Puppy Season, Part 2: Training & Chewing
Congratulations on your new furry family member! This is part 2 of our getting off to a good start tips for you and your new pup!
It is never too early to start training your pup, although at first, they do have very short attention spans. In my opinion, positive reinforcement is the most effective way to train. You can start with rewarding the puppy with a “yes!” and a treat (such as a piece of puppy kibble) when they do what you want, such as doing business outside. If the pup sits or lays down, you can say that command and offer a treat. If you are going to show a pup how to sit or lay down, it is best to gently guide them into position - don’t forget, you are much bigger than a puppy, and can easily intimidate them! Puppies are eager to please, and will want to get treats, so this will make training fairly easy. I recommend that sessions are kept short & happy for the pup. Set him up to be successful, and be ready to stop when he first starts to lose interest, or before! As the pup gets a bit older, you may consider taking him or her to formal training classes, which offer great advice and a good opportunity to socialize with other dogs. Training is a good investment in your relationship. What is cute in a 5 pound puppy will be a lot less charming in a 5o pound adult!
Puppies love to chew, and will chew on anything they can get their teeth on. It is up to the owner to set the boundaries, and train them in proper chewing behavior. There are many acceptable chew toys on the market to choose from, and it is good for the puppy’s mental stimulation to have several types of toys. If you catch the pup in the act of chewing something unacceptable, such as a table leg, tell him “no”, and lead him away from it. Offer him an appropriate chew toy, and praise for chewing it. During the teething phase, sometimes freezing a hard chew will help the pup relieve the pain from teething. During crate training, leaving the puppy some safe toys to chew and play with is a good idea, so they don’t get bored and cry for attention. There are also chew deterrents on the market, if the pup develops a particular liking for something you do not want him or her to chew.
On the topic of toys, there are literally hundreds of different kinds to choose from. The most important thing to remember is to choose a toy that is the right size for your pup, and if it is getting worn, it is probably time to take it away. You can save yourself some major vet bills if you do not let him or her eat peices of the toy! If the pup tends to destroy the soft squeaky toys, I recommend that those only be given for play when the pup can be supervised, and a safer chew substituted for unsupervised play, and when the pup gets serious about destroying the toy. Playtime is a good time to work in training commands like “drop it” and “leave it” - don’t forget to reward the obedience!
In Part 3, I’ll be offering suggestions on socialization, and dealing with night time whining.
It is never too early to start training your pup, although at first, they do have very short attention spans. In my opinion, positive reinforcement is the most effective way to train. You can start with rewarding the puppy with a “yes!” and a treat (such as a piece of puppy kibble) when they do what you want, such as doing business outside. If the pup sits or lays down, you can say that command and offer a treat. If you are going to show a pup how to sit or lay down, it is best to gently guide them into position - don’t forget, you are much bigger than a puppy, and can easily intimidate them! Puppies are eager to please, and will want to get treats, so this will make training fairly easy. I recommend that sessions are kept short & happy for the pup. Set him up to be successful, and be ready to stop when he first starts to lose interest, or before! As the pup gets a bit older, you may consider taking him or her to formal training classes, which offer great advice and a good opportunity to socialize with other dogs. Training is a good investment in your relationship. What is cute in a 5 pound puppy will be a lot less charming in a 5o pound adult!
Puppies love to chew, and will chew on anything they can get their teeth on. It is up to the owner to set the boundaries, and train them in proper chewing behavior. There are many acceptable chew toys on the market to choose from, and it is good for the puppy’s mental stimulation to have several types of toys. If you catch the pup in the act of chewing something unacceptable, such as a table leg, tell him “no”, and lead him away from it. Offer him an appropriate chew toy, and praise for chewing it. During the teething phase, sometimes freezing a hard chew will help the pup relieve the pain from teething. During crate training, leaving the puppy some safe toys to chew and play with is a good idea, so they don’t get bored and cry for attention. There are also chew deterrents on the market, if the pup develops a particular liking for something you do not want him or her to chew.
On the topic of toys, there are literally hundreds of different kinds to choose from. The most important thing to remember is to choose a toy that is the right size for your pup, and if it is getting worn, it is probably time to take it away. You can save yourself some major vet bills if you do not let him or her eat peices of the toy! If the pup tends to destroy the soft squeaky toys, I recommend that those only be given for play when the pup can be supervised, and a safer chew substituted for unsupervised play, and when the pup gets serious about destroying the toy. Playtime is a good time to work in training commands like “drop it” and “leave it” - don’t forget to reward the obedience!
In Part 3, I’ll be offering suggestions on socialization, and dealing with night time whining.
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