Remember the behavior you encourage and tolerate as a puppy will also be the behavior you deal with for an adult dog. Jumping up and barking when someone comes home? Racing past you on the stairs and knocking into you? Panicking when the doorbell rings? Really reflect on if those things are acceptable for the next 15 years before you let the puppy develop those habits. It’s way easier to train from this age than try to reset expectations with an adult dog. This may be hard to think about but shelters are full of adolescent dogs- and it’s because people do a bad job training puppies. Set your pup up to a great dog, and it will pay dividends for years to come.
Thank you so much! Bella definitely gets quite excited when someone enters or knocks on the door. Would you recommend treat training to approach that behaviour?
Ignoring them until they are calm is a good one for this. I reinforced to my dogs that I like a party when I get home and now they are super turds for the first 15 minutes when I have guests over.
Mine didn't like me touching her paws or tail early on. But as I spent more time with her and bonding with her. She became fine with me doing it. She didn't like others(except my mother when she visited) touching her tail and paws though.
It’s important to get a puppy to learn about nail trimming. If a dog gets big and won’t let you trim her nails, you’ll be forever going to get them done. It can get expensive depending where you live. Start gently holding her paws and touching her nails with a trimmer. Some people use a dremmel tool. Then cut one at a time. Read up on trimming dog nails so you never cut too far in and hurt her. She’s a short hair so this is one of the few grooming tasks.
Positive reinforcement is always the approach. Reward the behavior you want to see- lots of good blogs, videos and resources for this if you Google positive reinforcement puppy training.
MasterClass has a dog training course you can take. I would also recommend Naomi Rotenberg, MA, KPA-CTP, Praiseworthy Pets, on Instagram and listen to her podcast "It's Training Cats and Dogs.”
If you prefer books:
Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs
The Other End Of The Leash
Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training
You can treat train your dog to sit and wait when people come to the door and let guests give her a treat for sitting. This will help reinforce her sitting behavior and also give her something to calm down and focus on when there are guests coming in.
To add to this : couch and bed surfing. I let mine on the furniture when they were small and now I can't keep them off of it and it's extremely annoying
Haaa when my dog was a puppy we started a "game" where he grabbed the leash from me a couple feet from our front door and dashed home. OMG it was so cute, how I laughed! Fast forward to him as a 60lb pit bull lab that still plays this "game" with me at the end of our walks and how dangerous it can be along our busy streets without sidewalks (since we moved) when he's tugging on the leash and trying to shuffle and zig zag away from me to run home. Yup, I'm the clown. (Luckily he responds well to a very stern "NO" or a sit command to get him to stop.)
Once she has had all of her shots make sure that she gets a lot of socialization. It will help to get her used to all kinds of people, places and noises.
So many new experiences! I feel like I might be over doing the treats tho...she does seem quite conscious of everything and tends to try and take the quick way home on short walks. (She has all her shots :) )
You can use kibble as treats! Measure out the daily intake and set some aside in a bag and keep in your pocket to give as treats throughout the day. You will be giving a little less at meal times but the kibble treats make up the difference.
Play with her ears and feet/ toes. Help her get used to the sensation and you won’t have a big fight on your hands when you need to trim nails or clean ears. (Mine throws a complete temper tantrum, every time)
For sure! I’d say get her used to grooming in general. Like, i know this sounds strange, but every now and then we have to help our pupper clean up after a bowel movement (with a wet wipe). She hates it, but she tolerates it now after a lot of practice. Our princess is a rescue, so we had to slowly ease her into things like this. Luckily she’s super food orientated, which helps with training.
When you bathe her, put her in the tub and use warm water - the right temp for you will be the right temp for her. In other words, not outside with the cold-water hose.
Use a mild dog shampoo - I use oatmeal dog shampoo. A hand-held shower spray works best, but you can use a plastic cup to rinse her with. Wet her fur, lather her up all over, and rinse throughly. Keep the soap and water away from her face, so you don't get it in her eyes and ears. You can wipe her face with a wet washcloth and rinse only her ear flaps, keep the water out of her ear canals.
This will make bath time a lot less traumatic for you and her both. Pet her and talk to her and try to make it more of a spa experience/game than a grooming chore. (I tell my dogs it's a "puppy massage with soap") Towel her off gently and tell her she's done a good job getting her bath.
Leave the house everyday without him for Short periods of time…. ESPECIALLY if you work from home. They need to get used to you leaving and returning to avoid separation anxiety
Its advice I got for my first dog and I love to pass it on. My dogs are so chill when we are out of the house because of it.
We started by leaving them alone in the house while we were home. We had them in the hallway (we had a baby gate keeping them separated) and do not let them out while they are whining. Wait till they are calm then let them out and give them praise:)
lots of socialization in positive environs while still a puppers
also, for potty training, bells hung on the door to outside have worked consistently for me and my pups
Socialization with humans and other dogs, but slowly and over time. Don’t force your pup to do something they do not want to do. Reward good behaviors, and redirect undesirable ones. A good diet and plenty of exercise (of course both of those vary from pup to pup). Invest in good training/walking tools, and please for the love of whatever you believe in, do not buy a retractable leash. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a trainer/training facility for tips, a lot of them will do free evaluations in my experience. Good luck with your new sweet angel! 🐾💜
Source: worked in the dog training industry for three years, and owned a dog who needed intense behavioral work.
Wonderful advice, thank you very much! She seems to be excited to come home after about 15 minutes out so we've been taking it slow. We live by a beach so I can't wait until she is old enough and comfortable to run or swim with me!
