Category Archives for "Puppies"

How to Train a Puppy During Your First 30 Days

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Puppies

Bringing a puppy home for the first time is a fun and exciting occasion. That is, until reality sets in, and you realize that you have quite a bit of work on your hands when it comes to house training and stopping a brand-new puppy from chewing and barking.

The first 30 days are the most critical when it comes to how to train a puppy after introducing it to your home. These 30 days will make or break the relationship you have with your pet for the rest of its life. The good news is that you can use helpful training tips to greatly reduce a number of common behavioral issues in new puppies, like:

  • Biting
  • Chewing
  • Barking
  • Housetraining accidents

But where to begin? You must start training your puppy from day one. To train a puppy, you need to communicate in a way that it can understand – which is always in the moment. A puppy can only learn by what you reinforce with a reward or when you punish it for doing something wrong.

Chewing: If your puppy is playful and spends time playing with its new toys, you can use that opportunity to reinforce. Give a treat and lots of praise and petting to show your puppy that its good behavior has been rewarded.

On the other hand, if your puppy starts to chew on your sofa, punishment is important to stop the behavior in its tracks. Punish by saying an “AHH!” word to startle it and redirect attention to a chew toy. Once the puppy starts chewing on the toy, reward it immediately.

 

Housetraining: The only way to stop a puppy from soiling in the house is to catch it in the act. This is then the opportunity to punish by startling the puppy in the same way with an “AHH!” word and then take it outside. Once the puppy successfully uses the toilet outside, it should be rewarded with a treat, praise, and petting each time.

Crate training can be used to effectively establish a housetraining routine for your puppy. Puppies naturally won’t want to soil their sleeping area, so keeping your puppy temporarily crated will make it easier to place it on a toilet schedule. When your puppy doesn’t soil the crate and instead uses the toilet outdoors, praise and reward to reinforce this action.

Biting and Barking: In order to avoid aggressive behavior toward humans and dogs, your puppy must be socialized as soon as possible. Then it can learn how to interact with other dogs and humans of all sizes. This can be best done by taking puppy training classes and even spending time in front of a public place like the supermarket so that your puppy can learn to meet strangers.

Once again, reward all good behavioral interactions immediately; punish the puppy by startling and redirecting attention when you catch it in the act of biting or barking at a stranger.

It’s important not to punish your puppy with hitting or harsh words. Instead, focus most on rewarding good behavior and use the startling technique to redirect and punish bad behavior.

 How to Train a Puppy: 3 Important Rules

Timing: As you learn how to train a puppy, keep in mind that timing is of the utmost importance. Make sure to tackle the task of training within at least the first 30 days after bringing your puppy home. If you put it off, your puppy is going to dominate your house and further solidify any bad behaviors it has learned.

Even though you may want to cuddle with and pamper your puppy, training from day one in your home is critical. When it comes to timing to train a puppy, make sure you steer clear of training if your puppy is overly excited, tired, or exploring. If you don’t have the complete attention of your puppy, you will be wasting your time in your training sessions.

  • Balanced Diet: What does a balanced diet have to do with how to train a puppy? Everything!  If you’re giving your puppy table scraps regularly, not only will this affect its health, but it will cause it to have serious problems with household accidents.

Feed your puppy high quality, nutritious dog food three times a day; reduce feedings to twice a day as the puppy grows older. This regular feeding will make a puppy’s bathroom use more predictable so that you can schedule times to take it outside to prevent accidents.

  • Short and Sweet: When it comes to how to train a puppy to sit, heel, or go outside to use the bathroom, you can liken your puppy to a small child. Puppies have a short attention span of only 5 to 10 minutes. Use these short blocks of time to train a puppy two to three times per day for the best results.

So … What’s next?

Here at the Dog Trick Academy we’re a bunch of dog lovers who enjoy helping new dog owners like you, learn how to train their dog. And we don’t limit ourselves to the basics, oh no, we train all sorts of cool tricks and behaviors that would make your friends amazed.

For more information on how you can start training your dog today, visit our Dog Forum!

How to Take Care of a Dog

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Puppies , Tips

Are you a new dog owner looking for information on how to take care of a dog? I have written this short article specifically for you so that you can give him the care and love that he needs to thrive in your home and bring you as much joy as possible.

