Puppy Training – A Definitive Guide

When doing puppy training, there are many aspects to consider. These include house training, basic obedience training, leash training and puppy socialization. We will also be looking at the differences between training different breeds such as Beagles, Boxers, Labradors, Rottweilers and German Shepherds.

I have had big dogs around me since I was a toddler, and in later years I have always trained my own dogs. At some stage, I decided to go to a dog training school with my new Rottweiler puppy rather than doing everything alone at home. I must admit that this was a good decision for 2 reasons:

1. I learnt new aspects and techniques of dog training that I did not know before.
2. It gave both me and my puppy the opportunity to socialize with other people and other dogs.

General Puppy Training Principles

When training puppies, the biggest challenge is how to communicate to your puppy. Your puppy’s main aim in life is to please you, and he will do anything to achieve this. The problem is to get him to understand what it is that you want him to do. I remember some years back attending a dog training school with my Rottweiler puppy. The trainer selected me as the ‘dog’, and I had to figure out what he wanted me to do. He used a clicker device and would click when I was close to achieving the aim. Sounds easy enough, but I walked around an enclosed area for a long time before realizing that he wanted me to pick up an item and bring it to him. The moral of the story is: Show your puppy want you want him to do. Whilst doing this, use the verbal command so that he starts forming an association between the action and the command. With patience, practice and repetition, you will soon get to the stage that they will react to the verbal command only.

In nature, the adults never discipline their pups by using aggression or violence, or even ‘shouting’ at them. Training is based on firm, but reasonable discipline, applied with love and respect. The same principles are most effective when applied by humans training puppies. When your puppy does something that is not acceptable, a firm ‘NO’ is normally all that is required to get the message across. In extreme cases, it can be reinforced by a light tap on the node or a firm shake by the scruff of the neck (as the mother would sometimes do), but nothing more than that is required. Showing your puppy that he is doing ‘wrong’ is also only effective if it is done as the minute the unacceptable behavior occurs. It does not help to berate a puppy for making a mess two hours or even two minutes ago – puppies do not have a sense of the past, and will simply not be able to understand what you are talking about.

The opposite to discipline is equally important. When your puppy does something right, praise him lavishly to let him know that he should continue with this specific behavior. Rewarding with tidbits as you praise is also very effective, but, above all, remember that your puppy craves to please you. Showing love and affection at all times, and especially praise during training is critical.

Lastly, a key principle that is often overlooked is consistency. If you expect a certain behavior from your dog, for instance they are not allowed on the bed, then that rule is always valid, no exceptions. Once you apply any rule only halfway, your puppy will double-check any command in order to make sure that you mean it. To ensure consistency, it is always a good idea to involve the whole family in your puppy training and make sure that everybody applies the same rules.

Puppy House Training

Puppy house-training is also referred to as potty training or toilet training. This involves training your puppy not to urinate or defecate inside, but doing his business outside. This aspect of puppy training is the messiest and the least enjoyable. Key points to be aware of include:

• Reprimand your puppy the minute you see him making a mess inside. Immediately take him outside to finish his business, and praise him lavishly and enthusiastically when he does.
• If your puppy stays in an enclosed area (e.g. the kitchen) during the night, and you arrive to a huge mess the next morning, don’t scold your puppy. Remember, he has no concept of the past and will not understand what you are on about. Rubbing his face in the mess is an absolute no-no and will only serve to confuse and frighten him. Simply grin, clean up and bear it, knowing that this phase will be over in a relatively short time.
• When cleaning up a mess made, do so properly with disinfectant to remove all traces including the smell. Puppies will tend to repeat their business on places where they smell either their own or other dog’s business.
• Take common sense steps to reduce the mess made during the night. These include limiting food and water intake to an hour before bed time, taking your puppy outside to do his business just before going to sleep and again first thing in the morning
• Directly after feeding your puppy, the increased pressure on his bladder due to the food will likely require that he has to wee. Take him outside for this, and again approximately 30 minutes to an hour after the feed. Remember, what goes in must come out – just get the timing right and be proactive.