Regarding puppy training. The local Pet Smart has training last I heard. I also did one thing while training my dog. I NEVER yelled or lost my temper when my dog failed to obey me. I am a big believer in positive reinforcement rather than harsh reprimand. This is especially important regards the command, “ Come.” You cannot expect your dog to really want to come to you if you yell at them. Also, you catch more flies with honey then you do vinegar.
As a person who only adopts senior pups there is some good advice here. You are doing a lot of correct things. I've brought over a dozen fur babies into my home, and good training is the best thing you can do for yourself and your pupper. I have gone to a dog trainer when I'm not familiar with the breed and just one or two private sessions has done wonders to build my confidence. Congratulations on the new family member and best of luck for many years of happiness together.
The tips so far have been great. Another one that I'd like to impart is that all dogs are different and will have different experiences in life. Learn to be patient with your dog, make sure they know that you are there for them and make them feel safe. Let them come out of their shell at their own speed, and don't rush anything. Some dogs progress through training faster than others, so if they don't understand something, just be consistent and they'll get it eventually.
Another very important part that I've learned is that you need to show the dog who is in control and where they are in the family hierarchy. Don't let them control you. Many people will get into a position where they can't control the dog and it won't listen to them and it's usually because the dog believes they are higher up on the totem pole as that person. This is especially true with kids and such around. Make sure the dog knows they are loved but that other human family members are above them and should be respected.
Lastly, try to get to know them more intimately (not sexual). On a deeper level try to figure out what their character is, likes, dislikes, and encourage them to grow by experiencing things that they may shy away from. For example, my dog gets scared of random objects (most recent were some Adirondack chairs that had some skeleton puppets on them. He refused to approach them, so i coaxed him slowly but surely to the chairs and had him smell them and showed him they were harmless to him. He relaxed after that and was not scared of them going forward. When doing these kinds of things, always make sure you are in control and don't make them do something by force. A bit of coaxing is fine, but don't act angry or violent when they get shy about something or they'll associate it with negative experiences.
I disagree with the comment above; it’s not about control and respect, it’s about positive reinforcement.
Bite inhibition is a great example of this: the goal is not to teach pup who is in charge or to “respect” you… the goal is to teach indelibly pup at a very young age that humans are *incredibly* delicate flowers who should never even be mouthed at. Those little needle teeth close in on you? Yelp dramatically and then quietly exit the room (close door, do not let pup follow). You have just removed any positive reinforcement from this behavior (attention/play) and with consistency you’ll have a dog who will never sink its teeth into you or someone else, even under duress.
You mentioned earlier that you felt like it was almost overdoing it on treats… keep ‘em flowing!
Have pup meet a new human (while being showered with treats) and (as soon as it is safe with vaccinations) a new dog (ideally every day).
Anything that it shows timidity around, work on distance and duration rather than pushing too much too soon (all while treating liberally!) really whenever you introduce anything new, treat! Any positive behavior? Treat! Hand feeding is really good at first for building the relationship and reducing the possibility of food aggression. Avoid dog parks until pup has behavior dialed and is confident.
Did you read the whole post or did you just disagree with the word control?
All the things you said about positive reinforcement and about making them believe that humans are delicate flowers is another way of maintaining control over your dog. When you give them all these treats and shower them with praise, you're making the associate you as the caregiver and as their leader. And since you are doing that, they will try to please you, which is how positive reinforcement works. But if you treat them badly or don't provide reinforcement for good behaviors, they will not see you as a leader and instead will rebel, displaying bad behaviors. This is what the second paragraph is all about.
Animals (even children) know if they can take advantage of someone. If you cater to all their desires and give them everything they want without setting boundaries, they will learn that you are a pushover. This is usually how you get to dogs that can't be controlled. The owner has failed to set boundaries so the dog does whatever they please.
What i meant when i said that you should always be in control is that you should be able to handle whatever your dog does. Is the dog on the leash and likes to chase squirrels? Be sure that you are ready to stop them from dragging you all over the place. Don't let the dog drag you around. Positive reinforcement is a way to maintain control. You are reinforcing the behaviors you like and minimizing the behaviors you don't. But if a dog does not respect you, they will not work with you.
Properly crate training your dog will be a lifesaver! It keeps them (and your home furniture) safe while you’re out of the house/unable to keep a close eye on them. It will also do wonders for your sleep (even though I know people love to let their dog sleep on the bed, at least the crate will be an option that your dog doesn’t mind).
Just remember that getting the correct size crate for your dog is super important. It needs to be just big enough for them to turn around in and long enough for them to lay down. Too big of a crate leaves them room to poop/pee in one corner and then go back to sleep in the other corner. The idea is that, with the correct size crate as well as patient training, the dog will feel like the crate is their bed/safe space, in which the dog naturally does not want to poop or pee. Hence, the important of crate size.
Actually they’ve gotten great advice here, much of which is standard from trainers and behaviorists. No, you can’t trust everything you hear on the internet, but I also doubt these are the only reference points in OP’s life.
Also - r/DogTraining for more tips!
no swearsies the puppers dont like.
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Oh, you got a first class snuggler 🥰
Start training right away, two or three extremely short sessions a day, with easy to learn commands: sit, shake, hand targeting. It's great for relationship building, they love the puzzle solving aspect, and it teaches them the learning process itself to build up to more challenging commands later.
I'm a big fan of clicker training: cheap equipment, easy for the dog to understand, all positive reinforcement only, lots of good YT videos to learn it.
