When bringing home a new puppy, these are some of the things I do:
- Hand feeding!
This means 3 to 8 minutes two or three times a day I’m working the puppy for their meals. It can be tricks, behavior shaping exercises, recall games, etc. but Every. Single. meal comes from me.
The benefits of working your puppy 3 to 8 minutes two to three times a day? It’s huge in my opinion.
You’re teaching them to learn and problem solve, creating a work ethic (they don’t get their meals for free. When it’s time to work, it’s time to work), dedicating time to your puppy, instilling muscle memory for the behaviors, teaching them how to ignore distractions from a very early age, etc.
Save the treats for high distracting areas, not inside your home!
- Setting them up for success!
This means I puppy proof my house. Shoes are picked up, cords are put away, nothing I don’t want eaten is left to where they can grab it or reach it.
When I’m not able to have eyes on my puppy, they’re in a kennel/play pen.
When they’re loose, they’re in an area I have full view of or they’re tethered to me on a 5 to 10 foot leash.
This allows me to catch whatever they may get into or catch them before they have a potty accident.
- Potty training/kennel training! These two things go hand in hand.
Kennel training is such an important thing for every dog to know (if they have to stay the night at the vet, go to a groomer, if you ever board them, for traveling, to prevent separation anxiety/issues, etc).
I do a lot of kennel games with my puppies to teach them good things happen in the kennel. I work on them understanding they cannot come out until they’re calm and quiet (if they’re let out when they’re screaming, they’ve just learned being noisy gets them out.)
I also kennel my puppies when they’re taking a nap or past that point of exhaustion where they’re being little turds. I don’t want the kennel to just mean I’m leaving them, so make sure to kennel them when you’re home too!
The kennel is quiet, calm time.
Most puppies won’t use the bathroom where they sleep, so the kennel is a great help with potty training.
I make sure to take the puppy out after they wake up from a nap, 10 to 20 minutes after eating/drinking, in the middle of playing, etc. The more you take them out, the less chances they have to go potty inside.
- Rewarding their engagement!
I reward them for giving me attention. You acknowledge my existence, you get paid. This teaches them I am fun! Which is always my goal with my dogs. I am more fun than that moose, that person, the cat, the squirrel, the bike.
I do this in a neutral setting to start with, so my backyard/front yard. Then I move it to different locations: a pet store, a parking lot/park, a dog friendly store, etc. The more you reward them for checking in and being with you, the more they’re going to WANT to be with you.
- Recall games!
What happens with many puppies is we give them too much freedom, freedom they have not yet earned, and we call them. Sometimes they come, sometimes they don’t.
So puppies are learning right away, that coming is an option. And when they do come, nothing good happens.
If your puppy doesn’t come when called, and you don’t have a way to make it happen (a leash) you just set your puppy up for failure.
So what I do is I spend a TON of time rewarding them for coming and making it happen the first time I call them (so they’re almost always on a leash).
I do games where I have someone hold them and get the puppy excited then I run away. Puppies naturally want to chase things, so I can use that to my advantage and create a game out of it. This game creates some frustration as they’re being held back and when they get to you, you want to make it a BIG party. Coming to you is the best thing ever!
- Confidence building exercises!
This can be exposing them to different surfaces (cardboard boxes, elevated platforms, surfaces that move, tarps, materials that are metal or slippery).
I reward them for interacting with or investigating anything new. I teach my puppies being curious/brave pays off.
I also work my puppies in a ton of different locations around a ton of people. I want them to be confident in all kinds of situations. And I want them to know how to ignore people, dogs, noises, and distractions as well.
These are just a few of the things I do with new puppies. *This can also be applied to all dogs*
So get out and play and interact with your puppies as much as you can.
A puppy with no foundation doesn’t pick up on things nearly as fast.
They’re easily distracted or frustrated, they have less desire to work, are heavily people/dog fixated, etc.
To us, that’s just not fair to the dog.
So take a few minutes a couple times a day and do anything with your puppy. Shape different behaviors, teach tricks, work on recalls or manners. I don’t care what and neither does your puppy.
The learning and bonding itself is so crucial to creating a wonderful dog.
- Taken from Leah at Find your Zen Dog Training