Does anyone have useful and basic puppy training tips?

12 Comments

1. I hate zombies says:

   June 2, 2010 at 12:49 am

   oh you did?…..well i hope your happy, cuz now your going to hell! thats right! the lord jesus christ himself said it was a sin to own pets, you have fallen from the grace of the lord! you need to get your head checked and pick up a bible…hurry you still have time!
2. chickenwaterboy says:

   June 2, 2010 at 1:38 am

   I dont my dog always bites people and I think it’s my fault.. I dropped him as a puppy, but I guess what you should do is not bother him or her and make him meet new people. I havent trained the dog but we got him to do tricks because we tried to stop him from doing things. We built a wall between the 1st and 2nd floor and the dog kept on jumping over it so he became really good at jumping and w/e we have things they like, like food or going outside they know the terms for it cuz we constantly repeated it.
3. Anna L says:

   June 2, 2010 at 2:19 am

   Consistency is the most important factor. For house breaking, I would recommend setting a timer at first for 30 minute intervals, then taking him outside when it goes off, gradually increase it to an hour. When he starts to get the idea, we taught out dogs to ask to go out by hitting their paw against a little bell hung on the door frame. Now they ring it when they need out. (they do tend to take advantage of it though, lol)
   There are a lot of books that will be more helpful than anyone on here can be, though. Good luck!
4. Jenny from the block :) says:

   June 2, 2010 at 2:35 am

   get a piece of treat he likes then make him sniff the treat if he goes exited say sit with the fingers going down to sit then he will stay still push his but down slightly and say good boy and rub his head(give him a piece of small treat then you repeadingly do that same thing with the others and if you want him to walk woth you with no leash just carry around a bag of treats and let him sniff each day and soon you don’t have to bring it you say good dog and he will get pleased (a dogs attitude is like ours like if you shout at them or hit them they dont understand what they did wrong and may start aggression problems so please don’t dicipline him)) if you dont want to him to attack anyone let him meet people baby throughout the elderly during his puppy years.
   thanks,
   jenny
5. tantelindar says:

   June 2, 2010 at 2:51 am

   Find an obedience school and sign up for puppy kindergarten.

   For housebreaking, look for dog training books by Brian Kilcommons (Good Owners Great Dogs is my favorite) or his mentor, Barbara Woodhouse.

   Easiest way to housebreak is to crate the pup whenever you can’t watch him and let him out to do his business every two hours. Carry him to the place outside where you want him to do this (makes it easier to clean up), praise him when he does it right. If he does make a mistake in the house, ignore him; clean it up with Nature’s Miracle, which removes scent, too.

   Good luck! Puppies are great fun!
6. rblankenship_rblankenship says:

   June 2, 2010 at 3:26 am

   I feel the first basic training with puppies should be “NO”. This way you can correct him when he bites, goes in the house or is chewing on something that may hurt him. Then you can work on the others.
7. Angell says:

   June 2, 2010 at 4:18 am

   When I got my Border Collie the first thing I did was go the local Pet Store and for me that was Pet Smart and got her registered in Puppy Training for 6 weeks and then into Basic Training for 8 weeks. Boy was I glad I did.
   I started her at 5 months. There was a 4 month old G.Shep there also.
8. S. says:

   June 2, 2010 at 4:47 am

   Reward good behavior and don’t be overly harsh when your pup makes a piddle puddle on your floor. Potty training is best done by taking your puppy out every 30 minutes and every hour to two hours at night. Lots of “happy” praise when the pup is peeing really reinforces that they did something good.

   Take your new baby to a puppy training class. Most trainers believe that the younger you start training the more quicker your dog with pick up things later in life, which is similar to humans.

   Best of luck to you.

   Another good thing to dog is to just get your puppy used to a leash by hooking it to the collar and playing. No puppy automatically knows what to do when you say stay, so if it gives you a dumb look don’t worry too much, at least until the 20th or so try.

   Do not get frustrated. This will confuse your puppy even more and sets them up for failure.
9. Aduial says:

   June 2, 2010 at 4:48 am

   Be firm. Dogs do not learn by being babied all the time. Discipline is a good thing when the dog does something wrong. Of course reward it when it does something right too. Treats are always a good reward system at first with new commands but as you get further in your training you should use more and more voice praise for a reward so that your dog listens to you even when you don’t have a treat.

