- Housetraining – From day one, the key words are containment, both short-term and long-term, and reward opportunities. Confinement in a crate for night-time and in a small area during the day with an indoor sod tray or puppy pad is essential for errorless housetraining until your pup earns more space in your house. Ample opportunities for elimination with food rewards will have your dog looking forward to getting onto the leash to go to the chosen spot in your yard to eliminate and get a yummy treat.
- Handling and Good Manners at the Veterinarian and Groomer – Your pup should be handled often, starting at 4 weeks of age if that is possible. Visit your puppy frequently and get a head start on the human-animal bonding process with all the members of your family. If your puppy comes home at 8 weeks or later, handle, massage every inch of your puppy, and hold your puppy often. In addition to regular snuggling, pretend you and your pup are at the groomer or vet and practice puppy calmness while you examine toes, ears and mouth with your puppy standing safely on a raised surface.
- No Bite! - Start on day one to let your pup know in a dog-friendly way that puppy biting is not OK with you. Discontinue playing or handling your pup each and every time you feel teeth on your skin - draw away from your pup or put him on the floor immediately as you make a disappointed sound with your voice. Wait for five seconds, and then resume calm play and handling as if nothing had happened. Your dog will learn that everything, especially fun, stops if he bites!
- Socialization – Expose your dog to anything and everything you think he may experience later in life - 100 New Things in the First 100 days! Learning to be a social butterfly is the most important thing your dog will ever learn. Socialize early and frequently to all types of people, other dogs and moving objects. Ultra-socialize your puppy to children of all ages, men and strangers and with lots of other dogs of all shapes and sizes. Socialize to skateboards, bicycles and joggers and to all types of situations too.
- Appropriate Chew Toy Training – Chew items are your friends. Provide a nice variety of safe chew and food toys to help stop puppy biting, to save your furniture, and to teach your puppy self-calming and how to be happy on his own. Up to five months of age and perhaps for a lifetime, your dog will be hunting about for things to chew. Chewing dulls the pain of teething, keeps a pup busy and very importantly, it relieves stress. If you don’t give your puppy something to do, you can be certain, he will find something to do!
- Preventing Separation Anxiety – Dogs who develop too strong an attachment to their family, may quickly become insecure and possibly destructive when left alone. Leaving your puppy alone on a regular basis with a safe, yummy chew toy for short periods of time is necessary so that you will be able to leave your pup alone when you want to go out. The number one thing you can do to help your pup build confidence is to greet your dog in a very calm manner. It may be hard for you to save your effusive greetings until your pup calms herself down after an arrival home, but it will be well worth it in the long run.
- Insurance Against Resource and Food Guarding for Puppies – Hand feeding and training with treats helps develop positive associations with people and their hands. Showing your puppy that hands deliver good treats to eat, and that they don’t take away good things will help keep the hands/food association happy and strong. When you do need to take something from your puppy, it’s best to trade it for something better. If your adolescent or adult dog is already guarding objects, you may need the help of a professional.
- A Healthy Diet for Your Dog – Independent dog nutritionists agree that feeding a super-premium quality dog food on a rotating schedule will best provide your dog with what he needs to grow up happy and strong. Unfortunately, a high grade dog food may not be available at the typical grocery store no matter how healthy the name of the food sounds. Look for a meat that is named as the first ingredient and avoid by-products, fillers, sugar, artificial preservatives and coloring. You may want to add Vitamin, Mineral, Omega and probiotic supplements to strengthen the immune system. Rotate within and between super-premium brands, transitioning from one type to another and feed at least a little wet food each day if you choose a kibble diet. Feed your puppy 3x day until 4 months of age, then twice a day. Bison, duck, fish, venison and lamb are some new favorites!
- Wearing a Leash and Harness – The most puppy and dog-friendly leash-walking gear generally includes a flat collar and a harness. If your dog pulls, or barks and lunges at anything at all, a harness will distribute the force of the pull or lunge across the torso and protect delicate cervical vertebrae as well as tracheal, esophageal and other throat structures. Leash-walking training may then begin.
- Obedience Training - Formal training for you and your dog is recommended if you want to make the most productive use of your time and you want to be sure to get your puppy or new dog off on the right paw. Group or private training is available. The most highly respected dog professionals and veterinarians strongly advocate the use of the positive reinforcement method of training alone.
-Dynamite Dog Training.
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