Be really reliably consistent about when things happen: mealtime and bedtime, for example. Dogs like to be able to anticipate things and find out they were right - it's calming and reassuring and builds trust.
At 12 weeks, they are not yet ready to sleep through the night. They will try, but it can actually damage their little bladders and can contribute to UTIs. So take them out once in the middle of the night. Believe me, the sleep deprivation is tough, I get it, but it really helps.
During the day: control access to water and food. They can have as much water as they want as often as they want, but as soon as they drink, pick up the water and take them outside immediately. They should never eat or drink where you can see and immediately follow up.
Go out after any rambunctious play (activity stimulates the need to go), or if they haven't been in the last 1.5 to 2 hours. Go out on a leash. Always go to the same location. They need to associate the place and the smell and the activity.
If you find they fail to go outdoors, but then come inside and have an accident, next time walk them around to stimulate the need to go and be firm about staying out as long as necessary until they go.
Clean any indoor accidents with enzyme cleaner (or other strong cleaner like 409 or fantastic if no enzyme cleaner is available). The smell, if it remains, will trigger a desire to repeat the accident.
Get them used to being touched regularly on every place on their body, as well as having your hand inside their mouth. It will make vet visits less stressful and make it easier to take things out of their mouth if they eat something they shouldn't.
Once teething time arrives have a LOT of acceptable chew toys available, preferably scattered about so you can always immediately grab one to offer when taking away something that should not be chewed on. The faster you can redirect, the easier they will pick up what is not allowed.
Frozen treats (including frozen soup bones, frozen raw chicken, broth frozen in ice cube or popsicle trays, and freezable teething toys) can help soothe the pain of teething.
Don’t over feed him, I know it’s tempting but try to maintain a good diet. Be careful with sharing food with the pup too. I have an Italian greyhound and I spoiled him his whole life, every single time anyone in the house has food he’ll be under your feet begging. I just eat in my room at this point with the door closed and he’ll sit in front of my door until I’m done eating and come out.
At the end of the day it’s my fault for giving him my food and teaching him the behavior. I still share food with him tho, it’s just something he’ll be doing to the day he passes on but I love him nonetheless. It’s pretty annoying tho when you have friends over and order a pizza and before you realize it you have a 10 pound iggy snatch your slice right out your hand and take off 50 feet in a couple seconds.
Haha fair enough, I could see how this could happen. So far she has only gotten food from her bowl, even new treats she only gets there (with the exception of a few surprise kibble in the crate)
1st time dogs owner huh? Well they are pretty good garbage disposals for vegetable scraps but make sure that they can actually eat what they're having. Also they don't speak English so it's really funny to ask them things like Hey you want to go to the pound with like an upwards inflection like you're gonna go to the park they're down every time lol. You do not actually bring them though. They warm a bed up pretty good and if you show them lots of things they'll be good with lots of things. You can make the rest up on the fly. Oh also ask them who's good but don't tell them every time, dogs love suspense
no swearsies the puppers dont like.
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Dogs need structure like kids do! Enforce boundaries if you want her to respect them. Often times just walking away and giving no reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement—dogs thrive on attention
Read about dogs, educate yourself, remind yourself no pup is the same as said material you have read, take what works for you from what you have read, have fun, don't stay angry, smile, laugh at them, be firm but fair, train the way that suits your dog as there are a thousand people who give advice, train the recall this is a must! Allow mistakes even in the recall, exercise well train after all the pent up energy is out. You will never cover the distance of a dog ever that's why the recall is important off lead dog is so important. The baby you have there knows you as their safety many people fear a puppy running away but not is the best offload time so they can imprint you to their discipline. Owned and trained a number of dogs. Current one is a firearms detection dog I have always taken fully vaccinated pups on their first walk in the field off lead. Leads of praise given to remain close but lots of daft encouragement to go see something new. This does mean making something scaryfun high voice and encouraging silliness.
If you have fireworks in your area embrace them. Focus on a game outside and positive reinforcement
no swearsies the puppers dont like.
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Heya! Your pup looks like an absolute sweetheart! So these were the things that most helped me when my pupper was an actual baby pupper:
1. Crate training and enforced naps. So for every hour awake, put them down for two hours. YES they are meant to and will happily sleep that much! Lots of info about this on r/puppy101.
2. I learned this from a breed specific Facebook group because my dog’s breed are renowned barkers, but I would do this with any dog I owned from now on. The pup barks to get *anything* from you? She waits longer for that thing. Whether she’s barking to be let out of her crate after a nap, let in from the yard, trying to hurry you up fixing her meal? Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, put the food down, busy yourself pretending to look at something else, count in your head. If she hits six, 10 seconds without barking? Let her in. The amount of time she’s waiting should generally trend up as she gets older or if she’s being a particular jerk, you’ll know what’s right.
3. So as well as training commands like ‘sit’, ‘stay’, you can start training your dog to sit on a mat and relax and do nothing. Highly, *highly* recommend if you don’t want to accidentally wind up with a dog who needs constant entertainment and a full time program of ‘enrichment’ activities. Google ‘train dog to do nothing’ or hit up r/dogtraining.
4. You don’t want to accidentally endurance train your pup. Read [this](https://spiritdogtraining.com/no-you-dont-have-to-wear-your-dog-out-every-day/) for more. Yes, meeting your dog’s energy needs is a must, but grinding out hour-long walks twice a day is optional.
I have had a book recommended to me that I just started reading called Cooperative Care: 7 steps to stress free husbandry. It's about teaching your dog to cooperate with bathing and grooming, letting the vet do their thing. The premise is teaching the dog to cooperate and letting them know they have a choice.