   Be the pack leader. Be consistent, calm and keep with it.
10. JOANN V says:

    June 2, 2010 at 5:40 am

    Get him in a puppy class, try to find one recommended, last about 6
    weeks, very helpful. Watch the dog whisperer for great training tips. Something a friend told me and this does work, so they do not mess
    (Poo) all over the yard, take a shovel and transfer to the area you want him to use. My dog was 2 years and in 2 days he caught on. I would
    just show him. Puppies are like toddlers, they eat and swollow anything, keep him with good safe toys, the first year is the hardest, because they have a strong desire to chew, watch out for electrical cords. as well as your shoes, panty hose etc.puppies need to go out side about once every 2 hours, good rule of thumb, right after eating or drinking. Puppies also wet when you playing to much, when excited or scared. Get his vaccinations, always keep fresh water available. My husband and I put in a doggy door, was the best thing we ever did. Start a walking routine, your dog is a working dog, and needs good long adventurous walks. Last thing lots of love, and he will be loyal to you. May you all share many many good years togather!
11. SuwanneeSunsetShibas says:

    June 2, 2010 at 6:00 am

    My overall answer is that consistency is key. Now, more specifically…

    House Breaking:
    If you have more than one door, always use the same one so the puppy knows where to head if he has to go. I also recommend always taking your puppy to the same area outside initially so that the scent of his previous droppings will encourage him to go. When he goes outside, you should verbally praise him and then give him a small treat when you get back inside. Dogs respond fantastically to positive reinforcement and you will be surprised how quickly your pup will learn to go to the door. Once he has the hang of going outside to potty down, you can start to vary the door you use, and you will want to give him new areas to explore and use for pottying. Some dogs have been known to only go on one particular substance (eg: grass) if that was all they were exposed to and then will not go when introduced to new environs (eg:dead leaves). This can sometimes cause a problem if the dog’s preferred medium is not available, so it is important to introduce your dog to varying types of earth.

    Crate Training:
    If you choose to crate train, the crate you use needs to be big enough for your dog to stand up, turn around, and lay down comfortably. Bedding for the crate should cover the crate floor. For the first few weeks with your new pup, you may want to just use a couple of old towels, or make sure you use a crate pad that is machine washable so any potty accidents are easy to clean up.
    While you’re crate-training, you absolutely must ignore your puppy’s cries during the night. I know it will be very hard to do, and you’ll probably lose some sleep for the first week, but I promise you it will be faster and easier for both of you if you don’t come running every time he squeaks. Remember that your house is a completely new environment for your pup, so him not sleeping through the night is completely understandable.

    Basic commands:
    Teaching basic commands is usually best accomplished by using a combination of verbal commands (eg: sit!) and hand signals (eg: point down). This not only reinforces the idea of what you want the dog to do but also allows you, later on, to give commands without having to say a word as long as you have your dog’s attention.
    So, sticking with ’sit’ as my example, you will want to start of by saying ’sit’ while doing your hand signal and then gently pushing your dog’s bottom down until he’s in a sitting position. Then reward him with a small treat or even a piece of kibble. And repeat… and repeat… and repeat… I always do training in 10-15 minute sessions, so that the commands sink in, but the dog isn’t overwhelmed. Once he gets one trick down, move on to another, and then the next. Try to vary which order you ask the tricks to be done in, however, so he doesn’t skip from sit to down or sit to shake because you always ask him to sit and then lay down.
    The hand signals I use are a dropped pointer finger for sit, a closed fist that moves downward for lay down, a flat palm for stay, drawing a circle in the air for rollover, a snap and point to myself for come, an extended hand for shake, a vertical hand for high five, etc. Of course, you can always see what makes sense and feels the most natural for you.

    Hope this helps!
12. Derek says:

    June 2, 2010 at 6:02 am

    I like using crate training, I think its the most humane and kind of easiest way to train a puppy, at least to use the bathroom. I followed some tips here to figure it all out.

    http://internetknowitall.com/know/2009/05/03/crate-train-a-puppy/