Two other aspects of puppy potty training are worth mentioning here. These are puppy training pads and puppy training crates.
Puppy training pads are designed to absorb the mess made by your puppy. They have a waterproof backing that will prevent the mess from damaging your floors, especially carpets and wooden floors. Puppy toilet training pads come in different sizes and grades of absorbance. Some even have training pad holders that are a further protection against leaking onto the floor. Once a puppy has messed on the pad, it can simply be picked up and disposed of in the trash. One area where puppy training pads are especially useful is where conditions are such that it is impossible to take your pet (puppy or adult dog) outside to do his business. This can happen if you live in an apartment where there is no outside space, or if you are physically not able to let the dog out. In cases like this, the puppy is trained to do his business on the pad, which is normally place in an out-of-the-way area.

The use of puppy training crates relies on the puppy’s natural instinct not to mess in his bed. The puppy is closed up in the crate for the night and, as the crate is also his bed, tends to not make a mess. When doing this, special attention needs to be given to letting the puppy outside before putting him in the crate and again immediately when letting him out. Puppy training crates have an additional advantage in that they can be used to transport your puppy to wherever you want to take him. As the crate is familiar surroundings, it will tend to keep him calm and content whilst at the same time restricting his movement.

Basic Obedience Training

Getting your puppy to sit, stay, come and go is achieved through basic Puppy obedience training. You can choose to either do this training at home, or enroll at a dog training school. Even if you decide on the latter option, please be aware that they bulk of you puppy’s training will still take place at home, as that is where he lives and needs to know what is expected. Most of your interaction with your pet will also take place at home.

As mentioned before, a key to getting the results you want is to show your puppy what to do. If you want to train him to sit for instance, gently push down on his lower back while keeping your other hand under his chest. This will guide him into the sitting position. Whilst doing this, say the ‘sit’ command so that he can start associating the command with the action. Once he is sitting, praise enthusiastically. Patience, practice and repeat this scenario for anything you want your puppy to do – it is as simple as that.

Puppy Leash Training

Puppy leash training is essential to do, even if you don’t plan on taking your dog for walks on a leash. There will be times that you have to take your puppy outside the house, for instance to the vet for his vaccination shots. Having trained your puppy to walk on a leash will make these outings so much easier, with your pet happily going with you instead of pulling in all directions and creating havoc by tying the leash up everywhere including around your legs!

Getting the right collar and fitting it correctly is the first step in leash training your puppy. The collar should fit snugly around the neck without choking your dog. You should typically still be able to comfortably fit one or two fingers under the collar. The collar must however not be so loose that your puppy can pull his head through it. A choke chain should never be used on a puppy as it is not necessary and can damage your dog’s throat. Special collars that fit around the neck and chest to prevent the puppy coming loose are available. These are often used for dogs with narrow heads such as the Dachshund.

When first putting a leash on a puppy, a natural and instinctive reaction for them is to try to get rid of it. The leash is strange and unfamiliar and they will at first not like the restriction at all. Simply keep a firm grip on the leash and allow the puppy to pull and try to get free. Talk to him soothingly to let him know there is no danger. He will very quickly learn that there is no escaping.

Leash training starts with your puppy sitting on the leash on your left hand side. Before you start walking, say the dog’s name (to get his attention and let him know that a command is coming), followed by the command ‘heel’. Start walking and use the leash to pull your puppy with you so that he gets the idea of what is expected. Basically, the leash is here used as a tool to show your puppy what to do. Your puppy should be walking right next to you with his shoulder next to your leg. Remember, you are the leader, not your dog (although he would like to be). Keep the leash short to keep him in this position and praise him when he gets it right.