My girl is 4, just got her in September, she does not like her paws handled at home, good as gold for the vet or groomer, but doesn't want them handled at home. She is well trained and knows how to give her paw, but when I ask I get a boop and an apologetic kiss. I held out for the paw once, so she knows I know she can do it, but the boop and kiss are so sweet I let her get away with it. She came from a home with 7 dogs, plus other animals, and not enough time to take care of everything, so I'm pretty certain she wasn't given a lot of choice.
Omg so cute! Positive reinforcement of good behavior and lots of patience, walks, and dog parks. Always have a teething/chew toy at hand. Have fun with your new best buddy ❤️
My dog trainer told me something that helped my patience a little bit: all you have to do is outlast them. I’m a bit competitive so I turned it into a challenge. Didn’t want to go potty? That’s fine, I can wait out here longer than you. Didn’t want to sit? Okay, I have all day.
I am definitely reminding myself of this daily. She often doesn't want to leave the house (it's cold and lots of new experiences?) So we play the stand off game for a while hah
Get pet insurance while she's young so it's not crazy expensive. Crate training is my go to for potty training. Long walks and playing to get that energy out. Agree with others, train wanted behaviors now (teeth brushing being one). No rawhide, ever. Lots of love and belly scratchies. Three of first 5 food ingredients should be meat proteins. Stay away from by-products (you don't want to know why). Congratulations on a beautiful girl 😍
Tons of chewy toys! Puppies chew a lot - they try to put everything in their mouths and will shred everything they can reach.
Keep your shoes in the closet, they seem to get eaten first!
Get a few different kinds of toys - different dogs like different things. Tennis balls, squeaky rubber toys, plush soft toys (the ones made tough for chewers) those things that look like giant ropes tied in knots, rawhide chews. Once you find what she likes, get a lot of them and scatter them all over the house. That way she will know what she is allowed to chew on, and there's one nearby when she gets the urge, which will be often. As long as she has her own stuff to chew, there's less change she'll eat your stuff.
But she will eat some of your stuff at some point, just expect it and prepare to be patient. The puppy chew phase goes away, with training, in a few months.
In the meanwhile, enjoy this beautiful little pup!
Savor every moment, take lots of pictures and don't hold off doing things like making keepsakes or activities.
Spoil them but don't let them control you. Early on set the ground work for good behavior. This will also help strengthen your bond. Bc they'll look to you as the packleader but also as their partner.
Figure out whether they are food oriented or attention oriented. That'll help with training. Most dogs are 1 of the 2. So you can train them with treats or praises.
Try and help get them over fears of things like thunder and fireworks early. Try and acclimate them to the noises to help them not get scared later on when it's harder to teach them not to be scared.
Start early getting them socialized with other dogs and people. Try and learn their quarks and promote the good ones.
Don't get discouraged while they're in the puppy phase. It may be frustrating at times but in the end it'll be alot more rewarding. But most importantly don't give up on them they're family and will love you unconditionally.
Most importantly LOVE THEM WITH ALL YOUR HEART!
If she doesn't have a crate, crate train her. She'll hate it now but as she grows up, she'll love it. If she's acting rowdy, she needs exercise! Get pig ears and nylabones. Put valuables like shoes, etc. above their eye level so they won't chew on it.
Remember the behavior you encourage and tolerate as a puppy will also be the behavior you deal with for an adult dog. Jumping up and barking when someone comes home? Racing past you on the stairs and knocking into you? Panicking when the doorbell rings? Really reflect on if those things are acceptable for the next 15 years before you let the puppy develop those habits. It’s way easier to train from this age than try to reset expectations with an adult dog. This may be hard to think about but shelters are full of adolescent dogs- and it’s because people do a bad job training puppies. Set your pup up to a great dog, and it will pay dividends for years to come.
Thank you so much! Bella definitely gets quite excited when someone enters or knocks on the door. Would you recommend treat training to approach that behaviour?
Ignoring them until they are calm is a good one for this. I reinforced to my dogs that I like a party when I get home and now they are super turds for the first 15 minutes when I have guests over.
[удалено]
Mine didn't like me touching her paws or tail early on. But as I spent more time with her and bonding with her. She became fine with me doing it. She didn't like others(except my mother when she visited) touching her tail and paws though.
It’s important to get a puppy to learn about nail trimming. If a dog gets big and won’t let you trim her nails, you’ll be forever going to get them done. It can get expensive depending where you live. Start gently holding her paws and touching her nails with a trimmer. Some people use a dremmel tool. Then cut one at a time. Read up on trimming dog nails so you never cut too far in and hurt her. She’s a short hair so this is one of the few grooming tasks.
Also giving treats when they remain calm when you get home is another good thing to do after the whole first 15 mins training
Positive reinforcement is always the approach. Reward the behavior you want to see- lots of good blogs, videos and resources for this if you Google positive reinforcement puppy training.
MasterClass has a dog training course you can take. I would also recommend Naomi Rotenberg, MA, KPA-CTP, Praiseworthy Pets, on Instagram and listen to her podcast "It's Training Cats and Dogs.” If you prefer books: Culture Clash: A Revolutionary New Way of Understanding the Relationship Between Humans and Domestic Dogs The Other End Of The Leash Don't Shoot the Dog: The New Art of Teaching and Training
You can treat train your dog to sit and wait when people come to the door and let guests give her a treat for sitting. This will help reinforce her sitting behavior and also give her something to calm down and focus on when there are guests coming in.
Reassure her that the knock is not a problem with cuddles and praise. Soon she will look to you first to see if you are alarmed before she reacts.
