Puppy and Dog Training
If you have just gotten your first puppy or first dog they do need training. If you are an experienced dog owner than you know training a puppy versus training a dog is quite different.
A puppy is like a very young child. They have not developed any bad habits so you are working with a very clean slate. Does that make them easier to train? Well that would depend on how consistent you are and how patient you are.
Puppies basically know nothing. They do not know where to go potty, what they can chew, what they should eat and who the boss is. They need to learn all of this so they can grow up to be a good canine citizen.
Training a puppy begins right from the time you pick them up. When you pick up your puppy you should bring him/her home in a crate especially if you are the only one picking up the puppy. Puppies can be quite curious and at this young age have no fear. If they decide to explore the vehicle when you are driving they could get into a number of things that may not have a good outcome. With puppies always expect the unexpected.
Now if on the other hand you have decided to get an older more mature dog although they may have had some training they will still need more training.
Many dogs that end up in the shelter are there because of behavioural issues. Most times it is not the dog’s fault. Usually a person just doesn’t put the time into the puppy and all of a sudden it is a mature dog that really has had no proper guidance. It may not be housebroken, it may not know how to properly walk on a leash and it may be aggressive because it thinks it is the alpha.
We adopted from the shelter in 2013 when our male dobie died. Her name is Olive and she is a shepherd lab cross. She was adopted when she was 3 months old and then returned 3 months later. She was 7 months old when we adopted her. According to her previous adopter she used the house as a toilet and she barked all day and she was very hyper.
At this time we still had our female dobie and we got Olive so our dobie could have a companion.
Olive did mess in the house twice when we first got her. The first time I was not picking up on what she wanted and the second time her and the dobie were running like crazy and poop came flying out of her.
She did have a lot of energy when we first brought her home so lots of walks and play have settled her down. She has turned into a wonderful pet.
Olive is an example of a dog who’s owner does not invest the time into training and caring for the puppy. We had the advantage of both being home all day so to us her training became part of a daily ritual. Nothing a dog loves any better than routine and someone else making all the decisions.
Adopting an older dog may have its challenges but in the long run it can be well worth it.
So whether you want an older dog or a puppy both will need some type of training. They need a commitment from you that you will take care of them and remember dogs and puppies are for life they are not disposable property.
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I really liked the page and the story you give your readers. I’m a big dog lover and I’m happy to read that you are big on it too. I took in a very abused mother pitbull when I was younger and changed her into a great house dog when love and care. So I kinda relate to your story! The only thing I would say change would be your headline “puppy and dog training” to something more related to what your talking about (like “Choosing a puppy or Adult?”) But thats my only advice so far, keep you the good work!
I really cannot change my title now but your suggestion is a great topic for an upcoming article. Glad to hear you brought the mother pitbull around with love and care. Dogs are amazing. Still loving us after being abused.
We remember training Coco to go outside and it was the dead of winter. But she was cool with that because it was all she knew. Now of course she got to explore spring & summer and doing well. But still has the fall and halloween to see…
Can not wait to she how Coco does this winter sledding with my girls. We like your blog its Coco approved!
Give Coco a big hug for approving of my blog. What kind of dog is Coco? Curious because you mentioned sledding.
It is neat to see how are furry companions react to the different seasons. Some dogs love the fall and those huge piles of leaves to jump in after you have gotten them all raked up.
This is so important for any dog owner. Puppies if not trained properly can be so distructive and crazy. Video’s of training will truly add authenticity and validity to your training techniques. It might take some more time but it will be worth it to your site and to your viewers.
I read your article about Puppy and Dog Training. One thing I should say is that this is totally a new topic to me and I didn’t know anything about training dogs. I always used to wonder how people train dogs. For example, police dogs. Police dogs are very disciplined and they do what they are trained to do. The always prefer German Shepherd. This dog is very robust and helps the police officer with his duties. By reading your article, I gained some insight and it is very good.
Hi Shivaram thanks for your comment. Police dogs go through some very vigorous training. They are trained in obedience, tracking, and protection work. These dogs need to have a very sound temperament, good health, a high prey drive and of course be trainable. Not just any German Shepherd can make a police dog. Some of the dogs that do not make the cut often are used for search and rescue.
Great article and love your webpage. I’ve been a dog owner all my life, and I’ve learned that before getting a dog, we should read about the breed first and learn about the strengths and weaknesses, about what kind of diseases are more likely to get, depending on the type of breed, so we can take better care of our dog since they are a puppy.
You are so right Martha. Many people do not realize that dogs can get the same illnesses as people. Some of these diseases can be bred out of the breed but not all breeders will do that. Thus the disease gets past down generation after generation. Knowing what breed is prone to what can tell you what you may have in store as far as health issues are concerned.
Im sure I have come across this website before but im just going to add that I love your website design and your content is informative and in good detail. I have a 13yr old westie so I dont normally train her as you cant teach an old dog new tricks but I will defiantly look back if I ever get a new puppy
Many people for some reason believe that an older dog is not trainable but that is just not true. It may be a bit more work and it definitely take longer but you can teach an older dog. In the U.S.A there are many programs for Vets suffering from PTSD. They are training service dogs to help these Vets cope. Many of these dogs come from the pound so they are older dogs. They are having great success training these older dogs to help out the Vets. So you can teach an old dog some new tricks.
Hi, your page looks great 🙂 I wish all people thought about it properly before adopting a pet, there are too many people out there that forget/don’t realise that it’s a very big commitment. I will always choose to adopt a dog from a shelter, in doing so usually you will end up with a few more problems though. Usually with a lot of patients and consistency you will end up with the most loving dog ever. I have a Bullmastiff who is 1 1/2 year old, I have now had him for about 4 months, he had been ill treated and he had major trust issues but in only a short time he is a different dog, my new best mate.
Cheers Kerry
Hi Kerry thanks for your comments. I am glad to hear that you adopted from the shelter. Our last dog Olive was also adopted. She had been adopted and after 3 months the fella brought her back. He got her when she was just 3 months old. He claimed she used the house as a toilet and she barked all day.(I think he had her on a chain outside when he was working). She turned out to be a great dog. The thing about her messing in the house I find quite comical now because I have never had a dog that can hold it as long as she can.
There are a lot of diamonds in the rough at the shelter and with a bit of patience and some TLC there can be a great dog and companion there.
I think a pet (dog) that misbehaves does it because they think that is what their supposed to do.
A puppy is, indeed, a child; in essence, a chuck of formless clay. You must, from the onset, begin to slowly form and mold that clay into what you ultimately want the puppy to be.
I get a big kick out of watching pet owners and their pets going through a training routine at the major pet store, like PetSmart. I you really look closely and pay attention, you’ll that most the training provide by training is actually aimed towards the dog owner. So, in essence, the pet owners are the ones being trained on the proper way to handle their young pups, which makes sense.
Well put Santos. A lot of first time dog owners do not realize that dog training classes are actually training them. If you have a very young puppy you need to know how to teach them properly and that is what dog/puppy training classes are for.
Also when a dog misbehaves how does he know that he has misbehaved? If not shown he is just following his instinct. It is up to responsible owners to learn the proper way to teach our dogs how to become a sociable canine citizen.