Like babies, puppies also learn from their human parents. But you must put in an effort to train your puppy when you bring it home. Obedience training can help your puppy adapt good behaviors and become a well-rounded adult dog. Click here for obedience training information.
Techniques to Train Your Puppy by Age
Many pet parents are confused about when they can start using different cues for their dogs or start house-training. Below is a basic puppy training schedule that you can follow:
One common sign of Puggle potty accidents: disobedience or anxiety is urinating and going to the bathroom in the house. Even if they are house-trained, anxious dogs often get so worked up that they poop or pee in the house.
You should:
- Talk to your vet about over-the-counter ways to calm your pet.
- Ask the vet to write you a prescription for a drug that will help you relax.
- To stop your dog from doing too much damage, put it in a room with windows and toys.
7-8 Weeks Old
You can start teaching your dog basic cues like come, stay, and sit.
- Use a cue like “sit” once
- Use a treat to get your dog into the sitting position
- Once your puppy sits, give it the treat and pet it.
Leash Training: You can begin leash training in the house at 7-8 weeks. Since your puppy will not be vaccinated, it will be unsafe to take them outside. Start by allowing your dog to wear the collar or harness for small amounts of time while giving them treats. You can increase this time slowly. Once the puppy learns how to come to you, you can walk the puppy around the house. You can shift the training outside once the dog is vaccinated.
General Handling: You can get your puppy used to be touched. You can gently rub its paws and ears while rewarding it. This behavior will get them used to those areas being touched, making vet visits a little easy.
8-10 Weeks
Crate Training: The crate should be a calm and safe place for your puppy. You can provide crate training by bringing it to its crate for 10-minute intervals when it is calm. Reward the pup when it goes into the crate. You can even feed your puppy in the crate to create a positive environment.
10-12 Weeks
Puppies start biting things at this age. They explore the world and things around them by putting things in their mouths. This includes your hands and feet as well. While this is normal behavior, it is important to teach your pup not to bite your ankles and hands. You can redirect your puppy to an appropriate object to bite when they start biting you. This could be a toy or a bone.
12-16 Weeks
This is when you can potty train your dog. Maintaining a schedule is critical to successfully potty training your dog. Ensure you take your pup out first thing in the morning, after playtime, and after eating or naps. By this age, your puppy will have enough bladder control to learn to hold it in. Give your puppy a treat every time they go out to the bathroom.
6 Months
By 6 months, your puppy will enter its adolescence age. This is the most difficult age to begin any training. That is why it is important to begin training at a much younger age. You can continue training your pet to strengthen its skills in more distracting settings like dog parks.
Advanced Commands: You can use advanced commands and practice them outside your home at this age. Take the puppy to a new location and practice different commands by combining them. You can introduce distance, distractions, and duration to their command work as your pup gets better at understanding these commands.
Extended Walks: As your puppy gets used to the leash training, you can extend your walks from around the block to a little further. You can also teach your puppy the heel command at this stage.
6 Months – 1 Year
By this age, your puppy will know all the basic commands. They will also be potty trained, have crate training, and socialize with other animals.
Reinforce All Commands: By now, your puppy will identify all your commands. Introduce more distance between both of you and practice the commands. Hold the commands for a longer time. You can even challenge your dog by taking them to crowded areas with different distractions.
Maintain the Structure and Routine at Home: Your puppy is an adolescent at this stage and will act up if ignored. It can start nibbling on things, chewing, or experiencing potty accidents when things get easy at home. You may also notice regression in your dog’s training temporarily during this age. You must stick to your routine and training schedule to help your dog get over this stage quickly.
While training your pup can feel like fun, getting professional help can make the entire process smooth. You can contact Off Leash K9 Phoenix if you want to train your pup. They offer obedience training and provide dog behavior consultations as well as training for dog owners as well.
