There is no substitute for a complete training system you can have in your home because that is where 99% of your training happens. The following are three of the best puppy training systems in the marketplace today.

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Puppy Training Course Recommendations

Puppy training classes are important for several reasons but there can be some disadvantages also. Balancing these things and understanding the ideals behind them is important for your puppy.

• The advantages for your puppy are getting to be around other dogs and people.
• This socialization factor teaches him to accept strangers in public situations as normal. However it also means protection is important as puppies can be susceptible to parvo and other health issues if they run across exposure that we can’t see.
• It also gives structure to the puppy’s learning and gives you an outside person to ask about training issues, if any, or better ideas to get the results that you want.

Another disadvantage can be the length of training. Ideally training sessions are short, no more than 20 minutes to keep the learning fun and increase motivation. Because obedience is something best learned early puppy training classes are often recommended for puppies as young as 3-4 months.

• At this age they are young to stay focused for very long. As a trainer you want to stop asking just before your puppy gets tired.
• This keeps the puppy motivated to learn.
  •    If you sign up for puppy training classes that are 45 minutes to an hour, try to take a short play break part way through the session.
• This can be for a few minutes playing with a squeaky toy but as children need recess and adults need a break so do puppies need a short break from drilling and repetition. It helps them more easily work with you when you request focus from them.

Puppy training classes should focus on the basics. While fundamentals are good manners is important as well as making the learning fun.

• Examples of puppy training classes and the things taught are dealing with nipping, learning to walk on a leash and basic commands.
• Play time and interaction with others is also often a part of the class.
• Some have a more advanced class for older puppies to refine the skills but remember even at seven and eight months the puppy may look nearly grown but mentally is not ready for hard training yet.
• Working towards it and building on a foundation is excellent but remember to quit before he gets tired. Like us, when it becomes a chore and is demanded then it’s no longer fun to do. We begin to tune out and so will your puppy!

Of course there are some who can’t fit puppy training classes into your schedule but that doesn’t mean you should not fit in training your puppy. Whether a free mutt off the street or a $3000 show dog all dogs benefit from early training and manners! Teaching basic come when called, sit and stay and basic manners is expected. Socialization can come in other ways but puppy training classes allows all at the same place and time.

No matter what kind of dog or what work he’ll do all can benefit from early learning in puppy training classes. Whether a pet, a herding dog, watch dog or service dog this basic training is important and lasts a lifetime. It’s also a chance to bond with your puppy by spending time, not just money, with him.

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Puppy Training Classes

Many people view obedience training as routine and for adult dogs. However, your puppy is an open mind to learning and puppy obedience training is just as important. The difference for puppies is that they have very short attention spans.

What this means to you is they get bored easily so you must make learning fun! Smile and use a “happy voice”. From the day you bring your puppy home obedience training is the best lifelong gift you can give him. It keeps him from being given up because of bad manners. It equips him for a life of good manners that helps him be a part of our lives and welcome in the home.

Puppy obedience should start the day you bring him home.
•    Find a treat or snack that he likes and a toy – these two things will play a role in training. If he likes a squeaky toy this helps get his attention.
•    When you give a puppy a command make sure no is not an option. This is important from early on because you don’t want him to question what you say. Veterinary offices are steady with dogs who were running towards the street, ignored “Come!” and were hit by a car.

Immediate response is needed and that doesn’t come overnight – it builds every time you work with your puppy.

So with a line or leash on your puppy call his name.

•    “Missy COME!!” should mean she at least looks at you.
•    Hold up the treat and she comes for the treat but don’t hand it to her immediately…*do* praise her immediately.
•    “GOOOOOD MISSY!!” then hand her the treat.
•    Eventually use the toy for some of the reward, the treat for others and at other times just praise. As you move outside make sure to have a longer line, either a long rope or a longe line for horses…something that if the puppy ignores you that you can pick up and reel him in.
•    No is not an option…but once to you again praise the puppy for coming.

Never punish your puppy for coming to you. This one action does more harm to the dog’s drive to please and obey than almost any other…always praise them for coming. If they’re getting into the trash ‘growl’ their name but make happy and call them – then praise them for coming to you. A puppy will forget the correction other than you’re not happy when he gets near the trash but that you are happy to see him.

Once your puppy learns come add another step before giving the treat – that is “sit”. With this your puppy learns to run to you and sit politely rather than launching muddy paws at you!

Walking nicely on a leash is also accomplished with positive training. Initially let the puppy wander some until getting to the end of the leash. This helps him understand he has boundaries and those boundaries will come in with time. Do try to keep your puppy on your left side, with the leash held in your right hand. This leaves your left hand available for carrying a treat, which initially is motivation for your puppy to follow along without having to be dragged!