Before stopping, once again say his name followed by the ‘sit’ command. When you stop, your puppy should also stop and immediately automatically sit on your left. Initially, turn around from a standing position and not whilst walking. From the stopped position, give the heel command and turn around to your right, letting your puppy walk in a circle around you. Once you have completed the turn, stop again. Repeat the walking in straight lines until your puppy gets the hand of it, and then start incorporating turns and about turn whilst walking.

One final point on leash training – when you walk and encounter an obstruction, either on your left or an area so narrow that you have to walk single file, your puppy should automatically fall in behind you and not try to push through next to you. Having trained my dogs to do this during leash training, I find that when walking around the house normally, my dogs will always wait for any human to go through a door first before following. The only exception happens when I specifically command them to go before me to investigate possible danger.

Puppy Socialization

One very important aspect of puppy training that is often overlooked is puppy socialization. This is done to expose your puppy to many different environments, people and other dogs. This leads to a well-balanced mature dog that will be able to deal calmly with most, if not all, situations. Failure to do puppy socialization will result in a pet that becomes nervous, unsure and even fearful when confronted with situations that they are not equipped to deal with. In severe cases this can even lead to biting or attacks, not out of aggression but out of fear and uncertainty.

One natural way in which puppy socialization takes place is to take your puppy to a dog training school for training. He will then automatically be exposed to different dogs and people. Another easy way is to go for walks in the neighborhood. Visiting busy places in terms of traffic or people and taking your dog for rides in the car are all exercises in getting your puppy used to handle anything. When going anywhere with your puppy, and people, especially kids want to touch and pet him because he is so cute, allow them to do so. This will teach your dog to accept such situations as normal and they will be able to deal with it.

Dog Training School or Home Based Training?

Many people, especially first time dog owners, ask the question whether or not they should take their puppy to a dog training school for training. My answer to this is a definite yes. This is not because puppy training is difficult or cannot be done effectively at home – it can. There are however a number of possible benefits to taking your puppy to a dog training school:

• Professional, experienced trainers will assist you in getting the basics right. This is especially useful for first time dog owners.
• Puppy socialization will for a large part happen automatically.
• A possible fringe benefit would be meeting other people with similar interests. In many cases, lasting friendships have resulted from attending formal dog training classes.
• Expert dog training advice on behavioral problems specific to your unique puppy, breed or circumstances is available.

In the end analysis, whether or not you do decide to take your puppy to dog training school is a personal choice. In this case, there is no right or wrong answer.

Training Different Breeds

Should you train a specific breed of dog differently than another? Fortunately, this is not the case. The techniques, dog training advice and methods described here are valid for all dogs and puppies, no matter what breed.

Each dog is however unique and has his own character and personality. As you get to know your puppy, you will learn to understand his peculiarities and will soon find yourself adapting certain aspects of your relationship with your dog to cater for these. This would also apply to your puppy training. As some of your dog’s character is determined by the breed, it is useful to know what the breed's characteristics are. This will help you to understand what to focus on when training your puppy. It is quite fascinating to watch a big group of dogs a training school, and then to spot the similarities in behavior of those of the same breed.

When considering specialized advances training for your puppy, the breed definitely plays a huge role. Some breeds are simply more suitable to certain tasks than others are.

• Beagle

Beagles are mischievous and energetic. Therefore, they will challenge authority and, but always in a non-aggressive, playful manner. Reaction to these challenges should be appropriate, i.e. firm but loving. When considering specialised training for your beagle, the Beagle’s keen sense of smell, small stature and non threatening nature make them very popular for sniffer or detection dog training. The Beagle is simply too friendly to be considered for guard dog or attack dog training.

• Labrador

Labradors were originally used as retrievers i.e. when doing duck hunting and the shot duck falls in the water, the Labrador’s job was to fetch the prey. From this original use, the characteristics of loving water and swimming and playing fetch remain with the breed to this day. Most Labradors stay puppies for their whole life, so training them, especially to sit still for more than a minute is quite a challenge, and you will definitely have your hands full during Labrador puppy training.