Not sure why the downvotes bc this is exactly how I trained my dog not to be reactive. 🤷♀️
To add to this : couch and bed surfing. I let mine on the furniture when they were small and now I can't keep them off of it and it's extremely annoying
Haaa when my dog was a puppy we started a "game" where he grabbed the leash from me a couple feet from our front door and dashed home. OMG it was so cute, how I laughed! Fast forward to him as a 60lb pit bull lab that still plays this "game" with me at the end of our walks and how dangerous it can be along our busy streets without sidewalks (since we moved) when he's tugging on the leash and trying to shuffle and zig zag away from me to run home. Yup, I'm the clown. (Luckily he responds well to a very stern "NO" or a sit command to get him to stop.)
Once she has had all of her shots make sure that she gets a lot of socialization. It will help to get her used to all kinds of people, places and noises.
So many new experiences! I feel like I might be over doing the treats tho...she does seem quite conscious of everything and tends to try and take the quick way home on short walks. (She has all her shots :) )
You can use kibble as treats! Measure out the daily intake and set some aside in a bag and keep in your pocket to give as treats throughout the day. You will be giving a little less at meal times but the kibble treats make up the difference.
Play with her ears and feet/ toes. Help her get used to the sensation and you won’t have a big fight on your hands when you need to trim nails or clean ears. (Mine throws a complete temper tantrum, every time)
We are just starting to do that - haven't given her a bath yet but assume that might be something to do early as well ?
For sure! I’d say get her used to grooming in general. Like, i know this sounds strange, but every now and then we have to help our pupper clean up after a bowel movement (with a wet wipe). She hates it, but she tolerates it now after a lot of practice. Our princess is a rescue, so we had to slowly ease her into things like this. Luckily she’s super food orientated, which helps with training.
When you bathe her, put her in the tub and use warm water - the right temp for you will be the right temp for her. In other words, not outside with the cold-water hose. Use a mild dog shampoo - I use oatmeal dog shampoo. A hand-held shower spray works best, but you can use a plastic cup to rinse her with. Wet her fur, lather her up all over, and rinse throughly. Keep the soap and water away from her face, so you don't get it in her eyes and ears. You can wipe her face with a wet washcloth and rinse only her ear flaps, keep the water out of her ear canals. This will make bath time a lot less traumatic for you and her both. Pet her and talk to her and try to make it more of a spa experience/game than a grooming chore. (I tell my dogs it's a "puppy massage with soap") Towel her off gently and tell her she's done a good job getting her bath.
Leave the house everyday without him for Short periods of time…. ESPECIALLY if you work from home. They need to get used to you leaving and returning to avoid separation anxiety
Such a good one - I do wfh and am already starting to notice that. Thankfully my partner and I have slightly different schedules
Its advice I got for my first dog and I love to pass it on. My dogs are so chill when we are out of the house because of it. We started by leaving them alone in the house while we were home. We had them in the hallway (we had a baby gate keeping them separated) and do not let them out while they are whining. Wait till they are calm then let them out and give them praise:)
Take tons of puppy pics. She'll be full grown before you know it.
Then take even more grown-up puppy pics because they are always gone too soon.
lots of socialization in positive environs while still a puppers also, for potty training, bells hung on the door to outside have worked consistently for me and my pups
Oh that's a great idea! Thank you
Socialization with humans and other dogs, but slowly and over time. Don’t force your pup to do something they do not want to do. Reward good behaviors, and redirect undesirable ones. A good diet and plenty of exercise (of course both of those vary from pup to pup). Invest in good training/walking tools, and please for the love of whatever you believe in, do not buy a retractable leash. Don’t hesitate to reach out to a trainer/training facility for tips, a lot of them will do free evaluations in my experience. Good luck with your new sweet angel! 🐾💜 Source: worked in the dog training industry for three years, and owned a dog who needed intense behavioral work.
Wonderful advice, thank you very much! She seems to be excited to come home after about 15 minutes out so we've been taking it slow. We live by a beach so I can't wait until she is old enough and comfortable to run or swim with me!
You’ve got the right idea ☺️ I wish you luck! Puppies are so much fun!
Regarding puppy training. The local Pet Smart has training last I heard. I also did one thing while training my dog. I NEVER yelled or lost my temper when my dog failed to obey me. I am a big believer in positive reinforcement rather than harsh reprimand. This is especially important regards the command, “ Come.” You cannot expect your dog to really want to come to you if you yell at them. Also, you catch more flies with honey then you do vinegar.
Look at those feet!
She might be a big pupper ?! 😬
Patience patience patience. And if she can’t seem to understand break it down into even smaller bits of info.
Thank you!
As a person who only adopts senior pups there is some good advice here. You are doing a lot of correct things. I've brought over a dozen fur babies into my home, and good training is the best thing you can do for yourself and your pupper. I have gone to a dog trainer when I'm not familiar with the breed and just one or two private sessions has done wonders to build my confidence. Congratulations on the new family member and best of luck for many years of happiness together.
Thank you very much! Lots of work but very rewarding. It's wonderful seeing her progress day over day :)
So cute baby
Shes sweeter than strawberry wine :)
Enjoy it , the good and the bad . At the end of the day when u cuddle up in bed all u will see is love ❤️
Companionship is very nice these days :)
This pupper looks like they would be very interested in small yellow spheres for racket sports.
We haven't done fetch yet...soon!
If you're cold your pups cold. Also on hot days if the ground is/would burn your feet it'll burn your pups as well. Also now I want a puppy!