Using these simple tips and consistently praising along with discipline and you too can have a young dog that walks quietly on a leash, comes when called and has manners. There is no substitute for this!

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Puppy Obedience Training

Potty training a puppy is easy providing you keep the puppy on a routine until he learns what you expect of him. This can seem like an endless schedule but it’s made easier when the puppy knows what to expect.

Puppies don’t have the concept of time. Thinking “gosh it’s been 3 hours” isn’t something that occurs to them. With living in the moment the puppy can wait until it’s too late to make it to outside.

•    When you wake up in the morning bring the puppy out of the crate and say “outside!” then usher the puppy straight outside.
•    Normally upon waking he will have to go so you can start association by saying “go pee” or “go potty”.
•    When he does praise him. Smile and use a “happy voice” as if he’s just found the solution to household peace.
•    When he’s done both bring him back in, give him a drink and if you’re going to be gone for the day just a little bit of food. Take him out to pee again before you leave for work.

If you work for home use the routine to prevent household accidents. Put him in his crate with toys and things to keep busy with. Ideally mid day someone is available to take him out, then back in he goes until you get home. These stretches can seem long to us but once potty training is complete it will change.
•    In the evening again take him out, using the words.
•    Bring him in, give him a drink and his meal. Alternately, feed him his meal while you are eating so he learns to not beg for food at the table but focus on his own food.
•    Watch him for any signs of sniffing for a place to go or hiding in another room, say “outside!” and take him out.

•    Be consistent with the words used and the action following it.

This evening meal should be scheduled about 4 hours or more from bed time so that he can be taken out before going to sleep. Sleeping in his crate it winds down the day, but he has toys available if he doesn’t want to sleep right away so he can play quietly.

Remember these tips:
•    Don’t reassure or baby talk the puppy.
•    Potty training a puppy is matter of fact.
•    If he does make a mistake don’t let him see you clean it up. In a dog’s world it’s expected the mother cleans up so this can in some ways reinforce he’s doing the right thing. Persisting with the schedule means he learns the habits you want him to learn.
•    Never use ammonia to clean up when he goes in the house.

As time goes on the door to his crate can be left open as he becomes more trustworthy and reliable about going out. This method might seem odd to some

but makes the puppy feel at home in his crate as well as being near and with the family. Additionally by reassuring the puppy with “outside” and “go pee/potty” it gives him something that can be used on those days he gets playing and ‘forgets’ what he’s out there to do.

Another benefit is if you’re traveling you can get out at a rest stop or other place, tell him “go pee”, he goes and you’re on your way. Others walk in laps begging their dogs to go while you’re back on the road with a comfortable dog!

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Potty Training a Puppy

A puppy barking may not bother you but it may get tiresome for neighbors. Proper puppy manners include when to bark and when not to bark.

It might sound like an odd way to stop a puppy from barking is to encourage it to bark but this can work! It’s “backwards” to us because we aren’t a dog. You don’t want the dog to stop barking totally, but rather be selective and learn what to bark at.

Reasons that trigger your puppy barking can be many.
•    Seeing a neighbor or strange dog outside the yard.
•    A doorbell.
•    Hearing something outside.
•    Boredom.
•    Hunger.
•    Attention.

By teaching your puppy barking is good sometimes you then can teach that other times is not appropriate to bark at. There are several things people should understand about dogs before going into this part of training.
•    If they bark don’t yell at the dog. This can be interpreted as you’re joining him in barking so there IS something to bark at! Instead use “SHHHH!!”
•    Be a leader. Firmly but gently clamp your hands on the puppy’s muzzle and ‘growl’ NOO to him.
•    Increase activity. A puppy barking is a puppy that has too much to think about. A tired puppy is less likely to ‘boredom bark’.

Start by teaching the puppy to bark when you want. Get a smelly treat or favorite toy and make sure he knows you have it. Have him sit, praise then wave it in front of him saying “SPEAK!” As soon as he does praise him but do not give the treat! If he barks more than a few times say “SHHHT” and as soon as he’s quiet reward and give a treat.

•    Consistently enforce the rules.
•    Barking at someone at the door is ok; barking beyond when told to hush isn’t.
•    Barking at something out of order is ok; once you’ve checked it out and said hush they should be quiet.
•    Never assume your puppy barking is for nothing but at the same time don’t reward with attention. When the puppy is in the yard barking *look* to see what he’s barking at. Look where he’s looking…is it a squirrel or a cat in the tree? Is there someone walking by? Let him know you’ve seen it and “shhh” applies.

