Puppy Training: Do You Have The Heart To Discipline Your Puppy?

Training a new puppy can be a heartbreaking experience for just about anyone that has a conscience. This helpless and adorable little doggie is just staring up at your eyes, making you melt into a pile of love mush. And you think yourself, How in the world am I going to discipline this little guy, I just don’t have the heart!

Yes, I realize that your puppy is so cute and you just want to hug and kiss his little face all day long, but you must get a hold of yourself and learn to do the dirty deed when necessary.

What Is The Dirty Deed?

Discipline, plain and simple.

You have to muster up the strength to spritz your puppy’s nose with a water bottle when needed. You have to learn how to instill a little fear into your dog with loud and quick commands whenever he is doing something wrong. It’s all about tough love and I know firsthand just how hard it can be.

Don’t Get Me Wrong…

Hey, I’m in the process of putting together a website full of free articles regarding dog training. One of my stupid New Year resolutions.

I was going to concentrate on providing tips for people with problem dogs (mainly adults, because people love puppies). The feedback I have from friends is that I should target Puppy training issues ?

So what do I concentrate on – Puppies or Adult Dogs ?
Sorry, here’s what I’ve got so far, I think it’s coming on : http://www.advicedogtraining.com.

Puppy Training How To Get Your Puppy To Stop Stealing Clothes

Puppies are like little children in that they need constant discipline and a watchful eye to be sure that they can learn the rules of your house. Some puppies have major behavior problems, while others display the typical scenarios, such as stealing clothes and other small items around the house as if it were a game.

Puppies are notorious for stealing anything that they can get their mouths on and then run away with it. At first this little habit is cute and very comical. However, after a while it needs to be seriously addressed because as the puppy matures into an adult dog, he will think that he is allowed to eat anything in the house, including your expensive shoes and nice furniture.

I was walking outside to open the front gate in front of my complex and saw two guys training a beautiful large German Shepherd dog, in front of my neighbor’s house.

They were both professional dog trainers that my neighbor had apparently hired to come by and train his dog when he’s at work.

I introduced myself and proceeded to watch.

See, the funny thing about many dog trainers is that they have an ego, and their ego often prevents them from accepting help from people who haven’t already demonstrated superior skill. Perhaps not a bad policy.

But whatever.

Anyway… the first fellow was standing and talking with me, and out of the corner of my eye I was watching the second fellow work with the dog.

They’d taught the dog to hold a “down-stay.” But the problem was, they hadn’t successfully taught the dog what “come” means, and that it’s okay to get up from the “down-stay” when the handler calls you to come.

The problem was, the second fellow was calling the dog to come, and while he was doing it, he was inadvertently bending forward and clapping his hands. And then he’d move a little closer to the dog—all the while bending forward.

There’s nothing like coming home to a happy dog. Your good friend has been patiently waiting all day to see you and when you come through the door, he barks his hello and jumps up to say hi. But a jumping dog is usually not a pleasant thing for most people. It can cause embarrassment around guests, annoy those folks who don’t like dogs as much as you, or even hurt someone with a little bite, scratch or knocking them over.

Since you want to control this jumping behavior, the most effective tool is the good, old-fashioned “Sit”. A dog that is firmly sitting on the ground can’t be also jumping up on you.

To practice this method, have a partner ring the doorbell, and as you are about to open the door, give your dog the “Sit” command. Have your friend come in and if your dog begins to get up or jump, repeat the “Sit” command until the dog quietly sits for you. Remember to praise him for his good work. You can practice this same thing yourself every time you come home.

The personality of the canine develops most radically between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks. What the average family dog will eventually turn out to be is determined by the environment in which the puppy lives during that critical emotional time period.

When an eight-week-old puppy comes into his new home, he arrives with a mind that can be likened to a blank chalkboard. Whatever is written on that chalkboard will determine the personality and character of the puppy. Unfortunately, it is purely a lack of knowledge on the part of the dog owner that is responsible for what later turns out to be a problem dog.

Dogs are not born problem dogs. They are either allowed to become that way, or are made that way as a result of the puppy’s environment. The responsibility rests solely and squarely upon the shoulders of the person who owns the dog.

Most obedience classes will not accept a puppy for training unless it is six months or older. This is quite understandable since most trainers know that the average dog owner just doesn’t have the necessary patience to cope with puppy training. It is unfortunate, however, that by the time a dog reaches six months of age, he has already become a problem dog.

Dog Training Methods: How Dog Training Has Evolved Over The Last Few Decades

When you look down at your brand new, small and tender puppy peacefully sleeping in its little bed, it’s hard to think that in just two to three months it may grow to be 40, 50, or even up to 100 pounds depending on the type of breed. And although its behaviors may cute at the moment, like jumping up and putting his front paws on your body, these actions will be far less enjoyable when your dog is all grown up and literally knocking you over.

Your best bet is to start training your puppy from day one so that he can learn proper manners as he grows into adulthood. Puppies that are not trained in this manner end up learning all of the wrong stuff and their owners wonder why they cannot seem to get their dogs to behave as they age.

Many years ago, when dog training methods used more punishment oriented (using harsh methods to train puppies), dog trainers typically required all puppy trainees to be at least six months old. The reason was partly due to the fact that such physical correction protocols used could not be done with dogs that were too small or too young.

One thing you can count on when bringing home a new puppy is the fact that he will nip and bite at your fingers during the first few days or weeks. This is perfectly normal and there is no reason to get alarmed that you may have purchased an aggressive dog. However, like any behavior you wish to change about your dog, you need to take a few steps so that he realizes that nipping is not something you as the pack leader want him to continue doing.

So how do you change this natural biting behavior that a little puppy has? Well the first thing to do is determine his age. This is important because puppies under the age of about 15 weeks need to be handled a little differently when it comes to mouthing and nipping than puppies over the age of 15 weeks.

If your puppy is brand new and younger than the 15 week period, the following tips can help you control his nipping behavior:

Housetrainnig: 4 Common Housetraining Mistakes New Puppy Owners Can Avoid

Let’s face it, as a new dog owner you probably have not taken a canine training class or have studied up on the latest puppy training techniques that are available.

That’s okay! New puppy owners should not have to go to such lengths just to teach their pups the basics. But like all territories unknown, it is quite easy for novice puppy owners to find lots of ways to mess up simple puppy training, especially when it comes to the process of housetraining.

But you do not have to be one of these novices. To help guide your way towards proper housetraining with your new puppy, below are a few common mistakes that many people make, those of which you should aim to prevent:

1. Irregular schedule: Dogs thrive on repetitiveness and a routine schedule. If you fail to follow a schedule when it comes to taking your puppy to go to the bathroom, feeding times, and even bedtime, this can cause a disruption in the learning process.

Dogs are wonderful, loyal companions and an integral part of our families. Time flies, though, and in a few short years we start seeing changes in our faithful friends. There may be white hair around their muzzle, they may be less active and energetic, and they may be a little slow getting up.

As a dog ages, his metabolism also slows, just like ours, and his health care and nutritional needs may change. Here is a look at how we can make life a little easier for our aging pets.

Exercise

Exercise is important even for older dogs. They need to keep their muscle tone and weight in control as they age, just like we do. Mature dogs may not have the stamina they once had and do better with frequent, brief walks or short swims. If your dog still likes being active, don’t forget to play his favorite games, like fetch or tug-o-war. Further, older dogs tend to urinate more often so they may need more frequent walks.

Get an Elevated Feeder

Elevated water and food dishes can be helpful. The height makes it more comfortable for dogs (not just older dogs, by the way) to eat and drink because it prevents strain on the neck and the feeding position is easier on their digestion.