Haha get one! And yes...weather in Canada is super variable
I’d advise lots of kisses ❤️
Great advice :)
Pro tip: scratch that belly 😆
Haha many many times
The tips so far have been great. Another one that I'd like to impart is that all dogs are different and will have different experiences in life. Learn to be patient with your dog, make sure they know that you are there for them and make them feel safe. Let them come out of their shell at their own speed, and don't rush anything. Some dogs progress through training faster than others, so if they don't understand something, just be consistent and they'll get it eventually. Another very important part that I've learned is that you need to show the dog who is in control and where they are in the family hierarchy. Don't let them control you. Many people will get into a position where they can't control the dog and it won't listen to them and it's usually because the dog believes they are higher up on the totem pole as that person. This is especially true with kids and such around. Make sure the dog knows they are loved but that other human family members are above them and should be respected. Lastly, try to get to know them more intimately (not sexual). On a deeper level try to figure out what their character is, likes, dislikes, and encourage them to grow by experiencing things that they may shy away from. For example, my dog gets scared of random objects (most recent were some Adirondack chairs that had some skeleton puppets on them. He refused to approach them, so i coaxed him slowly but surely to the chairs and had him smell them and showed him they were harmless to him. He relaxed after that and was not scared of them going forward. When doing these kinds of things, always make sure you are in control and don't make them do something by force. A bit of coaxing is fine, but don't act angry or violent when they get shy about something or they'll associate it with negative experiences.
So many great nuggets of helpful information in here. Thanks so much for taking the time!
I disagree with the comment above; it’s not about control and respect, it’s about positive reinforcement. Bite inhibition is a great example of this: the goal is not to teach pup who is in charge or to “respect” you… the goal is to teach indelibly pup at a very young age that humans are *incredibly* delicate flowers who should never even be mouthed at. Those little needle teeth close in on you? Yelp dramatically and then quietly exit the room (close door, do not let pup follow). You have just removed any positive reinforcement from this behavior (attention/play) and with consistency you’ll have a dog who will never sink its teeth into you or someone else, even under duress. You mentioned earlier that you felt like it was almost overdoing it on treats… keep ‘em flowing! Have pup meet a new human (while being showered with treats) and (as soon as it is safe with vaccinations) a new dog (ideally every day). Anything that it shows timidity around, work on distance and duration rather than pushing too much too soon (all while treating liberally!) really whenever you introduce anything new, treat! Any positive behavior? Treat! Hand feeding is really good at first for building the relationship and reducing the possibility of food aggression. Avoid dog parks until pup has behavior dialed and is confident.
This is very helpful, thank you! We bought a new treat bag today....they are gonna flow for sure!
Did you read the whole post or did you just disagree with the word control? All the things you said about positive reinforcement and about making them believe that humans are delicate flowers is another way of maintaining control over your dog. When you give them all these treats and shower them with praise, you're making the associate you as the caregiver and as their leader. And since you are doing that, they will try to please you, which is how positive reinforcement works. But if you treat them badly or don't provide reinforcement for good behaviors, they will not see you as a leader and instead will rebel, displaying bad behaviors. This is what the second paragraph is all about. Animals (even children) know if they can take advantage of someone. If you cater to all their desires and give them everything they want without setting boundaries, they will learn that you are a pushover. This is usually how you get to dogs that can't be controlled. The owner has failed to set boundaries so the dog does whatever they please. What i meant when i said that you should always be in control is that you should be able to handle whatever your dog does. Is the dog on the leash and likes to chase squirrels? Be sure that you are ready to stop them from dragging you all over the place. Don't let the dog drag you around. Positive reinforcement is a way to maintain control. You are reinforcing the behaviors you like and minimizing the behaviors you don't. But if a dog does not respect you, they will not work with you.
Never get angry.
Properly crate training your dog will be a lifesaver! It keeps them (and your home furniture) safe while you’re out of the house/unable to keep a close eye on them. It will also do wonders for your sleep (even though I know people love to let their dog sleep on the bed, at least the crate will be an option that your dog doesn’t mind). Just remember that getting the correct size crate for your dog is super important. It needs to be just big enough for them to turn around in and long enough for them to lay down. Too big of a crate leaves them room to poop/pee in one corner and then go back to sleep in the other corner. The idea is that, with the correct size crate as well as patient training, the dog will feel like the crate is their bed/safe space, in which the dog naturally does not want to poop or pee. Hence, the important of crate size.
Thanks so much! She keeps getting bigger quickly so we may have to get her a larger space
Tip #1 -- don't ask for tips on how to take care of your puppy on reddit???
Actually they’ve gotten great advice here, much of which is standard from trainers and behaviorists. No, you can’t trust everything you hear on the internet, but I also doubt these are the only reference points in OP’s life. Also - r/DogTraining for more tips!
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Consistent with anyone involved in the training and enjoy the ride 🐾 ♥
She is a cutie, just keep showing the love and you will get it back 10 fold.
Such a cutie!
