Dogs are very intelligent and there’s a huge range of commands (and even tricks) that you can teach your new puppy. For now we’ll focus on what basic puppy training he needs to learn in order to become an enjoyable companion and family member.

Basic Puppy Training Commands

• Learn his name
  If you want to be able to get Fido’s attention you first need to teach him his name. First do this by using his name whenever you talk to him, play with him, feed him etc. For example, tell him “Good boy Fido” when you’re stroking him, or say “Here you are, Fido” when you give him his food. This will help him to realize that when you say the word ‘Fido’ it usually has something to do with him.
• Recall or ‘Come’
  ‘Come’ is one of the most important commands Fido will ever learn! For you it means you won’t need to run all over the yard trying to catch him (a game which you’ll never actually win by the way), but more importantly, it could quite possibly save your puppy’s life some day. If Fido happens to escape through the front door while you’re talking to a neighbor for example, “COME” could mean the difference between him slinking back inside or running out into oncoming traffic.
• Sit
  Teaching Fido to ‘sit’ on command is one of your easiest puppy training tasks. Most puppies take to this like ducks to water. First, get yourself a handful of treats then get Fido’s attention. With him standing facing you, hold a treat in front of his nose (not close enough for him to grab it though) and then say “Sit” in a firm voice while slowly raising the treat up and away from you, as if to go over his head.Fido’s puppy dog nose will attempt to follow the treat up and in response his rear will go down. As soon as his rump hits the floor, give him the treat and say “good sit”. Let him get up and then try it again. When you’re practicing any puppy training exercises, 3 or 4 repeats per session is usually enough for his short attention span,and 3 or 4 sessions per day is ideal.
  Find our more about puppy obedience training methods and techniques that will turn your puppy into a model student!

Your goal of house training is to ensure your puppy always eliminates outdoor, in his specific potty area, rather than indoor (unless you are living in a high rise apartment and finds it difficult to let your puppy potty outdoor – then consider indoor dog potty).

As with all aspects of dog and puppy training, potty training requires a great deal of patience and consistency. Some puppies, especially the smaller breeds, may be more difficult to toilet train as compared to the larger breed. However, you will be delighted to know that most dogs are capable of being fully potty trained.

When you bring your puppy home from the breeder, it should have been exposed to and accustomed to a clean den environment. This is because as your puppy grows bigger and more energetic, the breeder would have taken him outside for a short period of time. Your pup would have learned to eliminate and defecate in the outdoor environment, and get accustomed to a clean indoor den. This would make your pup ready to follow your household cleanliness rule.

If you catch your puppy in the act of going potty in the house, you can do one of two things. The most common advice was to correct with a firm no and immediately take the puppy to the proper toilet area. This may not effectively discourage the puppy from going indoors. What often happens instead is that puppies learn to make sure you aren’t watching when they go indoors, so they go behind the couch, in a closet, etc.

Newer understanding of dog behavior says that instead of punishing on the spot, you do everything you can to prevent indoor accidents. If they happen, ignore them. You don’t want to give the dog any attention for this mistake. Simply put the puppy in its kennel, or outside, when she’s finished, say nothing and clean up the mess thoroughly using an enzymatic cleaner. Then redouble your efforts to get the puppy out before there is an accident.

Consider getting Get Serious! Stain Remover if you want to have an effective product on hand to remove puppy accident stains. (Please do send us your results of using this product.) This product will even work on old stains, also — although we are still compiling information on how aged the stain can be.

You should be consistent in what steps you are taking to train you new puppy. By reading the steps below, if you throw different things into the mix, you may find your puppy having difficulty understanding what it is that you want it to do.

Whether you picked up other tips elsewhere, or have for whatever reason opted not to follow the ones mentioned here, at least be consistent on what it is you are doing. The free time, confining, food, praise, should all be consistent on a daily basis.

Click here to learn more about Puppy Potty Training

Since it is important to associate favorable things with the area where your puppy is confined, it is a good idea to play with him there, or simply spend some time reading or watching television nearby as he relaxes with a favorite chew toy. If he is only in the area when you leave, it becomes a social isolation area that he eventually may resist entering.

A good time to start crate puppy training is at dinner time. Feed your puppy his dinner, one piece at a time, by tossing pieces of kibble into the crate for him to chase and eat. This way, you can make a game out of training.

