How to educate a puppy? - Exercises and tips for each stage

Before adopting a dog...

Adoption is a very important process, so before taking the puppy to our home, we must make sure that it is a meditated decision and approved by all members of the unit In the same way, we will make the necessary preparations to ensure that the newcomer is comfortable and we can thus favor a rapid adaptation.

Remember that dogs are long-lived animals, which can accompany us between 15 and Approximately 20 years .For this reason, we must be sure that we can take care of it throughout your life and, in case of an accident, have a trusted person with whom to leave it.Ask yourself the following questions:

• Will you have time to educate him?
• Will you take him for a walk at least twice a day?
• Can you take care of him economically?
• Do all the members of your family agree?
• Will you be responsible for it until the last day?

If you have answered yes to all questions , you are ready to have a puppy.This step is very important to keep in mind, because only in this way can we prevent difficulties in their education, maintenance and even a possible abandonment.Overpopulation of animals and the number of dogs abandoned worldwide is a real problem, do not let your case be one more.

How and where to adopt a puppy?

The choice of the "ideal puppy" is a complex process, since many factors must be taken into account, since they will influence the dog's temperament in adulthood Therefore, if we want to have a balanced and stable adult dog, we must know what are the elements of the character's forge: genetics, socialization and lived experiences, education being an important part of them.

The dog breeds can help us know how the dog's character will be, as some breeds stand out for being especially intelligent, active or predisposed to certain behavioral problems, however, in the dogs mestizos , we must look at the temperament of the parents, because some aspects can be transmitted to puppies, such as fear.

On the other hand, a premature adoption , that is, before the dog has been able to socialize with its parents and siblings, it can cause the appearance of behavioral problems in the puppy, such as insecurity, fear or excessive vocalization.Thus, the recommended age of adoption is between 2 and 3 months of life, moment in which the dog is already weaned and understands the canine language.

Finally, education and training will play a fundamental role in the dog's behavior, so you should devote time and effort to teach him how to behave at home and outside of it, as well as initiate you in basic canine obedience so that it responds positively to your indications.To teach you you should make use of the positive reinforcement , through treats, caresses or kind words, in no case the punishment, because at this stage it can cause fear and bond breakage.

What does a puppy need?

It will be very important that, before the arrival of the puppy, we prepare all the tools you need :

• Bed
• Blanket and towel
• Feeder
• Drinker
• Puppy food
• Toys
• Teethers
• Empapadores
• Golosinas
• Cepillo
• Shampoo for puppies
• Harness or adjustable collar
• Fixed leash
• Stool bags

Place the bed in a quiet place and bowls in an easily accessible place.Once placed, do not change them site , because the puppy will need to find them easily.Remember that it will be difficult for him to orient himself in a new home, especially the first few days.

Rules of the family unit

This detail is very important and should be considered before the arrival of the dog at home.The dogs are animals of customs and to maintain a mental stability they must always follow marked and fixed routines:

• Walking schedules
• Food schedules
• What you can do and what not

All family members should be clear about these points and fulfill them properly.For example, we should know whether or not the dog can climb on the sofa, if he should always sleep in the same place, if we can give him food when we are in the middle of dinner , etc.If we follow all the same dynamics of education, the dog will be more stable and mentally healthy and will also behave in a more polite way.

Another detail that we must establish will be education .You should know that the dog is an animal that has its own autonomy: it will be likely that sometimes it will do things that you dislike such as nibbling a piece of furniture, breaking a precious object or urinating where it does not touch.Remember that a puppy needs time and an education based on positive reinforcement.Using aggressiveness and punishment with the dog will only bring prob behavior slogans in the future as reactivity or fear.Instead of punishing him for climbing on the sofa, reinforce him for going down.

Finally we encourage you to look for your new dog in an animal shelter for give shelter to a rescued puppy that didn't have a chance in a real home, don't you think?

The puppy's arrival home

The first day of the arrival of the dog at home we must maintain a very positive and relaxed attitude to convey confidence to our new dog, probably our puppy will do some mischief, we should not take it into account.

Usually dogs when they suffer a sudden change of life usually have a "period of adaptation" in which they are shy, introverted and insecure.day or two, then they will begin to show their authentic personality.

On this first day of adaptation you must let your puppy smell the environment to know and get used to it, it can occur in dogs puppies a little older or younger, urinate a little to "mark" their new territory, it is normal, do not ruin.

Do not overwhelm him with excessive caresses, screams and nervousness.Your puppy needs to rest and to meet comfortable in your new environment.Provide a feeling of calm, sure Give and well-being It will be very positive for your dog and to promote a good adaptation.There will be time to know things, let's go step by step.