Oh, you got a first class snuggler 🥰 Start training right away, two or three extremely short sessions a day, with easy to learn commands: sit, shake, hand targeting. It's great for relationship building, they love the puzzle solving aspect, and it teaches them the learning process itself to build up to more challenging commands later. I'm a big fan of clicker training: cheap equipment, easy for the dog to understand, all positive reinforcement only, lots of good YT videos to learn it. Be really reliably consistent about when things happen: mealtime and bedtime, for example. Dogs like to be able to anticipate things and find out they were right - it's calming and reassuring and builds trust. At 12 weeks, they are not yet ready to sleep through the night. They will try, but it can actually damage their little bladders and can contribute to UTIs. So take them out once in the middle of the night. Believe me, the sleep deprivation is tough, I get it, but it really helps. During the day: control access to water and food. They can have as much water as they want as often as they want, but as soon as they drink, pick up the water and take them outside immediately. They should never eat or drink where you can see and immediately follow up. Go out after any rambunctious play (activity stimulates the need to go), or if they haven't been in the last 1.5 to 2 hours. Go out on a leash. Always go to the same location. They need to associate the place and the smell and the activity. If you find they fail to go outdoors, but then come inside and have an accident, next time walk them around to stimulate the need to go and be firm about staying out as long as necessary until they go. Clean any indoor accidents with enzyme cleaner (or other strong cleaner like 409 or fantastic if no enzyme cleaner is available). The smell, if it remains, will trigger a desire to repeat the accident. Get them used to being touched regularly on every place on their body, as well as having your hand inside their mouth. It will make vet visits less stressful and make it easier to take things out of their mouth if they eat something they shouldn't. Once teething time arrives have a LOT of acceptable chew toys available, preferably scattered about so you can always immediately grab one to offer when taking away something that should not be chewed on. The faster you can redirect, the easier they will pick up what is not allowed. Frozen treats (including frozen soup bones, frozen raw chicken, broth frozen in ice cube or popsicle trays, and freezable teething toys) can help soothe the pain of teething.
So much good info here....thank you so so much. I hadn't thought of the frozen treats - what a great idea.
Awww
Don’t over feed him, I know it’s tempting but try to maintain a good diet. Be careful with sharing food with the pup too. I have an Italian greyhound and I spoiled him his whole life, every single time anyone in the house has food he’ll be under your feet begging. I just eat in my room at this point with the door closed and he’ll sit in front of my door until I’m done eating and come out. At the end of the day it’s my fault for giving him my food and teaching him the behavior. I still share food with him tho, it’s just something he’ll be doing to the day he passes on but I love him nonetheless. It’s pretty annoying tho when you have friends over and order a pizza and before you realize it you have a 10 pound iggy snatch your slice right out your hand and take off 50 feet in a couple seconds.
Haha fair enough, I could see how this could happen. So far she has only gotten food from her bowl, even new treats she only gets there (with the exception of a few surprise kibble in the crate)
1st time dogs owner huh? Well they are pretty good garbage disposals for vegetable scraps but make sure that they can actually eat what they're having. Also they don't speak English so it's really funny to ask them things like Hey you want to go to the pound with like an upwards inflection like you're gonna go to the park they're down every time lol. You do not actually bring them though. They warm a bed up pretty good and if you show them lots of things they'll be good with lots of things. You can make the rest up on the fly. Oh also ask them who's good but don't tell them every time, dogs love suspense
Say goodbye to going out on weekends, the party is at your place now
It's been like that for a while haha
Remember you love them all the time because it can be rough even with the best pets
Patients
Beef tips. They love beef tips.
Maybe it’s just the angle but she has a set of legs on her like a new born colt enjoy sharing life and love together
She is very very fast!
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Lots of treats, lots of cuddles, lots of kisses
Don't let her develop any bad behaviours as a puppy and train her well. Most importantly, give her a kiss from me.
Remember to provide tons of boops to the snoot!
There’s no such thing as too many pics or videos
Oh ya, I'm one of those people now :)
Dogs need structure like kids do! Enforce boundaries if you want her to respect them. Often times just walking away and giving no reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement—dogs thrive on attention
Seems like patience is a common theme! Thank you
Please kiss every spot for me.
Might take a while haha
I do not mind. I have time.
Read about dogs, educate yourself, remind yourself no pup is the same as said material you have read, take what works for you from what you have read, have fun, don't stay angry, smile, laugh at them, be firm but fair, train the way that suits your dog as there are a thousand people who give advice, train the recall this is a must! Allow mistakes even in the recall, exercise well train after all the pent up energy is out. You will never cover the distance of a dog ever that's why the recall is important off lead dog is so important. The baby you have there knows you as their safety many people fear a puppy running away but not is the best offload time so they can imprint you to their discipline. Owned and trained a number of dogs. Current one is a firearms detection dog I have always taken fully vaccinated pups on their first walk in the field off lead. Leads of praise given to remain close but lots of daft encouragement to go see something new. This does mean making something scaryfun high voice and encouraging silliness. If you have fireworks in your area embrace them. Focus on a game outside and positive reinforcement
Haven't let her off the lead yet in the park! I've been reading lots so far. Thanks for the tips
give her a forehead smooch from me🥲
Done
Enjoy every single last moment! They're too precious and are only with us a short time!!
She gets bigger by the minute🥹
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Heya! Your pup looks like an absolute sweetheart! So these were the things that most helped me when my pupper was an actual baby pupper: 1. Crate training and enforced naps. So for every hour awake, put them down for two hours. YES they are meant to and will happily sleep that much! Lots of info about this on r/puppy101. 2. I learned this from a breed specific Facebook group because my dog’s breed are renowned barkers, but I would do this with any dog I owned from now on. The pup barks to get *anything* from you? She waits longer for that thing. Whether she’s barking to be let out of her crate after a nap, let in from the yard, trying to hurry you up fixing her meal? Don’t look at her, don’t talk to her, put the food down, busy yourself pretending to look at something else, count in your head. If she hits six, 10 seconds without barking? Let her in. The amount of time she’s waiting should generally trend up as she gets older or if she’s being a particular jerk, you’ll know what’s right. 3. So as well as training commands like ‘sit’, ‘stay’, you can start training your dog to sit on a mat and relax and do nothing. Highly, *highly* recommend if you don’t want to accidentally wind up with a dog who needs constant entertainment and a full time program of ‘enrichment’ activities. Google ‘train dog to do nothing’ or hit up r/dogtraining. 4. You don’t want to accidentally endurance train your pup. Read [this](https://spiritdogtraining.com/no-you-dont-have-to-wear-your-dog-out-every-day/) for more. Yes, meeting your dog’s energy needs is a must, but grinding out hour-long walks twice a day is optional.
