Training a Puppy
 

I just got a new puppy, She's 9 weeks old and I've never had a dog before. Any tips on training or other things I should know as a new dog owner.

Thanks

Constant praise whenever she does something right. When she potties outside, say, "Good girl, go potty!" When she sits on her own, say, "Sit! Good girl!" Petting them while praising them works, and treats definitely work! And don't be afraid to tell her NO when she's wrong.

It is possible to train a dog without using force, i.e., spanking them. :)

Riley just turned a year old! Here's what I have learned:

Keep to a schedule, even on the weekend. Puppy doesn't know it is Sat and will still have to pee at 6 AM. Sorry. Your sleeping in days are over. But the benefit of the schedule are that pup will be trained that much more quickly.

Feed her a premium dog food brand. She'll poop less, look better and live longer.

RESTRICT your dog. She is just a dog. Her feelings won't be hurt if she doesn't have access to absolutely every area of the house. Get a baby gate if you need to, crate her, etc., but until she's well potty trained she shouldn't be out of your sight for a moment-- if you can't watch her, in the crate she goes.

Get to know the word "Treat." Your dog will. Just go easy on the treats. You'll treat more in the beginning with training, and then start to treat less. Then it will become a puppy lottery-- "Ooh, I sat. Sometimes that means treats! I wonder if I'll get a treat this time!"

When you are walking her and you're heading back toward home, tell her, "We're going to (Puppy's Name)'s House. Do you want to go to (Puppy's Name)'s House and have treats? Eventually, if she gets off leash, you can yell "Go to ______'s House!" And she'll know what to do. This has saved my dog's life!

Get a variety of toys-- plush, hard, plastic, fleece, etc. Dogs love different textures. Make sure the size is appropriate. If puppy tears up a toy, sew it back up or throw it away. you don't want her to choke on a piece of toy!

Get an id tag for her collar. Unless you're bedding down for the night, she wears this all day, every day. Puppies can get out of the house easily.

If she is just laying around and doing nothing-- meaning she is relaxing and not getting into anything!-- praise her and tell her "good girl." She will understand that not bugging you is a good thing.

Crate train your dog.

Do puppy school at petsmart. A great investment in time, money and a happy pet. In addition to training you and your dog, you also get great tips on dog care.

Don't bathe her more than 2x/month, or her skin will get dry and itchy. Ears need to be cleaned out once a week, esp with a longer eared dog (you can buy a special ear clean solution at the pet store). Nails must be trimmed every 6 weeks. Heartworm and flea/tick meds must be administered 1x/month. (I recommend shopping Canadavet.com-- it's the cheapest site I've found for Heartguard and Advantix).

If she is a long-haired dog, she needs to be brushed 1-2 times a week minimum. You should invest in a medium tooth comb and a pair of thinning shears to cut out matted hair.

Don't leave her alone with pet toys that have electronic components, bones or Greenies. all are fine under supervision.

Puppy proof your home-- use bitter apple to spray on things you don't want her chewing on, etc. Know that anything that is on her level and is loose (shoes, socks, your toothbrush) is considered fair game if she can reach it. Remove the temptation.

No question is a stupid question. You'll be at the vet often getting puppy shots over these next few months. Ask.

If you are out of town and have to board your pet, I highly recommend Petsmart's Pet Hotel. They have 24 hour care, video cameras, dog TV, a vet on staff, play time and give you a "Pawgress Report" when you pick up your pet. Some of the extras are silly, I think, but the 24 hour care is wonderful-- most other boarding kennels dog care givers leave at 7 PM and don't come back until the next morning.

Have fun with your new pet. The first month is a very trying month -- puppy is peeing, crying and you're not getting much sleep. Once you get through that, and with hard work, training and mutual respect between owner and pet you're going to have a best friend for life!

^^^^

Do you still push the dogs nose in the pee puddle and swat him on the behind when he pisses on your rug?

The proper way to respond to an accident:
If you do find an accident, take a newspaper, roll it up, and smack yourself upside the head while chanting, ''Why didn't I watch the puppy more carefully? Why didn't I take the puppy outside more frequently?''

