When to Begin Puppy Training

Puppies do seem to mature at different rates making it difficult for many people to know when the best time to start training with their new puppy is. Puppy training, when is the right time to start training a puppy? House training, or toilet training, should begin as soon as you bring a new puppy home. Always start by being positive and anticipating when your puppy needs to relieve himself. Verbally praising highly as he goes where you want him to. Dogs were den dwellers in the wild. Their denning instinct tells them not to relieve themselves where they sleep. If you keep your puppy in a small room, or crate, at sleeping time he will learn to hold it until you let him out. First thing in the morning, or when he demands to go out, take him to where you want him to go toilet and verbally praise him as he does. 

I always tell people not to use the word “No” with their new puppies for the first week or two in a new home. Spoil and pamper your new puppy focusing on bonding before anything else. Many people think they should just let a puppy cry and wine when they are left alone, they believe if they go to him that it will make him a cry baby dog. This is not true that first week. Again bonding with you is the most important first step. You can reassure him and make him feel good about his new home without giving in to the crying. After all he is probably missing his mother and litter mates.

Get him used to a lead, just let him drag it around at first or lead him to his food. Do not make him feel restricted by it. Many dogs don’t like the lead at first, they want to fight it. If you take it off because he fights it, he will fight it to get you to take it off. Put it on and off a lot, at play times, meal times, or just for fun. Never leave a lead on if you are not going to be right with him.  

Once your puppy has settled into his new home, you can start working on socialization. The more friendly experiences we can set up for him the better for socializing. When a puppy has only friendly good associations he is going to be a good friendly dog.

Last and most important NEVER ever hit a dog or puppy, not with anything ever, for any reason. Hitting is confusing sending mixed messages about hands and makes a dog feel you are mad at him, not what he did or is doing.

Chewing is Normal for Dogs

Dogs chew for many reasons it is not just a puppy thing that they automatically grow out of. Most dogs enjoy chewing all of their lives. 

Chewing is normal dog behaviour, chewing is driven by many different instincts. It’s important to understand why your dog chews. You may or may not know; you can have an enormous influence on what your dog chews on. You can keep destructive chewing to a minimum with redirection and proper training habits. We should start by understanding some of the reasons they are chewing in the first place.

Teething: At about 2 months old when their puppy teeth are coming in. Between 4-6 months, as the puppy teeth fall out and are replaced by the adult teeth. Puppies must instinctively chew to help their teeth go through this process. It also helps relieve tenderness of the teeth and gums. Give lots of puppy chew toys like rawhide pup chips, tennis balls, and rope toys, which are made for puppies.

Teeth Setting:  As your puppies’ teeth mature they set in their jaws, approximately 7 months to a year old, they must chew because instinct tells them they may need hard things to chew on to help this process. It is at this age dogs can become the most destructive and dogs that have too much fun chewing at this stage can be destructive for the rest of their lives. It is important you give them things to chew on. Replace anything you do not want chewed with dog toys and things you do want them to chew on. If you try to take away chewing all together you may be fighting a losing battle. Be selective with what chew toys you give. Do not give any that may be confused with other things that you do not want chewed. For example wooden toys, shoes, and socks are not good chew toys.

Exercising Muscles: Dogs do chew to exercise their jaw muscles as well. Around 7-8 months old at the height of the destructive stage for chewing.  Chewing can last for months, even years, if modification or redirection techniques aren’t used. As with all chewing having good chew toys to redirect your dog to can be the key to getting through this time.

Trying or Exploring: What are things in and around your house for? They may be table legs to you, but to your dog, it’s wood. Throughout a dog’s life they may try exploring items by chewing them to see if it is good to chew on.

Cleaning:  Chewing helps keep gums & teeth, clean & strong: Humans brush our teeth, dogs need to chew. There are many dog teeth cleaning products available, rawhide knot bones or dog chew toys that are good for teeth are easy to find.

Stress, Tension, or Anxiety: Chewing helps a dog relieve stress, tension, and anxiety. Many dogs like things in their mouth to help comfort them. If you get them in to their toys using praise and play it will help them increase the chewing on the things you want them to chew.

Boredom: A bored or lonely dog may be more destructive and chew for relieve. This is a stress release as with anxiety and tension. It is common since, if the dog has fun being destructive he wins over his boredom. 

Obsessed: Dogs can develop obsessive chewing disorders. Finding comfort in chewing some dog may get over focused on chewing to the point of obsession. It may be chewing on anything they can get a hold of or obsessed with one object or particular material. Prevention is the best cure but if your dog has an obsessive chewing disorder it can be addressed with behavioural modification by a qualified canine Behavioural Specialist.

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