• Rottweiler

Due to the Rottweiler’s brute strength, breed experts recommend that formal training and extensive socialization are essential for all Rottweilers. It has an inherent desire to protect home and family, and is an intelligent dog of extreme hardness and adaptability with a strong willingness to work, making them especially suited as a companion, guardian and general all-purpose dog. One thing that can be frustrating when training a Rottweiler is that they tend to do things at their own pace. At the command to ‘come’ he will but at his own pace. This is not to say that Rottweilers are not fast. When used for attack work or when protecting someone, it is incredible how fast they can move despite their bulk.

• German Shepherd

The German shepherd is strong and athletic, has a strong tendency towards dominance and is highly intelligent. Attesting to this is the fact that German shepherds are used all over the world as police dogs, bomb detection dogs and military dogs. This is not to say that they don’t make excellent pets (that they do!), but the level of dedication, expertise and training required from the owner is a lot higher than that needed for any other breed.

• Yorkshire Terrier

The Yorkshire terrier (or Yorkie) is a sociable breed and is anything but shy. They are bold and not afraid of anything. They love their family, and will bark if they sense danger. This makes them ideal watch dogs. Children and Yorkshire Terriers do get along, but it is best if they grow up together. While Yorkies are tolerant of children, a child needs to know how to properly play with the dog and show him respect. Yorkies won’t think twice about snapping at a child if the child is unintentionally abusive or is teasing the dog.

• Boxer

Boxers have earned a slight reputation of being "headstrong," which can be related to inappropriate obedience training. Owing to their intelligence and working breed characteristics, training based on corrections often has limited usefulness. Boxers like to be afforded the dog an opportunity to think independently and to problem-solve. Because of their resistance to repetitive and punishment-based training, some trainers rank Boxers at low obedience intelligence.

• Golden Retriever

One aspect that needs to be taken into account when training Golden retriever puppies is that they get bored quickly. For any training to be effective there has to be an amount of repetition. Your Golden retriever will pick up what is required quickly, repeat it a few times and then get bored, doing the opposite of what you want. The answer to this challenge is to vary the specific training, i.e. don’t do leash training for an hour, but rather do leash training for 15 minutes, followed by obedience training and then leash training again.

Solving Problem Behaviors

Certain behavioral problems occur quite frequently. These are actually normally easily solved, as the cause more often than not does not lie with the dog. All the ‘misbehaviors’ listed below are normally caused by the owner not fully understanding why the puppy or dog is behaving in a certain manner. As a result, appropriate action is not taken, and the dog continues with the behavior simply because it does not know any better.

• Chewing

Chewing is natural to puppies and, no matter what you do; you can’t stop your puppy chewing. Think of a child teething – is it not natural for them to chew anything that they can get their mouth around? The same applies to puppies. The solution is actually very simple – make sure your puppy have enough toys that they are allowed to chew. When you see your puppy chewing your favorite pair of slippers, immediately reprimand him with a stern ‘NO’. Take the forbidden object away, but immediately replace give them one of their own toys to chew. This will help your puppy understand that it is not the chewing that is wrong, but rather the chewing on a specific item.
Also make sure that your puppy has enough of their own toys to play with, especially when they are left unattended. When puppies get lonely or bored, they get up to mischief. If they don’t have their own toys to play with, you can be sure that they will find something else, be it the washing on the line, the hose pipe or anything else. The same applies to grown dogs as well. Especially in the beginning with small puppies, also make sure that you don’t leave things lying around that you don’t want your puppy to chew, that’s looking for trouble!

If your puppy decides that the furniture or any other fixed item is its favorite chewing spot, reprimanding might not be enough in the short-term, especially if they are likely to be able to get to the item when left unattended. Various types of pet repellant sprays are available from pet stores for extreme cases like this.

