It’s worth mentioning that puppies that have spent all of their time outdoors or in kennels or on the streets may take longer to house-train because they have never had to learn bladder control. A four- or six-month-old puppy, for instance, that has lived his life in a kennel simply potties whenever and wherever he felt like it. He has never had a reason to control his bladder. The kennel was his bathroom. That’s not to say that these puppies can’t be house-trained—they can, but it may take longer and require extra diligence and commitment on the part of owners.
Puppies between the ages of eight and ten weeks do not show signs of having to urinate. When a puppy of that age has to go, he goes right away—often stopping to urinate in the middle of a play session. It is unrealistic to expect an eight-week-old puppy to stop what he is doing and tell you that he needs to go outside. More often than not, your puppy will not realize he has to go until he is already going. Around ten or twelve weeks of age, a puppy will start to exhibit signs—warning signals that he is about to urinate or defecate—by circling, making crying noises, sniffing the floor, or standing by the door. Don’t get overconfident and think you are home free. These are signs that your puppy is learning, not that he is fully house-trained. You mustn’t become complacent. Now more than ever, you need to remain diligent and stick to the program. Puppies are either house-trained or they are not. Any wavering on your part will only set your puppy up for problems.
When Accidents Happen
Ideally, you should do everything possible to prevent accidents or at least keep them to a minimum. If an accident does happen, resign yourself to being more observant and diligent in the future. Did you miss the prepotty signals? Did you keep to his regular feeding and pottying schedule?
Never scold or hit your puppy and never, ever rub his nose in the mess. This is not dog training, and it injures the relationship you’re forming with your puppy. Successful house-training is your responsibility. Your puppy won’t understand why you are angry or why he is being scolded. Punishing, yelling, or otherwise berating your puppy will only confuse him and prolong the house-training process. At worst, it teaches your puppy to be afraid of you. A puppy that lives in fear of you is likely to grow into an adult dog that is anxious and frequently worried, which can exacerbate urinating in the house or cause him to develop all sorts of unwanted behaviors.
Instead, calmly and completely clean up the mess, using a product designed to eradicate pet stains and odors. This is doubly important if the accident is on your carpet; otherwise, your puppy will continue returning to the scene of the crime.
As your puppy becomes more reliable indoors, you can give him greater access to other rooms. Don’t let him wander around unsupervised until he’s completely house-trained.
Chapter 5: First Lessons for the New Puppy
In dog training, as with anything else in life, you can't expect something for nothing. Raising a puppy is a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Your puppy will grow into an adult dog who is a reflection of what you put into him. Will he be thoughtful? Well behaved? A loverboy? Or will he be an unruly ruffian running roughshod over the family? The time and effort you invest today in bonding and instilling life skills, as well as in teaching basic obedience, will reap plenty of rewards down the road as your puppy grows into a well-mannered adult dog that is fun to be with.
Socialization includes growing your puppy’s confidence and teaching him to be handled, which are big parts of the many life lessons he will learn. But your puppy must also learn how to learn, listen, and be calm and not zoom around like a four-legged monster. He needs to learn how to make the right choices, such as not whining, pestering you, demanding your attention, snatching food or toys from your hand, and fighting with other animals. He needs to learn how to handle stress and to figure out some things out on his own. He needs to learn patience and that it’s OK to be left alone for short periods of time.
As you can see, there is a lot that your puppy needs to learn in a short period of time. While dogs continue to learn throughout their lives, their first experiences are very powerful. If your puppy is on the shy or timid side, you will need to work on bolstering his confidence while providing comfortable learning situations.
Bonding Games
Developing a strong bond with your puppy makes sense. Simple everyday tasks and positive interactions with your dog—feeding, walking, bathing, brushing, playing, exercising, snuggling, and whispering sweet nothings in his ear—are great ways to facilitate and strengthen the bonding process; so are fun games that help to instill basic obedience behaviors while building a bond.
How much time is required for bonding? Much depends on you and your puppy, and how much time and energy you are willing to invest. Each puppy is unique and must be treated as such. For instance, herding, working, and sporting (or gundog) breeds were originally bred to work closely with man and therefore bond with their owners quite quickly. Hounds and terriers, on the other hand, are very independent; making yourself the center of their universe may take some doing, but the time invested is well worth the rewards.
There are no hidden secrets to training a puppy, though this young pup has a few funny ones to share.
Leash Training Your Puppy
Teaching your puppy to walk nicely on leash isn’t terribly difficult if you start while he is young and impressionable, and you have a clear picture of the behaviors that you will and will not accept. To begin, you will want to accustom your puppy to wearing a buckle collar. (Never teach these exercises on a prong or choke chain.) Attach a 6-foot leash or long line to his collar and allow him to drag it around the house or yard. (Never allow him to drag his leash or long line while unattended because he may catch it on a table leg, tree, post, or the like and may panic or injure himself.)
Dragging his leash or long line serves two purposes. First, if your puppy begins to wander off, you can step on the leash and reel him in, thus eliminating the counterproductive need for grabbing at or chasing your puppy. Second, dragging a leash accustoms the puppy to following you and being close to you, thus providing a foundation for walking on a leash.
It won't take more than a few sessions to teach the puppy to stay close to you while he is attached to his leash. Eventually, that behavior morphs into walking nicely on leash at your side. Your puppy learns from day one that being close to you is fun and highly rewarding.
Follow Me!
Most young puppies between eight and twelve weeks of age will follow you pretty much everywhere, which makes teaching the Follow Me exercise rather easy. Your puppy’s mother and siblings are gone, and you are now his security. Teach your puppy to follow you everywhere you go by rewarding him for staying close to your side.
To start, your puppy should be dragging his leash attached to his buckle collar. Get your puppy’s attention by using tasty tidbits of chicken, steak, or cheese. In the beginning, lure and reward your puppy by holding the treat near your side. Be generous with your treats and your verbal praise so that he learns that being close to you is rewarding and a fun place to be. Use a cue such as “Stay close” and praise him with “Good boy!” or whatever words you choose to use.
If your puppy is toy crazy, you can use a toy and reward him with a fun game of tug while he is close to you. Do this multiple times throughout the day in as many different places as possible, such as your kitchen, living room, backyard, and so forth. It won’t be long before your puppy wants to be by your side all the time, which makes it much easier for you to teach him how to walk nicely on leash.
Many puppies will try to pick up their leashes and carry them around. Don’t worry about this. In fact, put a command to the behavior. “Have you got your leash?” eventually becomes “Get your leash!”
It is worth mentioning that by fourteen or fifteen weeks of age, most puppies have been out and about, socializing and exploring new surroundings. They are more confident