What Your Puppy Should Know During the First Year

You've just brought your new puppy home, holding him in your arms as he licks your face with puppy kisses. The last thing on your mind at that moment is training. That's okay but as soon as your first greeting together is over, the training starts.

Does this seem too soon?

No way. You should start on the basics of positive-reinforcement training right away, if your want to give your pup a safe, positive, loving home. Always have dog treats on hand for rewarding good behavior. 

Here's a little chart outlining what your puppy should learn during his first year. This is not written in stone. Remember that all dogs learn at their own pace, so use this as just a guideline.

The golden rule of training your puppy is that patience is the key. If you get frustrated at any time, stop the training session. It's better to end on a happy note, so your puppy looks forward to his next lesson.

What Your Puppy Should Learn during the First Year

These guidelines are broken down by the age of your puppy. Don't get stressed if your puppy's training milestones are different from this outline. He'll progress in his own time because all he want to do is please you.

Two to Four Months Old

This is a time for introductions and behavior in your home. These are the social graces that your puppy needs to learn. If he master these basics, you'll have a relaxed and happy puppy wherever you go.

• Meet and greet people without jumping
• Introduce your puppy to the veterinarian and groomer
• Begin socializing him with other dogs
• Positive crate training
• Answer to his name
• Housebreaking
• Learn to walk without tugging. A harness or head halter helps a lot with tugging issues.

Five to Seven Months Old

This is the time to get into basic obedience training. Clicker training can help a lot with positive training and marking your puppy's success.

If you put if off training for too long, your puppy will develop bad habits that are hard to break. Your puppy is never too young to learn.

• Come when called from 10 to 15 feet away.
• Sit

• 

  Four months old learning 'sit'

  Zen – this is learning not to grab food out of anyone's hand or not taking it until you say it's okay. It's basically learning self-control, which continues as your puppy grows.
• Stay (working up from a few seconds to a few minutes)
• Down
• Continue with loose-leash walking

Eight to 11 months

Now that your puppy knows the basic commands, just continue reinforcing them. You can add extra distance and time to what he already knows.

• Come – gradually work up to a distance of 40 feet for the recall
• Sit, Down and Stay – combine all of these commands, adding extra time for all of them. You can tell your puppy to sit and stay, or down and stay. Walk a short distance away to start, then come right back. Work on this daily until your puppy will stay until you tell him to get up.
• Zen – continue working on your pup's self-control. You'll be glad you did as he gets older.

  

  Eight months practicing 'down and stay

Twelve Months Old and Beyond

If you've been consistent with your puppy's training, he should get a gold star at this point. He should know all the basic commands down pat.

You can also teach your puppy some tricks along the way. Many tricks are based on obedience commands. Take a look at YouTube for some trick ideas. It's full of well-renowned trainers that can help you teach your puppy some tricks.

Training is a lifetime commitment, but it's worth the effort. You and your puppy will have fun, frustration, triumphs and form a loving bond that never ends. Just when you think your dog knows everything you've worked on, he might regress. Just remember, your puppy isn't perfect and just like you, he can have a bad day. Use baby steps when training your puppy and enjoy those moments of success when they happen. Just make sure your puppy training is positive and fun.

Taking Care of a New Puppy

Your puppy or adult dog depends upon you for everything in his life.  Learning about how to take care of him is the most important part of being a pet owner. Although the following dog care tips might seem like common sense, you'd be surprised how many dog owners do not follow up on regular dog care.

You love your dog and that is really important but he has physical needs too.  You are responsible for making sure your dog is happy and healthy.  Follow these dog care tips and your puppy will live a long, healthy life, always your faithful friend.

1.  Feed your dog twice a day when he is under one year old, then only once per day.  Any high quality dog food that meets the nutritional needs of a growing dog is fine.  Read the dog food label for the recommended amount to feed your dog, according to his ideal weight.  Try to avoid too many treats and feeding your dog human food.  It’s hard to resist when your dog starts begging for a treat but keeping him at his ideal weight will make him more energetic and healthier.

2.  Groom your dog every day.  Dogs love to be pampered and most dogs enjoy a good brushing.  Grooming your dog removes dead fur and helps eliminate shedding all over the house.  It also enhances the fur for a shiny coat and healthy skin.

