Puppy Obedience Training: Top Tips

Puppy obedience training: how to be successful. When should puppy obedience training begin? Puppies from 5 to 7 weeks

Your puppy’s age plays a big role in deciding when to start the training program…

• 5 – 7 weeks – This is the age when puppies start to act and behave like dogs.
• The mother will begin to wean the puppies around the fourth week (although this can vary slightly).
• From the fourth week (approx.) the the mother dog will start to teach the puppy discipline such as bite inhibition – this is the process of teaching the pup how much pressure to put into a bite (so puppies don’t bite their littermates too hard).
• the age from 5 – 7 weeks It is also very important in the development of a puppy since it is the moment in which the mother dog begins to teach the puppy social skills – this will allow the puppy to learn What to interact with other puppies, dogs and humans.
• Important – If a puppy is removed too early during these developmental stages, it could have disastrous effects on the puppy and its future behavior and obedience.

The importance of early Housetraining…

• If puppies are properly housetrained at this crucial stage of 5 to 7 weeks or more, they will learn the basics of house training.
• Puppies (if given the option) will not eliminate naturally in their whelping cage/crate (if their mother has taught them this and they weren’t separated too early), even if it means quickly tripping and staggering to the other side of the crate . delivery box.
• If for some reason (you may have left him in the crate/birthing box too long) your pup relieves himself in his den, then he may think he is fine and continue to do so.

Puppies from 8 to 16 weeks.

• This is a critical stage in your puppy’s life and development – if your If you do poorly here, then you are setting yourself up for puppy obedience and puppy behavior problems in the future.
• At this age, your pup is starting to realize if it’s a big world to live in or a scary, scary world.
• IMPORTANT – If your puppy does not know and interact with other people, children and dogs at this age, he can become frightened and as we know, a nervous and scared dog can become an aggressive dog.
• At this point, if you are inconsistent with the house training process, then your puppy will be inconsistent with future house training.

Do not be fooled!

• You may think that your pup is completely housebroken at this stage, he can even go to the door when he wants to relieve himself, however…
• This is where basic and very common mistakes in the training process occur: YOU have unrealistic expectations…
• Just because your pup THINK he’s a big boy, he’s learned the concept of the asking out process, but biologically he’s still a baby and may pee on the way out because as a baby he still has bladder control issues.
• At about 8 weeks your pup can hold his bladder for about 2 hours and this will increase to about 4 hours by the time he reaches 16 weeks.
• Don’t expect your pup to hold you; if he does, you are asking your pup to have a urinary tract infection.

Puppies from 4 to 6 months.

This is where all your training is proven to make or break!

• If you thought all was well and your beautiful pup was house trained, don’t hold your breath as this could prove you wrong.
• At this age, your puppy is very easily distracted, just when you think he is about to urinate, he will go after a fly, this is normal.
• At this age, puppies can hold their bladder for about 4-5 hours or so, without needing to go to the bathroom.
• At about 6 months, your pup should be able to last about 6-7 hours.

Puppies from 6 to 12 months.

This is when your little pup begins to develop sexually, which brings its own problems.

• If you have an unneutered male, because he is developing sexually, he may begin to lift his leg and urinate on the furniture.
• If you have a female, she can have her first heat between 6 and 12 months.
• If you have been consistent in your house training, then your pup should be able to hold his bladder for 7-8 hours between potty breaks.
• Don’t make the common mistake to think that your puppy is fully house trained at this age; many people let it run around the house when they are away, only to find accidents in the house. This is because puppies may not associate their den/cage with the whole house until they are around 1 year old or older.