Puppies have a way of pulling on our heartstrings and pulling on our common sense. Their cuteness overrides logic and we bring into our homes an animal that leaks, whines, chews, and generally turns our lives upside down. And in the chaos that ensues, we maintain our sanity by clinging to the knowledge that it won’t always be like this.  Eventually, our pups will learn manners and good behavior and we can enjoy loving them and having them in our lives.   Pups don’t just “outgrow” most of their more challenging behaviors. The skills required for living with people don’t come naturally to them. Housebreaking, leash walking, and spending periods…

INTRODUCTION Housebreaking is simply teaching your dog/puppy to understand that you want him to relieve himself in a certain spot and getting him to accept the idea that he must wait to be taken to the spot or go there himself. Since this is the first “formal” training which you teach your puppy, housebreaking is the basis for your puppy’s future attitude toward training. This is the beginning of the teaching relationship with your puppy. Your housebreaking and future obedience training should be based on four important principals: PRAISE, PATIENCE, PERSEVERANCE AND CONSISTENCY Becoming angry with your puppy, hitting, shouting or using force may get rid of your anxiety but…

Always use a cage when you are not at home or cannot supervise your puppy. Always have a correction collar and leash on your dog when you can supervise him. Never carry your puppy. This will make jumping extremely hard to break. Keep him off of all furniture (only the leaders of the pack are allowed up). Never allow him to sleep in your bedroom (he is not your equal and shouldn’t sleep with you). Always feed after the family has eaten (the leader of the pack always eats first). Never initiate affection or petting unless you are giving a command first (i.e. sit for a pat on the head),…

I’m not quite sure why everyone is in a big hurry to let their puppy out of the crate to wander around the house or roam a certain room.  Puppies are immature until they are at least 18 months or a year and a half old.  Unconfined they will get into trouble. Puppies chew wires; steal things off tables or counters, as they self entertain.  Although training is important from a young age, even with training you really can’t leave a puppy/young dog up to its on volition until well over one year old; and some dogs need confinement even longer.   You wouldn’t gate your toddler in the kitchen by himself and take a shower, doing the same for a puppy is just…

Your puppy needs exercise and interaction with you. Playing with your pup is vital to his physical and mental development. However, because a pup’s body is growing and changing, certain types of “play” activities should be avoided. Different dog breeds and mixes of breeds have different energy levels and rates of growth; the growth plates in their joints close at different ages. Sustained vigorous running and jumping (even off the couch) can cause damage during the growth period. Focus instead on play that expends mental and physical energy without placing undue stress on your pup’s developing body.  Provide at least three structured play sessions per day and allow (or teach) your pup to rest in between.   Safety First  Don’t…

One of the most common issues raised in my puppy classes is “mouthing.” Like many puppy behaviors, mouthing is rooted in canine instinct. It is not inherently “bad” but like many instinctive behaviors it can become problematic in a dog sharing its life with humans.  In the wild, the other members of the pack would teach a pup if and when the behavior is useful or appropriate.  In the home, it is up to us to teach our pups how to channel and control their behaviors in acceptable ways.  You cannot allow your pup to mouth just because it is “natural.” Humans and dogs made that trade-off generations ago when dogs domesticated. Some natural and instinctive behaviors had to…

Puppies have a way of pulling on our heartstrings and pulling on our common sense. Their cuteness overrides logic and we bring into our homes an animal that leaks, whines, chews, and generally turns our lives upside down. And in the chaos that ensues, we maintain our sanity by clinging to the knowledge that it won’t always be like this.  Eventually, out pups will learn manners and good behavior and we can enjoy loving them and having them in our lives.    Pups don’t just “outgrow” most of their more challenging behaviors. The skills required for living with people don’t come naturally to them. Housebreaking, leash walking, and spending periods of the day alone are not…

Most young dogs are eager to please. They want to make you happy and yet their behavior very often achieves the opposite effect. You may wonder how your dog could possibly think that by stealing your shoes he will increase your happiness. The answer is simple: He’s a dog. HIs perspective is completely different from yours. He thinks he is livening up your dreadfully boring day by initiating a game of grab-the-shoe.  Until he is reliably trained, his choices will be based on trial and error and a flawed interpretation of desirable behavior. In the meantime, you must provide structure that limits his chances of making bad choices. When dogs stay with me for training, their day has a simple structure: Eat, drink, walk/play/train, crate time, repeat. This structure facilitates…

(and keeping mistakes to a minimum!)  If you have recently brought a puppy into your home, you have my congratulations and my sympathy. Congratulations, because raising a puppy will change your life! My sympathy because, well . . . raising a puppy will change your life.  Sure, the little guy will steal your heart. He will also steal your socks, your sandwich, your sleep, and if you are not careful, your sanity. Face it; your puppy is a ball of fur filled with pee, poop, energy, and curiosity. He has an alarming lack of impulse control and his primary means of exploring new discoveries is his mouth. He will lick, chew, or eat anything—regardless of whether it is disgusting, valuable, or dangerous.  He will run…

Teething is more likely to involve chewing on household items whereas play biting is a form of social play.  When your puppy is biting you, he is biting because he considers you ‘another puppy’ not an Alpha or leader.  If you are providing your dog with enough play, attention and exercise, this behavior should be a rare occurrence.  Teething on furniture etc. is a natural behavior in all puppies  Confinement and Attention  My puppies are crated when I am not paying attention to them.  They do not have the run of the house.  They come out at times when I can give them my undivided attention and that means no texting, television or…