What to Teach Your Puppy First
- Socialization
Puppy socialization is the process of gradually introducing your puppy to a variety of
people, places and experiences early in life. Socialization is so critical because it can
prevent a dog from developing behavioral problems later in life such as extreme fear or
aggression. Even if your puppy does not seem to have an issue with storms, resource
guarding, or separation anxiety, problems can develop anytime in a dog’s life. In order
to help buffer any future phobias, now is the time to develop the ‘no worries’ attitude
with common fears. To do this, pair potential fears (like storms or strangers) with
something your puppy finds valuable such as food or games. - Getting your puppy use to being handled and groomed.
As early as possible, you should start getting the puppy comfortable with being handled
and groomed. You should get your puppy used to grooming, wiping his feet, brushing
his teeth, reaching for him quickly and trimming his nails. In these daily exercises, you
will be teaching your puppy to trust you and to view these procedures as enjoyable and
not stressful. - Self-control
It’s critical for puppies to learn self-control. Many of the behaviors our dogs do that we
find annoying or unacceptable result from a lack of self-control. These behaviors
include: pulling on the leash, jumping on people, chasing squirrels, stealing food, and
counter-surfing. Teaching a dog self-control begins by teaching the puppy to wait at
doorways, loose-leash walking, and manners around the food bowl. - How to stay calm in a crate
Teaching a dog to remain calm in a crate is important for housebreaking. Crate training
is very helpful when you need your dog contained at the vet or can’t have your dog
underfoot. It’s really easy to keep up being calm in a crate if you do a little bit of it each
day
- Teaching their name
Teaching your puppy his name is so important. Say your puppy’s name, and when he
looks at you, say ‘Good!’ and give him a tiny piece of food. Repeat many, many times,
until your puppy quickly looks at you. If your puppy doesn’t look at you, just make a
kissing sound to prompt him and then reward. Don’t repeat your puppy’s name over and
over if he isn’t responding. That just makes him learn that his name doesn’t mean
anything, the opposite of what we want.
Take a Puppy Class
Enrolling in a puppy class is the fastest and easiest way to get your puppy trained!