It’s unreasonable to forbid totally puppy barking but you can use it to benefit you. Repetition will reward your puppy for barking at things you want to know about but teaches him to ignore what is ‘normal’ in our world. For example, someone walking on the street is not “bark-worthy” but someone on the outside of the fence is near his territory and is.
Puppy barking is going to happen. Directing it early on and guiding when it is and is not ok is up to us. It will try your patience but dealing with puppy barking early means having a well trained dog that has learned your household rules solidly enough that nuisance barking isn’t an issue.

Direct, don’t eliminate puppy barking. It’s one of the ways they communicate with you!

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Puppy Barking

Too many times puppy biting is seen as cute or funny. It ceases to be funny when the adult bites someone and by that point the dog has gotten away with biting for months, so is confused what he’s being punished for. No matter if it’s a Chihuahua or a Doberman or a Great Dane, puppy biting should be discouraged from early on.

Puppies naturally bite to play and roughhouse with siblings or other puppies. Adult dogs play bite with each other and often when a lower ranking dog pushes it with a “boss” dog snapping and fighting ensues, with the ‘boss’ pinning the dog down to teach who is still boss. In much the same way we can use this to naturally teach our puppy biting is not acceptable and to enforce that although we treasure his company what we say goes. Without this in place a puppy learns not only does biting get attention (even bad attention) but it also insures you back down to him.

Of course this can actually teach our puppy the opposite of what we want him to learn, simply by misunderstanding the dog view of the situation. What we can view as harmless fun the dog may see as opportunity. For this reason puppy biting should be curbed as soon as possible, and it does not take abusing your puppy to stop it! There is a difference between fear and respect, although it may seem a fine line at times.

One often repeated means of dealing with puppy biting is slapping or hitting the puppy in the muzzle. This often does not work for a couple of reasons:
•    Even a puppy has faster reactions than we do in many cases -  then he can think you’re playing back so he spars harder!
•    Even if you do connect it can teach him that the hand is something to fear which depending on the dog can result in fear biting, aggression biting or a “whipped pup” that is simply fearful of you.

A more effective means of getting through to a puppy biting is to treat him like a superior ranking canine.
•    Encircle his muzzle or face and give a firm but gentle shake.
•    “Growl” “NOOOO!” then (very important!) let it go.
•    Repeat it when or if he does it again but don’t hang onto it and pick at him for 10 minutes. Puppies especially live in the moment…what happened three minutes ago is ancient history!
•    Some might press the puppy to the floor which can be effective also.

Remember that along with discipline you need to encourage good behavior. This can mean setting up a situation to teach your puppy good manners. One of the means of handling the problem of a puppy biting is teaching proper way of dealing with hands. This involves treats and should be done the younger the better.
•    Hold a piece of kibble or treat in your hand and let your puppy know you have it in your hand.
•    Tell him “gentle” or “easy” – whatever word you use be consistent and hold the treat in a fist. The reason for this is you’re less likely to reflex drop it if he nips which rewards the wrong behavior! In a fist if he moves to nip the hand withdraw and say “NO! Easy!” until he sniffs then learns to look IN the hand for the treat.
•    When the puppy takes it gently reward him verbally too. Smile and say “GOOD boy!!!” Repeat this several times per day and as he learns to take it nicely the issue of puppy biting will often solve itself.

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Puppy Biting, Cute at First

Puppy crate training is important for your puppy for several reasons. Properly trained puppies grow into dogs that are properly trained. A crate is your best friend with some breeds and individuals! This is important on several fronts.

Proper puppy crate training makes housebreaking easier. Puppies naturally want to be clean. They naturally don’t want to mess their bed. By regulating when and how much he eats and drinks you can make housetraining easy for him and help him succeed in pleasing you.

For example, if you are gone for many hours during the day, don’t give your puppy a big breakfast. About four hours after eating, less for some and longer for others, most dogs have to potty…and if you’re home he has no choice but to do so in his crate. This is uncomfortable for him, unpleasant for you and works against what you want to train him!

•    Instead give him a small drink in the morning and just a handful of food – less if a small breed.
•    When you come home let him out and say “outside” immediately take him outside to go.
•    Use “go pee” or “go potty” and eventually he will learn to seemingly ‘pee on command.’
•    Praise him as if it’s the best thing in the world no other dog has ever done when he does this.
•    Bring him in, give him a drink and spend time with him while making dinner and starting your evening routine.
•    As you sit down to dinner feed him in his crate. This eliminates begging for food at the table.
•    After dinner take him out and watch carefully for sniffing around and other indications he has to go. Leave water down until about 2 hours before bedtime.
•    Before you turn in for bed, about 4 hours after his meal, take him out again for potty time. You know he has to go so don’t be tempted to shortcut this or you’ll have a mess in the morning!