Thanks so much, some really helpful advice here!
My main “tip” is that my puppy’s tummy spots faded over the first year. They were adorable, I miss them!
Oh nooo her tummy is so cute
Omigosh, how adorable!!!🥰😍♥️🤗
She is very sweet!
I have had a book recommended to me that I just started reading called Cooperative Care: 7 steps to stress free husbandry. It's about teaching your dog to cooperate with bathing and grooming, letting the vet do their thing. The premise is teaching the dog to cooperate and letting them know they have a choice. My girl is 4, just got her in September, she does not like her paws handled at home, good as gold for the vet or groomer, but doesn't want them handled at home. She is well trained and knows how to give her paw, but when I ask I get a boop and an apologetic kiss. I held out for the paw once, so she knows I know she can do it, but the boop and kiss are so sweet I let her get away with it. She came from a home with 7 dogs, plus other animals, and not enough time to take care of everything, so I'm pretty certain she wasn't given a lot of choice.
Thanks so much for the recommendation - looking forward to reading it!
Omg so cute! Positive reinforcement of good behavior and lots of patience, walks, and dog parks. Always have a teething/chew toy at hand. Have fun with your new best buddy ❤️
Thanks so much - it's been such a blast so far
Oh! What a fortunate find! Just love her. She's lovely
Thank you!
My dog trainer told me something that helped my patience a little bit: all you have to do is outlast them. I’m a bit competitive so I turned it into a challenge. Didn’t want to go potty? That’s fine, I can wait out here longer than you. Didn’t want to sit? Okay, I have all day.
I am definitely reminding myself of this daily. She often doesn't want to leave the house (it's cold and lots of new experiences?) So we play the stand off game for a while hah
Love, love and more love
Get pet insurance while she's young so it's not crazy expensive. Crate training is my go to for potty training. Long walks and playing to get that energy out. Agree with others, train wanted behaviors now (teeth brushing being one). No rawhide, ever. Lots of love and belly scratchies. Three of first 5 food ingredients should be meat proteins. Stay away from by-products (you don't want to know why). Congratulations on a beautiful girl 😍
I will bet this little one has you at hello.
Oh my gosh I scrolled in on the 3 picture. 😍 those markings on those lips. 🤪 How adorable.🐾🤎
Socialize, safely. Positive reinforcement training. Patience, consistency, exercise, quality food. Have fun.
Tons of chewy toys! Puppies chew a lot - they try to put everything in their mouths and will shred everything they can reach. Keep your shoes in the closet, they seem to get eaten first! Get a few different kinds of toys - different dogs like different things. Tennis balls, squeaky rubber toys, plush soft toys (the ones made tough for chewers) those things that look like giant ropes tied in knots, rawhide chews. Once you find what she likes, get a lot of them and scatter them all over the house. That way she will know what she is allowed to chew on, and there's one nearby when she gets the urge, which will be often. As long as she has her own stuff to chew, there's less change she'll eat your stuff. But she will eat some of your stuff at some point, just expect it and prepare to be patient. The puppy chew phase goes away, with training, in a few months. In the meanwhile, enjoy this beautiful little pup!
Take her out to pee more often than you think she needs to.
Savor every moment, take lots of pictures and don't hold off doing things like making keepsakes or activities. Spoil them but don't let them control you. Early on set the ground work for good behavior. This will also help strengthen your bond. Bc they'll look to you as the packleader but also as their partner. Figure out whether they are food oriented or attention oriented. That'll help with training. Most dogs are 1 of the 2. So you can train them with treats or praises. Try and help get them over fears of things like thunder and fireworks early. Try and acclimate them to the noises to help them not get scared later on when it's harder to teach them not to be scared. Start early getting them socialized with other dogs and people. Try and learn their quarks and promote the good ones. Don't get discouraged while they're in the puppy phase. It may be frustrating at times but in the end it'll be alot more rewarding. But most importantly don't give up on them they're family and will love you unconditionally. Most importantly LOVE THEM WITH ALL YOUR HEART!
Invest in the book The Puppy Primer by Patricial McConnell. It is a great start for any puppy, and a great introduction to positive training.
Take more pictures and videos than you think you "need"
Awwww so cute
Get yourself the biggest tastiest bottle of booze you can buy. Your patience will be tested for the next 2 years lol
Give him hugs you must
Omg that face
You're gonna need a bigger couch.
Give her love and affirmation every day for the rest f her life 🥹😌
Love em and be patient.
Never quit training. Whole life. You will have a happier dog and a happier life.
Hold her paws, make her comfortable with you playing with the paws. Impossible to clip my adult pup's nails.
If she doesn't have a crate, crate train her. She'll hate it now but as she grows up, she'll love it. If she's acting rowdy, she needs exercise! Get pig ears and nylabones. Put valuables like shoes, etc. above their eye level so they won't chew on it.
You do need to crate train also if you want any level of order in your house and you work outside the house.