Puppy training and socializing is very important at a young age. We want your puppy to have a healthy interaction with every day routines so that your pet will be safe during unforeseen dangers and less likely to have emergencies such as dog fights, running away and getting hurt or home anxiety issues (house soiling or destructive behavior).
Let's start your pet on its way to a happy, anxiety and fear free lifestyle, we can discuss your options on your next wellness visit!
Puppy Classes and Training:
- Gently give puppies opportunity to be familiar with people and other animals that they will encounter frequently in their adult lives.
- Gently expose puppies to new things they will deal with regularly as adults so they can react confidently.
- Be patient, some animals have personalities that may play a factor in interaction with others even if socialized properly
- Puppies go through a socialization period from 7-14 weeks old. This is when they are least likely to be afraid of things and most likely to make good associations about people, other animals and different places and things.
- Training can start as early as 8 weeks of age, within the week you bring them home. At this age they are able to learn quickly common commands such as sit, stand, stay and come.
- Puppies should receive a minimum of one set of vaccines at least 7 days prior to the first class and a first deworming.
- Help them focus! Some play time and a potty break right before class begins helps to ensure their bladder/bowels are empty and they are a little tired ready to pay attention.
Our behavior team researched trainers and created a list of recommended puppy/dog trainers. We will provide you with this list of trainers in your courtesy puppy kit!
What type of play behavior should I expect from a healthy puppy?
- Provide stimulating play for your puppy, especially during the first week at home.
- Stalking and pouncing are important play behaviors – provide puppy-safe toys
How do I housebreak my new puppy?
- It should begin as soon as your puppy enters the home.
- Take your puppy outside on-leash frequently.
- Take the puppy outside immediately after it wakes up in the morning or from a nap.
- Take the puppy outside after playing, after eating/drinking, and if the puppy seems restless or is sniffing
- Reward the puppy for eliminating outside.
- Bring their favorite treats outside with you.
- When the puppy squats to urinate or defecate, praise them and slip them a treat.
- It is very important that the treat happens while the puppy is eliminating or just as they are finished, otherwise they won’t learn that they are being rewarded for urinating or defecating outside
- You can also reward outside elimination by playing with the puppy or allowing them off-leash if you (in enclosed yard)
- Be Safe - have a safe, fenced area for off leash play
- If you are not able to take your puppy outside, they should be confined (in a crate, pen or with baby gates in a small area) or tethered to you
- If you find that your puppy “had an accident” DO NOT punish them, especially after the fact.
- A dog’s brain cannot link the punishment to something that happened minutes or hours earlier.
- Just clean it up and remind yourself to do a better job supervising your puppy.
- Positive reinforcement is key, negative reinforcement can create unwanted behavior.
Puppy Bathroom Break Schedule
This schedule is broken down by your puppy’s age and how often they may need to go.
- 2 months old - Every 2 hours
- 3 months old - Every 4 hours
- 4 months old - Every 5 hours
- 5 months old - Every 6 hours
- 7 months old - Every 8 hours
How do I ensure that my puppy is well socialized?
- Socialization period is between 6-14 weeks of age.
- It is very important to give your puppy lots of positive experiences during these early weeks.
- Your dog should be exposed to as many types of social events and influences as possible.
- Introduce them to different types of people (young, old, genders, etc.) and other vaccinated puppies and adult dogs who like puppies.
- Take them for rides in the car and walks in different locations.
- Try to make sure all these interactions are positive.
- If your puppy looks scared or overwhelmed during a socialization period, stop and bring them back home.
- Your puppy can attend a puppy socialization class with other young puppies, starting after the first vaccination in a place where no unvaccinated dogs are allowed.
- Be patient, some animals have personalities that may play a factor in interaction with others even if socialized properly
What if your puppy isn’t fully vaccinated?
- It is okay to socialize with fully vaccinated animals, but try to avoid unvaccinated animals.
Nothing-in-life-is-free/Sit-to-say-please (NILIF)
- This is a behavioral method to help dogs be better prepared for human society
- NILIF uses only positive, reward-based training to teach valuable lessons such as “please” and “thank you” like we teach to human children
- This helps to dissuade puppies from getting things via pawing, whining, jumping or barking
- There are 5 rules to NILIF:
- 1.Your dog should “work” for the “good things” in life
- a. Work = follow a cue the dog knows well (i.e. sit, down, stay, etc)
- b. Good things = anything your dog wants or likes
- 2. Pushy, demanding behavior is ignored
- a. Pushy, demanding behavior = anything your dog does to get your attention and “make” you do something for him or her.
- b. Ignored = no attention AT ALL (turn your back or even walk away)
- 3. Give the cue only once
- a. If he doesn’t obey, walk away, turn your back on him or just ignore him. In a half a minute or so give him another chance to earn something good
- 4. Everyone in the household and anyone who interacts with your dog on a regular basis must follow the NILIF rules
- 5. Be patient, especially in the beginning
- a. Puppies are like sponges and they soak up what we teach them
- 1.Your dog should “work” for the “good things” in life
Puppies Who Bite
- Why do puppies bite?
- Play biting or mouthing during play is extremely common
- Puppy teeth start to fall out around 4 months of age and are replaced by adult teeth
- You can expect chewing until about six to seven months of age
- Biting can be a form of communication, telling a person or other animal that what they are doing is making the puppy uncomfortable and “asking” them to stop
- How to manage biting
- Do not encourage mouthy play or play biting between the pet and humans
- Find a way to meet the need to bite through play
- Use time outs to de-escalate biting – remove yourself from the pet
- Redirect the puppy with something more appropriate to chew such as toys
- Treat or food puzzles
- Reward for good behaviors
- If your puppy is growling, snarling, snapping or biting contact us immediately.
- These are not normal puppy behaviors and may be a sign of illness.
- We have a behavioral team that can help you determine the appropriate way to address this type of issue before it can escalate.