Puppy Training Before he Arrives home
Get it right from the start and puppy training gets much easier.
1. Firstly educate yourself. You need to know – what sort of dog you need to look for. Where will you get your puppy from, it should be a reputable breeder, and possible something most people do not think about enough is, when to get it. Do not buy on impulse. Are you aware of how your puppy will develop, be ready for the things that will happen – separation from litter mates, teething, potty training as well as when and how to start proper training.
2. Through your education you will know what to look for and ask when you visit the breeder to choose your puppy. Questions will include – has the puppy got used to a home environment with all the scarey noises and movement around them? Has the puppy been socialised and been handled by different people including children and men? Has potty training started? Has the puppy been given toys which it can chew? Of the basics of training – will it do any of come, sit or down if asked. Will it come if lured with a treat? What injections have been given. What food is recommended.
3.Set up house rules, how everyone is to behave with the puppy. Everyone is a trainer all of the time you know. Rules regarding greeting, feeding, human meal times, puppy sleeping arrangements and playing should be clear to everyone.
4. Think about what your puppy will do when you have to leave it alone. Has it got a space it lives in? A room or a cage? Make sure there is a comfortable bed, bowls for food and fresh water. Think about chew toys, especially hollow ones which can be stuffed with food. These will slowly release the food, that will keep your puppy busy while you are away. Your absence might be just going to another room, leaving the puppy for just a few minutes. Is there a spot you want to be used as a doggy toilet this is usually furthest point away from the bed.
5. How are you going to continue socialisation, dog to dog and human to dog, and the more formal training? Bite inhibition, household manners, being left alone, how to sit and settle down all need to be thought about and introduced or re-enforced.
You must educate yourself before your puppy arrives. Read books, look on the internet and watch videos. You could even go to puppy socialisation or training classes to see what happens. If the owners of those classes say no, it is probably best you do not go to that class at all, best to find a different one for your puppy. Being well prepared gives you and your puppy the best start possible in his life.
