe “hold time” by converting her age in months to hrs; this means that a 12-week old pup can be crated for about three hours and maybe a little longer at night.

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How to Leash Train a Puppy

Leash training can be challenging, but it’s an essential skill if you and your puppy are to enjoy strolls and journeys together. It’s additionally a skill you ought to begin exercising as quickly as you bring home your new puppy.

Get him used to a leash and collar

Allow your puppy to get used to a collar and leash before trying to walk him. Allow him to drag the leash around your home attached to his collar. You want your pooch to be comfortable with the leash, not terrified of it.

Have short training sessions in familiar places

Your puppy has a brief attention span, so don’t anticipate keeping his focus in training for long. Start with simply a walk around your home, an area where he is already familiar with the scents. 

By doing this, your pooch won’t try to pull you in a dozen directions to scent exciting new smells.

Praise good behavior

When your puppy is walking alongside you on a loose leash, reward him with the tasty treat and heap on the praise. Never pull your pooch along. If he refuses to leave a place, pulling on the lead can hurt him. Rather, focus on praising him for coming when you call him to keep walking along.

If your pooch is especially persistent, you may need to redirect his focus back to the walk and away from the thing with all the scents.

Keep a short leash

While this is usually viewed as a negative to humans, keeping your puppy on a short leash is vital to puppy leash training success. 

The less place your canine has to stray away from your side, the simpler it is for him to get to walk alongside you. 

As he begins to get the hang of things, you can loosen the lead slightly, either by providing some slack from your hands or with a retractable leash.

Keep him at your side

Like a short leash, walking with your pooch alongside rather than in front of you enables you to control his direction. When puppies are permitted to walk out behind or in front, they try to wander off and sniff whatever. This will additionally help avoid the leash from becoming tangled as your dog moves. 

You can also begin to be more tolerant with him as he becomes more skilled, but it’s most helpful to have him close while still a pup. Keep in mind canines are pack pets. If he views you as the pack leader, he will ultimately fall in line and become an excellent walking partner.

Give him time to do his business

For lots of dogs, a great long walk is an opportunity for him to relieve himself. However, dogs normally tend to mark their territory, so they might intend to smell around to find the perfect area. If you see that your dog wants to relieve himself, you can stop walking and allow him more leash to discover and do his business.

Once he is done, make sure to reward him with treats or give him plenty of praise (besides, you’re likely doing potty training at this time too). One point to remember is that dogs don’t regularly evacuate their bladder at once, so some canines might search for several places to pee.

It is crucial that you reward him just the first time, or else he will begin to get positive connections with marking several times. This causes a much more challenging walk. When he learns he gets the one possibility to relieve himself, he will begin to walk better.

Find a pace

Pets are normally curious, so dogs tend to need to hurry to specific places on your walk or stick around in their favorite places. It’s essential to choose a pace that is suitable for both of you. 

You never want him to pull or drag, as this is where injuries can happen. If you see your dog struggling to maintain a certain rate, stay and wait for him to come back to you and afterward reestablish the suitable pace.

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Potty Training a Puppy

The first thing most pet parents want their new puppy to discover is where to potty. And while the crate is a handy tool for the potty training process, there’s more to it! Helping your dog to learn to potty outside needs good timing, supervision, and patience.

Maintain a routine

It helps maintain your puppy on a daily schedule that includes potty breaks, mealtimes, crating, and playtime. Puppies crave predictability, so staying with a routine that includes everything from playtime to sleep will help your puppy expect what happens next. 

Your pup’s daily routine ought to add potty trips outside about 15– 20 mins after meals, after waking from sleep, and after and before crating.

Supervision is key during potty training

Accidents may happen when puppies roam around the house without supervision, so think to crate your puppy when you can’t supervise them and use pet gates, such as the Pet Parade pet gate when you hang out together inside. 

You can gradually start to give your pup more household access once he is constantly informing you when he needs to go out, and he has been accident-free for at least a month. (Remember that it can take your pooch up to 6 months to be completely housetrained.)

Understand your puppy’s body language

An essential but usually overlooked action in the potty training process is learning your dog’s early “gotta go” signals. By the time your puppy is sniffing and circling– a warning most dog parents recognize as a potty sign– it’s possibly too late to take your puppy outside before an accident takes place. 

Every puppy will have a body signal that indicates the necessity to go before it becomes crucial, like attempting to leave the room and acting distracted. Detecting those signs will allow you to take your pooch outside well before it’s go-time.

Use triggers and treats

Once outside with your pooch, take him to a familiar area and wait for him to discover the best potty spot. When he is finished, immediately reward him(do not wait until you’re back within!)with a small tasty treat and plenty of praise for a job properly done.

You can additionally train your puppy a potty command that will at some point work as a potty “trigger;” say something like “hurry up” as your pup eliminates. With sufficient repetitions, your dog will link the command with the act of eliminating, which can help you cue him throughout harsh weather conditions.

Never punish your puppy

Ultimately, keep in mind that accidents happen. Don’t punish your pooch for making a mistake in your house, as it doesn’t teach your dog what he should do and can ruin your growing bond.

Rather, attempt to interrupt your puppy and take him outside to complete the job. If it’s too late, use a good smell eliminator and oath to be a good supervisor in the future!

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How To Socialize a Puppy

There are several elements your puppy won’t be used to yet, such as noise, other pets, and children. Socializing your puppy early can help him adapt to the human environment. Well-socialized dogs are much less likely to develop behavioral issues, and proper socialization can help avoid anxieties and fears in the future. Don’t EVER say/think it’s funny to chase him with the vacuum cleaner.

It would help if you introduced your puppy to as many social circumstances and different people as possible. Expose him gradually to crowds of people and traffic noise and let your puppy discover large objects fall or move.

Before introducing your puppy to other pets, possibly with puppy training classes, ensure he has had his vaccinations and has completed his parasite control (especially deworming). Keep your pooch at a safe distance from other animals, and don’t force them together. Whatever the circumstance, constantly reward your puppy when he continued to be calm.

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Advanced Puppy Training

Once your pooch has learned all the basics, you can think about moving on to more advanced skills. These exercises will help maintain your dog fit, active, and mentally stimulated. And also, they will help reinforce the bond you share with your dog.

Keep in mind that puppy training is a continuing process. You will never be finished. It is essential to keep working on obedience training during the life of your pooch. People who study a language at an early age but stop speaking that language may forget a lot of it as they grow older. 

The same goes for your canine: use it or lose it. Working through even the most basic commands and tricks will help them stay fresh in your dog’s mind. And also, it’s an excellent way to spend time with your canine companion.

Puppy training is great fun and rewarding for both of you. As long as you stay calm and give yourself enough time, it will be a wonderful experience you will remember for the rest of your life.

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