how do you train a puppy?

Question

we got a new puppy and its 3 mons. old and what are some tips for help training it ?

Answer 1

A class is a perfect idea!

Things to remember:
If you can structure the environment in such a way that the puppy is never rewarded for jumping and make sure the puppy is consistently rewarded for sitting instead, you will have an adult dog that doesn’t jump when greeting people. In fact an adult dog with this type of history will impress your friends by sitting when it greets guests.

There are other great instances of this principal, such as getting your new puppy accustomed to going potty on a particular kind of surface. An example may be teaching your pup to potty on gravel and it will be less likely to go on surfaces unlike gravel. I find this principle particularly troublesome when dogs stay with me that where conditioned as young pups to potty on concrete. When these dogs stay with me for a short amount of time it can be almost impossible to recondition them to potty in a more hygienically appropriate area of my yard.

A good deal of this resistance to change can be explained by the phenomena of imprinting. There are certain times when a puppy’s brain is developing in a way that enables life experiences and successful behavior to become permanently wired connections. By training at this age you are actually building your puppy’s brain and its future behavior.

During puppy training you need to remember, puppies don’t have the endurance of an adolescent or adult dog. Puppies can be very active for short amounts of time and then they need to rest and sleep. Some believe this rest helps the puppy build those important brain connections, as well as the muscle and bones of a developing body.

Answer 2

Training it to go outside or other basic commands?

If it's potty-training, Take it outside once it wakes up (in the morning AND after naps), after playing hard (or if they suddenly stop playing and starting sniffing around), 10-15 minutes after meals, etc. Do NOT rub it's nose in the mistakes it makes in the house. If you do not catch the puppy in the act, it will NOT understand the consequences and could stop trusting you. When the puppy "goes" where it is supposed to, treats and LOTS of excited praise. be consistent and patient.

Leash-training: if the puppy is not used to the leash, put the leash on it in the house and let it walk around w/out you holding the lease (SUPERVISED at ALL times). After it gets used to the leash, pick the end of the leash up, but hold it loosely. Let the dog lead you for awhile. If the pup freaks out, start at the beginning again. Work your way until you can lead the puppy.

Sit, come: Tell your dog to sit, have a treat in your hand and put it above its head (Moving the treat back behind its head) so it cannot smell it unless it sits. Pushing your dog's rear to the ground isn't the best way to achieve sit. When he/she does sit correctly, reward. To get your dog to come, put it on its leash, go out in front w/ a treat... tug GENTLY and say come. When the dog comes, reward w/ treats and praise. Repeat.

Dog training books help. There are a ton of them out there. Good luck with your new family member!

Answer 3

Petsmart has a Puppy Kindergarten class that is a good start for basic obedience. For housebreaking get a crate that is not much bigger than the pup (just enough for him to turn around in) and when you are sleeping, not home or not able to watch the pup keep him in the crate. When you take him out of the crate take him outside immediately to go to the bathroom. Take him out immediately after eating, waking, before bed. Praise him for making outside. If you catch him having an accident inside take him outside and show him the right place to go. Unfortunately if he has an accident you do not witness there is nothing you can do. Consistency is the key with all training.

Answer 4

Your pup is just beginning to transition out of it's "socialization" development phase and will be entering into juvenile development at about 5-6mos. It's critical to do puppy socials and basic puppy kindergarten classes if taught by approrpriate people.

If you are concerned about parvo virus or any other contagious diseases - check out this vet letter about the importance of socializing: http://www.apdt.com/po/rk_anderson_letter.aspx

Ian Dunbar also has some great advice on top things to be concerning with such as bite inhibition, housetraining, etc. You can download his book Before You Get Your Puppy (still as good info) at www.jamesandkenneth.com

Clicker training of course! www.clickertraining .com sells a Clicker Puppy DVD

Find a Trainer:
www.sfspca.org
www.ccpdt.com
www.apdt.com

Visit: www.urbanpuppy.com

Good luck

Answer 5

Watch the dog whisperer :)

Failing that the biggest thing you can do to keep your puppy healthy and happy is, "CONSISTENCY" and "CONSISTENCY"

The simplest thing to do is relize that the puppy has no idea what you are saying or what you want. You can either wait for the puppy to do the desired behavior and reward them or associate something to a rewarding activity.

Example, You want to teach your dog to sit. You could give him a treat every time he sat and you know he gets it when he is sitting just to get a treat.

You could also get a clicker and give him or her a treat when you click the button. You know he or she gets it when you click it and they come running for a treat.

Once you have the "click" "Good boy" or other such positive association. Then you would click when they did the desired reaction. You know they get it when they start doing it to get the treat. Then you would add in a word like, "Sit" and reward them when they sat when you said sit.

Hope that helps.

Answer 6

be consistant with what you say and the things you use. dont give too many treats. Also something i should have done when training my puppy is get it to listen to others when you are not there because my dog listens perfectly to me but my family tells me he is a PITA (Pain in the AZZ) when i am not there. You should try picking up a couple of dog training books or videos

Answer 7

I personally have trained all my dogs i have every had. They turn out great, and even better than what you could get for taking them to a "training class". So i jsut do what i think would be right to teach them, i teach them what they can and can't do, and how to sit lay, and everything else. I hope you have fun with training your pup.

Answer 8

Buy this book, read it from cover to cover and do everything it says. It's been a lifesaver to me with raising my last two dogs.

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Owners-Great-Brian-Kilcommons/dp/0446675385

Answer 9

when they pee pee or poo poo take them to the spot they did it and show them rub there nose in it and sit them outside for a few minutes, they learn quick this way. trust me it worked with mine. when they do good make sure they know that....good luck.

Answer 10

GO TO PETS MART THEY CAN REALLY HELP WHEN IT COMES TO TRAINING DOGS!!