3.  Brush your dog’s teeth at least once per week because dogs develop plaque just like humans do.  Use toothpaste made only for dogs since human toothpaste can irritate your dog’s stomach.  The first time you brush your dog’s teeth, just do it for a few seconds to get her used to the feel of the brush and taste of the toothpaste.  Eventually, your dog will look forward to having her teeth brushed.

4.  Exercise is essential for all types of dogs.  Walking your dog is the best way to bond with him and give him the exercise he needs.  Walk your dog at least twenty minutes per day.  If you have a large dog that is hard to handle, a harness helps keep your dog walking beside you.  Exercising your dog also helps him behave in the house because he used up his energy walking with you.

5.  Regular visits to the veterinarian are also a necessary part of dog care.  Make sure your dog is updated on all his vaccinations, especially rabies.  The vet also performs a blood test on your dog every year, testing for heartworms.  Using a monthly heartworm medication prevents your dog from becoming infected with life threatening heartworms.

Strategies for Housebreaking Your Puppy

Housebreaking your puppy can make or break the relationship you have with your dog. I have known many people who just never get past the housebreaking training. They get so frustrated after a few months of cleaning up dog poop, or steam cleaning their carpeting after accidents that they look for a new home for their puppy.

Take a look at Craig's List or the classified ads in the newspaper and you will see so many dogs from 6 months to 1 ½ years old that are being given away. The dog owners are fed up with the aggravation of a dog that cannot be housebroken. The fact is that all puppies can be housebroken if given the time and the patience.

There are many different housebreaking methods; most of them will do the trick. Go to the library, browsing the pet section. You will find a wide variety of dog training books which contain chapters on housebreaking your puppy.

The keys to housebreaking are to be consistent, and patient. You can't expect a puppy to be housebroken in a week. You have to consistently apply the training method you have chosen. Don't try to switch methods every few days, figuring another training method be more effective. This will only confuse your puppy while he is only trying to please you.

Physically, a puppy cannot be completely free of accidents in the house. His brain is not fully developed enough to control his bodily functions. This does not mean that the puppy is not learning, just that he cannot help himself at the moment. If you are persistent with the puppy's training, and follow through with your training method, your puppy will be completely trained between the ages of 3 to 5 months.

Female dogs are usually easier to train than males because they will urinate or defecate only once when brought outside. Male dogs, on the other hand, will urinate and defecate several times, marking their territory as a sign of dominance. A neutered male dog will also be easier to train because the urge to dominate is diminished. Keep this in mind when housebreaking your puppy.

Here are a few tips and strategies to housebreaking your puppy:

• Decide the housebreaking method that you feel will work out for your situation.
• Make a schedule to follow during the first few weeks of training: feeding, watering, and walking your puppy.
• Control the amount of food and treats you give your puppy. Irregular feeding can make housebreaking much harder.
• Make sure your pet has all the water he needs during the day, but limit water intake at night to avoid accidents. This is only temporary, until your puppy gets a little older, and can control himself. If your puppy appears thirst, certainly give him more water, but a limited amount during the night should be okay.
• Don't let your puppy wander around the house while being housebroken. Dogs don't like to mess in their sleeping area, so limiting your puppy's space will make housebreaking easier.
• If you see your puppy sniffing the floor, it probably means he has to go out. Distract him immediately and bring him outside.
• Take your puppy to the same spot every day to relieve himself. The scent of previous visits will urge him to go quickly.
• In the beginning, your puppy will need many trips outside. Gradually spread out the times that you bring him outside, making a regular schedule that fits your lifestyle.
• Catching the puppy in the act is one of the quickest ways for him to realize he is doing something wrong. Be firm with him, keep him with you while you are cleaning up the accident, and let him know you are displeased. The puppy will feel completely guilty, associating your displeasure with his actions.

These are methods I have used through the years to train my puppies. They are traditional ways to housebreak a puppy. Depending upon your circumstances, whether you are in the city, working all day, at home, or in the country will determine the housebreaking method that is best for you and your pup. Do your research and begin the training. Good luck with your new puppy!

If anyone has any housebreaking ideas or methods that have worked, please leave a comment to help others housebreak their puppies.