Puppy Training – Canine Life Skills

Teach Your Puppy to Potty on Command

Why teach your puppy to potty on command? Because sometimes you need your dog to do their business right away and not be distracted by by smells or more interesting things.

To do this we give them a command to communicate that it’s time to pee or poop. First, your dog needs to learn Word + Action.

Choose your potty commands. You will want two separate potty commands. One for pee and one for poop. I use words like “go pee” or “potty” and “do your business” or “go poo”. You can be creative if you wish but simple is better.

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House Training a New Puppy

House Training a New Puppy: Puppy Training Tips

When house training a new puppy, supervision is the key to success. Until your puppy is reliable you must keep a close eye on him at all times. The easiest method is the tether. Attach a six foot leash to your puppy’s collar and attach to your pocket or belt loop. This way the puppy is never six feet out of reach and you can use the leash to escort him quickly outside.

Tether your puppy to you until the he becomes reliable so you always have him under 100% supervision. Continue keeping a watchful eye on him for signs he needs to go out such as lots of sniffing, squatting or circling. When it is not possible to have his tether on put him in his crate.

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Avoid Mistakes When Bringing Home Your New Dog

Set up for success.

Bringing home your new dog is an exciting experience! A common mistake adopters make is giving the new dog too much freedom too soon. Freedom should be earned slowly as the new dog becomes more reliable with housetraining and the new owners have some basic control of the dog.

Before bringing home your new dog, we suggest investing in a crate. Crate training is the fastest and safest way to housetrain the new dog/puppy. Even if the dog was reliable in the previous home, accidents happen.

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How to Make Your Own Dog Toy

Make Your Own Dog Toy

Here is an easy step by step guide on how to make your own dog toy. A fun toy for your dog is a fleece dog tug. These simple, easy to make dog tugs are a cheap way to have fun with your dog. I like to have a few around of various sizes for tossing or tugging, but please only give them to your dog while supervised.

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