• Biting

Ironically, one of the reasons we keep dogs is for their natural biting instinct and abilities. Think of dogs used for protection or attack work. However, a puppy biting you with those razor sharp teeth, even if it is only in play, is not funny! The solution is however simple – simply reprimand your puppy whenever he bites, even a play. The most common reason puppy biting becomes a problem is when young children are involved. Often young kids and puppies are best friends and biting or nipping happens in play. If this is the case, the kid often does not know how to react and either screams or runs away. To the puppy, this is simply part of the game and he will continue. To solve this simply involve your children and in fact all family members in the training of your puppy. If each member gives the puppy the same message, there is no ambiguity, and they will learn quickly.

• Jumping

Understanding why a dog jumps up against you is solving the problem halfway. No, it is not because they want to put dirty paw marks on your clothes first thing in the morning. Your puppy is exited at seeing you and wants to get at close to you as he can. Because your head and face is so high above him, he jumps up to show and get the affection. Some breeds like Labradors tend to show their exuberance more than others. Some simple remedies are:

1. When you see your dog is about to jump, lift your knee slightly and issue a stern ‘NO’. Lifting normally lets them automatically move away.
2. If the step above is not enough in itself, consider using a water spray to enforce the message. Yes, it is unhandy to always have the spray within reach, but the message will soon be learnt.
3. Dogs often jump up in excitement if they see you after a period of absence, typically when you arrive home from work. Strange as it may seem, ignoring your dog when you get home and only giving him the attention he wants 15 minutes later will solve the problem. If your dog notices you ignoring it, it will calm down and the excitement will die down. When you are ready, greet your dog enthusiastically.
4. Stoop down to their level. This will give them what they want, i.e. getting close to you without the need to jump.

• Barking

Once again, we value the barking of a dog in the context of warning us of danger. It is natural and an instinctive action of a dog to draw our attention. I always react when my dogs bark by checking why they are barking, then praising them for doing so and telling them that everything is ok, they don’t need to worry. This works every time. If they initially keep barking at the same thing, like people walking past the house in the street, and you repeatedly check, praise and then say it is ok, they quickly get the message and the barking reduces to a soft low growl just to let you know that there is someone walking past.

• Ignoring Commands

A dog that has been trained to obey certain commands and then suddenly seems to ‘forget’ does so for one of two reasons. The first is that they are testing you to see if the rules are still valid and where the boundaries are. This is quite normal and happens in any authority situation, even with children. When my dogs challenge like that, I don’t repeat the command but simply look then straight in the face and stare them down, waiting for them to obey. If this is however not enough, I will repeat the command but a lot stricter (I never shout at them), possibly coupled with a threatening move towards them.

The second, more common reason is that the rules are not applied consistently. This happens through either sometimes allowing things that are outside the norm, or when different family members do not apply the rule the same. Both these scenarios send the message to the dog that it the rule applies sometimes, but at other times it doesn’t. Is it therefore surprising that they themselves are unsure whether you mean what you say or not?

• Fear of Load Noises

Many dogs, especially big ones are afraid of thunder and other loud noises. This is because they are unsure of what the noise means – is it dangerous or not. In such cases, they will take their cue from you, the alpha and look at how you react. If you notice the dog’s fear and react to it by calming them or saying shame, poor dog, or if you are scared yourself, this only sends the message in their minds that there is reason to be scared.

One dog trainer that I used made a tape recording of various loud noises. In the beginner’s class for very young puppies, he would let the puppies off their leashes in an enclosed area, with the owners standing around chatting. The owners were instructed not to react at all when the tape was played, but to continue normally with what they were doing. It was fascinating to watch the puppies’ reaction from the corner of our eye. With the first noise, they would cringe in fright, then immediately look at or run to their owner. Noticing that the owner didn’t react, they would figure that everything was ok and continue exploring, even whilst the tape with noises carried on. Repeating this exercise 3 or 4 times over a number of weeks resulted in the puppies not even reacting anymore when the noises started. My dog has never had a problem with thunder.

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