It’s all fun and games, isn’t it? I mean, really, isn’t learning easier when you’re having fun? Every time you play with your dog, there’s an opportunity to teach him something new or reinforce something he already knows. Play, I believe, is essential to the bonding process. Bonding is essential to the training process… besides, if there’s no bond between you, why do you have a dog? “Bozo, ‘fetch’; Bozo, [...] Read more »
Training Your Puppy To Roll Over
“Bozo, ‘roll over’.” “But I don’t need or want to teach my dog party tricks,” you say. Fair enough but consider another view. ‘Roll over’ is guaranteed to bring “aahs” of appreciation when performed AND teaching Bozo anything is a fun activity for both of you AND whenever you or the vet or the groomer has reason to examine Bozo’s undercarriage, “Bozo, ’roll over’ “ makes it incredibly simple. Convinced [...] Read more »
Training Your Puppy To Walk On A Leash
Without a doubt, the easiest way to have your puppy walk calmly on leash is to play ‘follow me’ off leash. How to do that? Move away from him and keep moving. It is not possible to follow a stationary object. If Bozo doesn’t follow fast enough, move faster. If his attention is diverted, clap your hands, say something like, “come along” and move quickly in another direction. If he [...] Read more »
Training Your Puppy To Come… The Recall
I have heard it said, “If your dog doesn’t ‘come’, you don’t have a dog.” Instead of debating that, let’s teach your puppy to ‘come’ whenever and wherever you ask. It’s all part of the manners game – ‘sit’ for leash on, ‘sit’ for leash off, ‘sit’ before going through a doorway, ‘sit’ for dinner. All these required ‘sits’ keep Bozo’s energy under control. If Bozo’s energy is controllable, he’s [...] Read more »
Training Your Puppy To Settle Down
Imagine that immediately your pup, Bozo, hears the words,” Bozo, ‘settle’ “, he lies down quietly. No more begging at the table, no more nudging you or leash pulling when you stop to visit a neighbor while on a walk. It’s important to interrupt play sessions with Bozo even and especially when he’s very young. Uninterrupted play sessions quickly deteriorate into an out-of-control free-for-all; no good for pups or humans. [...] Read more »
Training Your Puppy To Stay Until You Release Him
Good on you! Now you have a puppy who will ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stand’ on request. Excellent! Many times, though, we want Bozo to ‘stay’ in one of those positions. Let’s add that now. Many say that ‘stay’ is implied in the initial command i.e. sit and stay there until I release you. I personally like the added clarity of ‘stay so that both Bozo and I know what’s expected. If [...] Read more »
Training Your New Puppy To Sit
We’ve talked about ‘sit’ quite a bit already. In fact, I have suggested that you teach Bozo to ‘sit’ even if you teach him nothing else. It is so easy to teach a young puppy, though, it seems crazy to me not to teach them lots more. It’s not only easy but fun and the benefits… limitless. But I digress… SIT Get your bag of kibble. Put a couple of [...] Read more »
Puppy Socialization … Exploring The World
Whatever is in his immediate environment such as carpet, grass, flooring, pavement, cement and gravel will probably become familiar to Bozo within a few days of your getting him home. Surfaces like ice, beach rocks or sand you may want to introduce. Then again, maybe you won’t. The only reason I mention this is so YOU won’t be surprised if Bozo balks at walking on any strange surface. Again, it’s [...] Read more »
Puppies Pee. Puppies Poop. Where Do They Pee & Poop?
Not surprising at all, really. What goes in must come out. The problem arises when they eliminate in YOUR house, on YOUR rug and other inappropriate places. This is where YOU come in. It is absolutely 100% up to you to manage where your pup’s toilet is and to see that he uses it. One accident in the house, while only a tiny puddle or pile, is BAD NEWS. It [...] Read more »