Initially have him sleep in his crate. As he becomes more housebroken you can leave the door open and give him the option of being outside or inside. Also when putting him in the crate don’t just shove him in there!
•    Give him a treat, toys – things to keep his mind active and his little mouth busy on something besides howling and barking!
•    One Border collie found a fascinating toy in a soda bottle with a handful of kibble in it. He’s play with it and every once in a while a piece came out – he’d stay busy playing quietly for hours with this. He learned to LOVE his crate as this was where he got his ‘special toy’.
•    Others use chew toys with peanut butter or whatever the individual puppy has an interest in. Keep one ‘special toy’ that he gets only in the crate.

Dogs naturally like to be in a den. The other use for puppy crate training is it’s a safety in the car and in cases of emergency evacuation he’s safely in his crate where he’s comfortable even in a chaotic situation this is familiar. This helps a dog deal with uncertainty that we don’t understand and their understanding is to go hide from it, which can mean losing a pet.

•    Wherever possible use the crate as a positive thing.
•    It’s THEIR space.
•    Do not allow children to bother them in their space.
•    A properly trained puppy never gets into the chocolate cake or chews the sofa up or shreds every paper in the room because he’s safely confined in the crate sleeping and playing.
•    He learns your leaving isn’t a big deal because you will be back.
•    He learns this is a place that is HIS entirely while the rest is shared with you.
•    He learns manners right the first time because you don’t have to go back and fix things he “learned” because he got away with it.

A crate is a good thing for both the puppy and the owner. Proper puppy crate training is not abusive but helps insure the puppy grows into a well mannered adult.

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Puppy Crate Training – Is it Right for You?

“Train my puppy now!” is an unreasonable request for anyone. When taking on a puppy it is a big responsibility and when I get a puppy there are several things to put in place.

A general guide to train my puppy should be key skills they need for life. This includes not only basic commands but deeper manners and training. Some basics might be:
•    Sit
•    Come when called
•    Stay
•    Lay down
•    “Off” (used to command puppy off of furniture)
•    “outside”
•    Accept strangers
•    Take food gently from hand
•    Walk quietly on a leash
•    Stay tied for a short while without fussing
•    Chew only on appropriate toys

Others can vary with the individual situation. In my situation I also want to train my puppy to tolerate the cats, not bother the rabbits, go in his crate willingly, not bark for entertainment and travel well in a vehicle. This might also extend to learning and adapting to being in motels and other strange places.

I also need to train my puppy to be housebroken, and crate trained. He needs to learn to act appropriately, by our standards, in the home and in order to do that he needs time and undivided attention. Without it a puppy can learn to chew wires and destroy other things by virtue of not getting caught in the act. This is where crate training can be very important.

If I consider how to train my puppy in a way he understands I must to some degree think like a puppy. There is not a great level of bowl or bladder control so don’t make it impossible for him to wait until you decide – take him out often and make sure that he goes outside, and praise him when he does. A few things make the crate a nice place to be.
•    Regular breaks
•    Special toys, especially chew toys and toys with treats hidden in them!
•    A soft place to sleep when tired

Training puppies takes patience and time. You must be consistent. Punishing a puppy for begging during your meals does little good when someone else is feeding him under the table!  

Some key points in training puppies:
•    Catch them doing good and praise heavily
•    Reward them for obeying – if you call them praise them, don’t punish for what they did wrong.
•    Minimize the correction when needed. Make your point and go on without “picking” at the puppy.
•    Remember puppies have short attention spans. Work in sessions a few minutes at a time.
•    Make learning fun. Teach to “come” when you’re playing with a toy so they must “come” to get the toy or treat. They learn to associate “come” with fun things.
•    Make it comfortable for them
•    Don’t ask things above their capability.
•    Be consistent
•    Don’t ask without being able to back it up. If there is any doubt your puppy won’t answer “come” outside put him on a long rope and pull him towards you so that you can praise him for coming.

Don’t wait until your puppy is an 8 month old unruly monster! Begin training the day you bring the puppy home and remember every interaction is training, whether they learn good things or bad things they are learning. It’s never too early to train my puppy!

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Train My Puppy

Cheap puppies can be inexpensive companions or can be a low down payment on a very expensive dog. Price alone should never be a factor but rather value. The newspapers and online ads are full of puppies that are under $300 and often well under. There are other puppies even of the same breed that are double that cost. Whether or not that is a better puppy for the money depends on the breeder involved.

