As soon as a little dog becomes a new member of the family, we start thinking about its training. Of course, we want only the best for the little one! But where to start?
Where do I start when training a puppy?
Contrary to what you might think, your puppy’s training starts as soon as he moves in with you. This is because puppies need a clear structure to which they must gradually become accustomed. You can start, for example, with housetraining. Before you pick up your puppy from the breeder, it is important that you think about where your puppy will do its business in the future. Even before your puppy gets to know its new home, it will immediately go to this valid peeing place – so that the first mishap is already avoided. From this point on, it is best to take your puppy to this wee-wee spot every 1.5 to 2 hours.
You can also playfully teach your puppy some rules on the first day. Puppies learn bite inhibition easily by stopping play with your dog whenever he uses his milk teeth too much. You can learn more about bite inhibition here.
Of particular importance is learning to rest. Puppies need up to 20 hours of sleep a day! Therefore, before your puppy arrives, set up a sleeping area that is in a quiet, yet central location. Put a chew item on this place to attract your puppy to this place in a very casual way.
Socialization
The socialization of your puppy begins at the breeder with the opening of the eyes. From this point on, your dog will be presented with a variety of stimuli over and over again to prepare him for life at your side. When your puppy comes to you at about 10 weeks, it is up to you to continue this important stage of development. Present your puppy with different stimuli that are important in everyday life. Maybe you take him on a short car ride, introduce him to other dogs, walk near a playground to show him that there are also small, loud, and yelling people, or let him watch a construction site from a distance.
For the socialization of your dog, you have approximately until the 12th-14th week of life. During this time, it is important to present your dog with stimuli that are as varied as possible, but do not overtax him! Always think of enough breaks and rest periods (20h sleep!).
The right communication
Also, interspecies communication wants to be learned on both sides. Study your dog’s expressive behavior and try to understand it. In turn, you can help your dog actively interact with you. In manding, your dog learns to communicate and actively ask for attention through a specific behavior, such as a sit. The social communication between you and your dog is largely responsible for your subsequent human-dog bond. Therefore, we advise you to invest extra time in this area. In our app, you will learn how to improve communication with your dog and will be guided step by step.
Basic Training
Of course, you can already train some basic commands with your dog. The most important basic commands include:
- Sit
- Down
- Box or basket
- recall
- Leash leadership
- No (abort command)
These commands can and should be integrated playfully into the daily routine at the beginning. So your dog can practice sit and down just before food is served. You can use the stop command at the latest when something falls down in the kitchen (you are allowed to do this consciously) and recall and leash handling can easily be integrated during play. For the box or basket training, we advise you to start slowly and not to train for more than 5 minutes. It’s best to have a little snack waiting in the basket or dog crate every now and then, so your dog learns that this place is definitely worth a visit.
For more tips and tricks on how to get started with dog training, check out our app!
We wish you lots of fun with your dog
Your Pupy Team