I have found that it is faster to housetrain a pup using the crate method. I do not believe in first paper training (teaching them to go to the bathroom on newspapers). That is a very hard habit to break, and it is very confusing to later try to teach the pup that you no longer want him to potty on your Sunday paper. So start it out right from the beginning. Take your pup to the same section of the yard frequently. Stay out with him until he goes. When he does, immediately reward him with: “What a good boy, you are such a good dog. You went ‘potty outside.’” A love pat and treat with the praise will positively reinforce this good behavior. Your puppy is going to have accidents in the house. That is a fact. If you don’t have the patience to deal with it, don’t get a puppy. He doesn’t mean to displease you, he simply doesn’t know what you want yet. So when he does have an accident, it is better to say, “No, bad puppy,” and take him outside for a bit if you catch him in the act. Obviously if he’s already gone, so there’s not much point in staying outside. You just want him to associate going potty with outside. He will soon get the idea if you consistently and frequently give him the opportunity to go outside, and you reward him with praise and a special treat.

What is a Dog Crate ?

A dog “crate” is the general term referring to a rectangular enclosure consisting of a top, a floor, 3 sides, and a door. Crates can be constructed of wire, wood, metal, molded plastic or a combination of these materials. The purpose of a crate is to provide a secure short-term confinement area for safety, housebreaking, protection of household goods, travel, illness, or general control.

Veterinarians, dog show exhibitors, obedience and field trial competitors, trainers, breeders, groomers, and anyone who regularly handles dogs have accepted, trusted, and routinely used dog crates since their inception. It is the individual pet owners, who for the most part, have rejected the idea of using a dog crate. Most consider the use of a crate as unfair confinement, or even harmful to the dog.

USE a Crate – Don’t ABUSE a Crate

A dog crate is not recommended for a dog that will routinely left alone all day. If long term crating is to be attempted, the dog must be well exercised both before and after crating, the dog will also need lots of personal attention, and should be allowed freedom at night (even sleeping near his owner). It is also critical that the crate be large enough to enable the dog to fully stretch out and freedom of movement. The crate must have a clip-on water dish. Under ideal circumstances, if you can arrange to have someone provide an exercise and attention period during the day; the crate retains it’s “den” attributes as opposed to solitary confinement.

Regarding puppies, a crate must be strictly used as a “play-pen” for general confinement. It must have adequate space for a sleeping area at one end and potty papers at the other. The crate should also be equipped with a clip-on water dish and dry food bowl. A puppy can be raised in this manner, but be sure that the puppy has a great deal of human contact, frequent breaks from confinement (for more than just outside to potty).

To be well adjusted family member a dog needs human contact, whether the animal is crated or not, your dog needs play time, training time, and a time to simply relax in the company of the family to which he is a part (his pack).

New Puppy Training

Basic Puppy Training Advice

• Praise, praise, praise. The best way to teach your dog acceptable behavior is to praise him when he does something good and even when you redirect a bad behavior. For example, if your dog goes to sit by the door to signal he’s ready to go relieve himself, praise him with a simple, “Good dog.” If you catch him getting ready to go inside, take him outside. Once he goes outside, praise him. That way he learns that outside is the place to relieve himself.
• Don’t punish your dog unless you catch him in the act. Even then, keep in mind that yelling, hitting, or banishing your dog DOES NOT WORK. In fact, those are good ways of training your dog to be aggressive and disobedient. Instead, you can try squirting your dog with a water bottle, sternly saying “No,” or redirecting behavior.
• Be patient with your pet. He’ll get it, he just needs some time and some help from you.
• Identify the specific problem and get help. For instance, if your dog has a problem with chewing, figure out why. It could be just the natural puppy urge to chew. If so, provide great toys and treats. If it is due to separation anxiety, you can try crate training.
• Teach your puppy tricks like shake paw and roll over. These are fun and enjoyable for the dog and gives you a chance to praise him. They also gently remind the dog that you are the boss. There is no need for you to engage in alpha-dog behavior like wrestling and staring contests – these little tricks let your dog know you’re in charge.

The key is to be consistent and patient with your animal. Let your puppy know what you expect and make sure he follows your commands. Remember, a puppy is a pet, someone to keep you company. He also depends on you: make sure you make puppy obedience training enjoyable and effective for both of you.

Obedience training is not just for puppies. Even adult dogs can benefit from it. But in my opinion, the biggest beneficiary will be… you!

What will you get in return?

In general, obedient dogs know what you expect from them and rarely get into trouble. They are less destructive, get punished less, and tend to be much happier. In a nutshell, they are easier to live with.

There are two types of obedience training:

• Basic obedience
• Competitive obedience

During basic obedience training, you will teach your puppy some basic commands that will allow you to communicate better with your pet. Visit obedience training for dogs to learn more.

While competitive obedience is probably beyond what you may be interested in, I’ll show you how both you and your pet can benefit from it. I’ll discuss this subject further down on this page.

Basic Puppy Obedience Training