Cheap puppies might be the product of dog A and female A because both were available at the same time. They appear healthy so therefore they are healthy (whether something is lurking unseen or not).

Of course the ultimate in cheap puppies is the free litter in a box in front of the store or on the street. These are often mixed breeds which have a reputation for being healthier but if parents both carry genetic markers for heart disease, liver disease or other major issues even “mutts” can carry the problem further on.

It is these unfortunate cases that can be seen as a down payment for several reasons.
•    A puppy facing liver, heart or other major disease can often have major health issues resulting in surgeries, medications and other expenses and still result in losing your pet far too soon.
•    When you get a pet thinking you’ll have him for 10-15 years and after one year there’s $1000 in veterinary bills for something that results in losing him before he’s three, that extra $300-400 for a healthy puppy is a much cheaper factor!
•    However it also is true that many cheap puppies grow into happy, healthy adults that live to old age with never an illness present.
•    It is a gamble and if 10% are affected that also means 90% will be fine with no issues!
•    Those more expensive puppies may be the product of a breeding designed for a show puppy or working puppy, but of course not every one fits that bill. They are often tested for genetic health issues common to the breed and were created with a goal in mind besides solely money.

Cheap puppies can sometimes mean taking other shortcuts too, both before and after purchase. These might be for many reasons.
•    It’s too easy to think “oh he’s a cheap one he doesn’t need puppy shots” and before you know it you have an incredibly sick puppy from parvo or distemper.
•    The care of a puppy is the same whether you pay $100 or $1500 for the puppy – they all need basic health care, they all need food and water and a place to sleep.

Sometimes it’s the cheap puppies that most need a home, but it also means watching that the heart doesn’t override the head. Too often people jump into getting a puppy then cannot keep him. A sick purebred puppy was recently brought in to the veterinarian’s office said to be 9 weeks old and initially thought to need have worms from the symptoms presented. The owner was in tears at having to move and having to find a home for the puppy then he got sick on top of it. A good Samaritan also waiting spoke up to take the puppy and the former owner left some money for the vet bill. In this case the puppy was free but right off there was a vet call with an uncertain prognosis for his health.
We can hope that there are homes for all cheap puppies but these all grow into adults and need attention for more than just a few months while they are cute. Looking beyond the initial cost can help in selecting a puppy that will grow into a member of the household.

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Cheap Puppies Need The Same Care

Many people push rescue puppies as a lower cost measure to not purchase from a breeder. However, with most rescue puppies the unknown background can be a very big cost if they are carrying genetic issues that are not yet expressed. This is a risk with some breeders too, but many breeders test for life altering issues that can affect the puppies they sell.

However, not everyone has the money for the extra cost and testing and some are willing to take the chance with a rescue puppy.
•    Remember that no matter where you get your puppy he will need trained. Rescue puppies are no exception and with many dogs given up due to training issues you may well start with issues right from the beginning.
•    Be prepared and know what situations you can handle and what you will need help dealing with. Have those plans in place before looking at the array of rescue puppies available.

Not only will this help you better choose a puppy to begin with but it also eliminates being overwhelmed with a poor choice. Many people love the furballs known as Pyrenees puppies for example, but without training they grow and the lack of discipline gets to be a problem. Then they grow more and because of the lack of training they become 8-9 month old unruly monsters or, worse, slightly older dominant or passive aggressive monsters. From the very beginning if you can’t handle an intelligent dog that questions whether you are really smarter and lays down the law so to speak, and able to handle a large dog, don’t be tempted by those large feet and big eyes in the rescue puppies pen.

The advantage of purebreds is there is a reliable means of growth expected.
•    With many crossbred rescue puppies you don’t accurately know what the cross is. It might be a beagle cross or might be coonhound – which can result in a big difference in that side of the genetic family tree!
•    Dogs don’t always look like what they are and for many anything black with short hair are “lab cross” and anything black and tan is “German Shepherd cross.”
•    The truth is there are many breeds that are black and tan and there are many dogs that with the right genetic mix turn out black and tan without any German Shepherd influence at all.

Rescue puppies are cute and as animal lovers our hearts go out to them but before taking on a rescue puppy make sure you are ready to devote the time, effort and yes money to the care and training of him. This insures he grows into a healthy, well mannered adult that is a joy to be around. Remember that be it rescue puppies or those taken free from the street or a purebred they all need training and they all need basic care – which is the same no matter the source you get them from.

There are many animals that need homes and rescue puppies are among them. Typically they are the first to get looked at while big black dogs are the last to be considered by those looking for a dog. Choose carefully and find your ideal dog no matter where you are looking. Training counts but so does selection!

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Rescue Puppies – Multitudes of Decisions