Pre-Training Basics If you have a young puppy, we recommend that you wait until he’s at least 8 weeks old to begin formal training. Before you begin the formal training lessons with a dog of any age, please plan to follow these keys to success: Be patient. Each dog is unique, and can only learn at his own pace. Some dogs learn quickly; others take more time. Patience is indeed a virtue when it comes to effective dog training! Be kind. This goes hand-in-paw with “Be patient.” Don’t lose your temper if your dog doesn’t “get it” right away, or appears to be ignoring you. Please do not punish your dog for not learning quickly enough. As a matter of...
Picking the Perfect Pooch Introduction First thing’s first: despite the title of this report, there is no such thing as a perfect pooch (just as there is no such thing as a perfect human). The closest you can come to picking the perfect pooch is to pick one that’s best for you and your family. You know what’s weird? Dog owners all believe their dog’s personality is distinct and unique. Even if they own two dogs of the same breed, perhaps even from the same litter, they’ll say each dog has a personality all his own. And they’ll be right. And yet many of those same people believe that dog personalities are determined by breed. They’ll say things like “Golden...
Housebreaking Breakthroughs Successful housebreaking is, by far, the most important element of a loving, lifelong relationship between you and your dog. If you don’t teach your new best friend not to pee and poop in your house, he won’t be your friend for long! Fortunately, housebreaking a puppy (or adult dog) isn’t complicated. All you have to do is prevent peeing and pooping in the house, and reward peeing and pooping outside. While putting this simple concept into practice isn’t difficult, it does require your diligence, dedication, and patience. But the rewards are definitely worth the effort! In this report, we’ll provide some general information about dogs on which our housebreaking techniques are based, explain the benefits of crate training,...
Lesson 7: Teaching Your Dog to Heel If you’ve ever been taken for a walk by a strong, willful dog, you can’t help but gaze in wistful admiration at people whose dogs walks calmly by their sides, even when off a leash. But there’s more to gain from teaching your dog to heel than no longer being dragged down the street. When walking your dog is not a “chore,” you’ll enjoy it more, you’ll do it more, and you and your dog will both benefit from more frequent walks. Teaching an energetic and always-curious dog to walk slowly by your side and ignore all the fascinating scents and other distractions during your outings will be a major challenge. After all,...
The importance of this lesson may depend on the size of your dog. A dog the size of a Chihuahua jumping up on you (or visitors as they come through your door) won’t create quite the same problem as a 100-pound bear of a dog. But then again, muddy paws are messy, regardless of their size. And some visitors may not enjoy being “greeted” by any jumping dog. Teaching your dog not to jump up on people will take extra time and patience because dogs naturally greet friends and family by sniffing or licking each other’s muzzles. Your “muzzle” is too high, so they try to jump up to reach it. They’re not being rude or pushy; they’re being...