Food
Food is among the most basic necessity to take care of a dog. Puppies eat two or three times a day and grown dogs eat usually once or twice a day. You should feed your animal a high quality dog food, preferably the hard kibble to help keep his teeth clean. Dogs don’t need variety in their diet but for a treat you can offer occasional fruits or vegetables. Avoid feeding table scraps as these can be unhealthy. Chocolate should be avoided at all costs as it is poisonous for dogs in large quantities.

Shelter
Your dog needs a safe, dry place to sleep at night and during the day. If your dog stays inside, invest in a bed that is the right size for your him and put it somewhere that is out of the way and comfortable. Dogs can also be content to sleep in a crate if they are crate trained, but place a towel or mat into the crate to help them stay comfortable.

If your dog is an outside dog, think carefully about the amount of care they are receiving. Many outside dogs aren’t as comfortable and content as they should be. Your dog should have shelter in the form of a dog house, and plenty of fresh water. Watch weather conditions carefully and if possible, allow your dog to spend the night inside your home or garage for its safety.

Hygiene
Dogs need to be cleaned and cared for. Regular baths will help with shedding and unpleasant odors. Trim your dog’s nails on a regular basis to avoid painful breaks or scratches. Long haired animals should be groomed frequently to prevent matting and to keep shedding to a minimum. You should also pay attention to the dog’s teeth. Certain bones, food and chew toys help keep dog teeth clean, but you might also consider brushing them if your dog is comfortable with it.

Health
As the owner of a dog, it is your responsibility to keep him healthy. Take him to the vet regularly to stay current on shots and flea medicine. The vet can also give you advice about feedings and grooming. You should prevent any dangers to your animal such as removing or avoiding certain plants, foods or household items that can harm him.

Love
Finally, dogs need love and attention. Your dog will love you unconditionally, and expects love and attention in return. Part of loving your animal is training him regularly. Once he knows your expectations, he will be more content and the two of you can live together in happy harmony.

It is rather easy to take care of a dog once you know how, and if you have any questions or comments please leave it below and I will try to address it to the best of my abilities.

Getting a Puppy

By Sally Gutteridge | Posts , Puppies

Getting a puppy is an exciting addition to a family. They are adorable and warm. They snuggle and cuddle and seem to do everything right. Unfortunately, this is not all there is to puppies. Getting a puppy is a lot of work, and they don’t stay little and cute forever.

If you are thinking about getting a puppy, I highly recommend that you read this article.

Time
The first major consideration for getting a puppy is the time you have to dedicate to it. If you are working long hours, it is not fair to leave your new puppy alone at home. Your puppy will need frequent attention and love and you simply can’t meet its needs if you are not present.

Puppies also require a lot of training and retraining to develop skills necessary to live in your home peacefully. Getting your new puppy housebroken is only the first step in teaching your animal to coexist correctly, so be sure you are ready to dedicate the time it takes to do so properly.

Energy
Puppies have a great deal of energy. They play hard and sleep hard. Many puppies need to exercise and explore frequently to use up their boundless energy and have a chance to eliminate outdoors. That means that you will most likely be heading out the door with your puppy quite a few times during the day.

Commitment
Getting a puppy is just the beginning of a long-term commitment to pet ownership. Puppies are cute and often get away with misbehavior. A full-grown animal doesn’t usually get the same treatment. So, if you’re getting a puppy, be ready to commit yourself to his training and care for the next ten to fifteen years. It’s simply not fair to the puppy to do otherwise.

If you are getting the puppy for a child, you must still be ready to care for the animal. It is rare that a child is able to correctly handle a puppy, and the child will often lose interest in going for walks and will need help with the training.

Patience
Puppies have a lot to learn and they are not always fast learners. Patience is absolutely essential when dealing with a puppy. You can expect to take two steps forward and one step back on every new skill or correction. If you are not blessed with patience, perhaps consider a pet that requires less handling or consider adopting an animal that is already trained from a shelter. Those animals are definitely in need of a good home.

Interested in Labradors or looking for Lab Puppies?

By Jean Cote | Breeds , Posts , Puppies

So, you think that you may be interested in the Labrador breed or looking for lab puppies? In this article you will find more information about this great breed and whether or not it is the right breed for you.