PETSMART IS NOT A GOOD PLACE TO FIND A TRAINER. They typically reccomend prong chains and/or choke chains. (Legitimate training tools when used properly, however, I've not seen many of their trainers use them properly.)

How to find a good trainer:

Do your research when you are looking for a good trainer. I would start by asking your vet for a recommendation. Talk to other dog owners and see who they used and how they liked it.

Visit a few classes before you decide. You want to see the trainer in action to be sure she trains in a way that is acceptable to you.

Do not be afraid to ask a trainer what her qualifications are.

When you are visiting a class, ask the clients there what they think of the class so far. Watch to see how the dogs, owners, and trainer interact. Are the people and dogs having fun? Or does it look like a boot camp. Training should always been a fun and positive experience for both the human and the dog.

Is the trainer able to adapt the lessons for the dogs? In every class you will have dogs at a different learning level. A good trainer will make sure everyone is being challenged.

Others might disagree with this, but for me, I look for trainers that don't jump to using correction collars right away. There might be a time and place for some situations to use a correction collar, but the trainer should not slap one on every dog what walks into class.

There are different schools of thoughts on training. Some prefer reward based training. Others like punishment training. But do your own research to see what you feel is best for you and your dog. I personally believe that positive reinforcement (treats) is easier and quicker for your dog to pick up.

The Association of Pet Dog Trainer's Website (http://www.apdt.com/) has a trainer search function.

ETA: NEVER give GREENIES or use HARTZ. There are many sites online about people who've lost their dog because of these products. My dog lived after a Greenie, but stuck me with a 1800$ vet bill.

thanks guys, for all the advice.

I've heard about greenies, but not Hartz? Whats the story with that?

I took her out for aboue 2 hrs to play with her today so hopefully she'll be tired out tonite and we'll have another great nite.

I'll be sure to keep you posted.


thanks again everyone~!

Be consistent!! This is very important because you dn't want to confuse your dog.

I will also vouch for Petsmart's training classes. They focused on positive reinforcement only. Violet took their puppy class and I have several friends who have taken more than 1 class there with their dog.

Don't let your cute puppy's eyes make you feel bad for her. If you crate train, do so gradually. When they are in the crate at night & start barking, take the dog outside to see if it has to go potty. Wait about 5 mins and then go back inside. The dog will quickly learn that barking will only let it go outside to go potty and will eventually behave :)

http://www.hartzvictims.org Horrific pictures and stories about Hartz flea products. I don't buy any Hartz products, and won't until they pull their flea products from the shelves.

I'm glad to hear that Petsmart policies encourage alternatives, however, I've seen individual trainers at Petsmart reccomend them among other questionable practices.

I still think you should check out the trainer individually. If you find a trainer you like at Petsmart, that's great, if you check it out and find that you would prefer to go elsewhere, that's also great.

Out of curiosity, what location and how long ago was this?

I find it hard to believe that a huge corporate structure like Petsmart would have different ways of doing things across all of their corporate stores at the same time - especially with something as structured as dog training.

Myself and friends of mine have had our dogs trained at several different Petsmart locations in the DFW area and they all use the same structrured manuals and methods in their training.

All the puppy classes for example learn the same exact things, in the same exact time frame, and every class is held the same exact way (the instructor will tell the puppy parents how to lure the dog to the desired position with a treat, say "yes" when the dog does what it is supposed to, gives the dog a treat and let's us practice with our own dogs)

Well... one was tonight, in Norman. I've seen others around the metro area, and heard stories from friends around the country. The huge corporate structure actually enables them more freedom to disregard their rules. Also, I don't trust their trainers, they really don't seem to have much schooling as opposed to a true animal behaviorist. If you have any problem that is outside of the norm, the petsmart trainers haven't a clue how to deal with it.

That really depends on the type of corporation it is. Since I've never worked for Petsmart, I can't really say.

Even though I'm young, so far I've worked at 3 major company HQs, and it's amazing how crazy-strict their rules trickle down to the "little people" of the companies.