To give you a better understanding of the Labrador breed, it is necessary to learn the origins of this breed. Labradors are originally from Newfoundland and named after the Labrador Sea. They were bred to work with fishermen to retrieve fishnets and other tasks involving swimming in the sea. A unique trait of Labradors is their webbed paws; they allow them to swim faster and easier than most other breeds.

Young lab puppies are one of the friendliest breeds to have as a family dog. They are easy to train and you don’t need to be an expert trainer to train them. All you have to do is put in your time and efforts and your Labrador will do his best to please you.

Labradors need lots of activity and exercise, so if you have very long work hours this energetic breed might not be the best for you. They strive if you have an active lifestyle and want to bring your dog with you. For example, your lab will love you if you bring him hiking, biking, camping, swimming in a lake, or anything that involves exercise.

Lab puppies come in three different colors; there is the black lab which is the most common amongst Labradors. There is also the yellow lab which is a more common color with service dogs and law enforcement. Then there is the chocolate lab which is the rarest of three. A litter of lab puppies may have all three colors, so the colors of the parents do not reflect the colors of the litter.

It is important to try to get lab puppies from reputable breeders. Even if you don’t plan on participating in dog shows or training your Labrador to be a service dog, a reputable breeder will ensure that the puppy is raised properly and has all of the proper nutrition and care provided. Someone selling lab puppies in the newspaper may be much cheaper but they may not know the small details of raising a litter that an expert breeder would.

One thing to be concerned about raising lab puppies is that they are very mouthy. They are known for biting / nipping at a young age so it is important to start training them as early on as possible. If you can afford it, I highly recommend that you look for a local puppy training class that will teach you exactly how to deal with puppy hood.

The #1 Puppy Training Technique

By Jean Cote | Posts , Puppies

So, you’ve finally decided to get a puppy? That is fantastic! Puppies are the cutest little things and they will bring lots of happiness in your household. As a new dog owner, I encourage you to read all that you can on puppies so that you can raise him or her in the most loving way possible.

Puppies have a unique way of learning that is different than humans, they learn in the moment and only in the moment. They do not have the capability of reflecting on past experiences and learning how to do things differently. So it is extremely important to know the right puppy training techniques that will work and that are effective.

One of the biggest challenges that you will face with your puppy is to house train him. The most effective way to house train a puppy is to reward him whenever he “does his business” at the right place and to redirect him to the right place when he doesn’t.

If you are outside and your puppy suddenly decides to “do his business” on your lawn, then to train him to repeat this behavior is by praising him with a very encouraging voice and by giving him a treat. The more often your puppy is rewarded and the more enthusiastic and encouraging you are, then the faster your puppy will learn to potty outside.

On the other hand, if you are inside your home and your puppy suddenly “does his business” on your carpet, the last thing you want to do is yell at him or get upset. Instead, you want to calmly pick him up and bring him outside as quickly as possible so that he can finish “doing his business” on your lawn. And once he is done, you can reward him and praise him for doing it in the right location.

This way, your puppy will learn that doing his business outside is something that brings him pleasure whereas doing it inside your home doesn’t. It won’t a long before your dog understands exactly what you want.

You should also be aware of these puppy training techniques:

  • Your puppy will take naps several times a day and once he wakes up he will most likely “do his business” within 5 minutes. This is a golden opportunity to bring him outside and to reward him for going in the right location.
  • Crating your puppy when you are not at home or when you are busy will keep him from “doing his business” all over your home. And since puppies do not like the soil themselves or their sleeping environment, then they will hold it in as long as they can. This gives you a great opportunity to bring him outside when you let him out of the crate.
  • Another puppy training technique that is not often discussed is to use a deodorizing cleaner specifically designed to remove the smell of urine on carpets and floors.  Your puppy is less likely to “do his business” in the same location if he isn’t able to smell urine on the floor.

Just remember, puppy training is something that we all had to learn at one point or another. Even the best dog trainers have started exactly where you are right now, so stay positive and enjoy your puppy training!

I look forward to hearing how well you do with the FREE information presented in this article. If you have any questions we are only a few clicks away on the community forums.

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