How to teach a puppy to go to the bathroom?

The veterinarian should give your puppy the vaccines relevant to his age, properly following the vaccination schedule for dogs, until he has not been given all the ones he should receive you will not be able to take the puppy for a walk .If you did, it could suffer from a mild cold to more serious diseases, and due to its young age it could not

For that reason you should teach your dog to urinate in the newspaper.To teach your dog to urinate in the newspaper follow this simple step by step:

The puppy usually urinates and defecates about 20 or 30 minutes after eating.stimulate him by stroking his belly, "cleaning" his ass with wet wipes or we can simply wait for him to feel like it.If your puppy has already urinated before at home he will probably have a preferred area so to speak.Place several layers of newspaper in that corner.decide to go to the newspaper or maybe not.Be that as it may, if you Puppy decides to urinate in another place you should catch him and take him quickly to the newspaper.Once I finish congratulate him and fill him with praise, caresses and snacks .Whatever you can think of.Little by little you will identify the desire to urinate your puppy: some sniff the ground, others give non-stop circles and third parties are nervous.When you observe the desire to urinate your dog, take him quickly to the newspaper.We will always congratulate him and reward him.It will probably take time to relate the congratulations, the newspaper and the urine, but at some point your puppy will understand what is happening and will carry it out on its own.Do not despair if you need more than 20 repetitions, it is normal, it is a puppy.

How to teach a puppy to come when you call him?

At this stage of his life, we must stimulate the puppy's mind in an active and daily way so that he is a very intelligent dog and we can work with him a positive and effective education.Your puppy can't even leave the home, we recommend you start with the intelligence games inside the house, whether purchased or homemade, it doesn't matter.Stimulating your dog mentally and physically is very important so that in the Future have an agile thought and let yourself be handled without problems.

Remember that at this time in your life the puppy should rest for a long time.However, when he is awake, we will practice with him using varied toys: teethers, stuffed animals , kong, bones...What we can think of.Always under supervision.

Offering, removing and offering a toy again is a great way to prevent our dog from being possessive in the future.It is also a very good trick to give food directly from the hand, in this way our dog will not be possessive of food and will understand that we are the ones who offer him food.This is a key point.

We can also start educating our dog in obedience inside the house , for example, teaching him to come here .To achieve this follow this step by step:

Get yourself dog treats.Get away from your puppy (1-2 meters), call him by his Name and say "come here." Use warm words to encourage him to approach you.When he arrives to where you are, offer him a small prize.Move and repeat this exercise around the room for about 10 minutes.

Once he has learned to come Here you can move on to the next exercise, for example, teaching him to sit down.Every time he learns a new exercise you should leave a day or two of "review" to practice again what he has already learned.Never exceed the 10 minutes daily with a puppy.

How to teach a puppy to do his needs outside?

Once your puppy has received all his vaccinations he will be ready to go outside for a walk.This moment is very important for the dog's life In fact, the behavior of your adult life will depend directly on this precise stage of your life.

We will start teaching you to urinate in the street to do this, you will follow this step by step, very similar to the previous one in which your dog will learn to do his needs away from home:

Probably at this point and you will know how to identify perfectly when you want to urinate your dog, after eating it is usually the most appropriate time.Now it is when you put on a harness, the leash, take a newspaper and go outside.Take this process very calmly, it will take a little time to learn that you must now urinate on the street instead of inside the house.Puppy identifies the newspaper with the piss you have a lot of work done.put a newspaper next to a tree and wait quietly for you to do your needs there.If you see that you do not urinate go a little longer and put a newspaper in the next tree.Being a new environment for it you will probably feel overwhelmed, if you do not do it as Do not despair, you need more time.Every time you urinate on the street (whether or not near a tree) congratulate him with high praise, caresses or snacks .Positive reinforcement is undoubtedly the most effective training.

After urinating you should continue a little more with the walk, always without forcing him, remember that he is a puppy and that active exercise is not indicated for him.

So that your dog learns to urinate in the The street must be very attentive and be very constant in the walks.We will remove the newspaper from inside the home and only use it in the walks.At this time of learning you should go out with him to walk very often to keep me from urinating at home.We will always do cor rides cough that does not tire you.If you do not urinate inside the home, remember that you taught him to do it there before.After a while, your dog will understand that now his "bathroom" is out.

The socialization of puppy

The process of socialization of the puppy, which occurs between 3 and 12 weeks of life, is key to forging the character of the dog and it will depend on its Adult stage is balanced and sociable.

Socialization consists in presenting to our puppy the world around him.When walking down the street you will find other dogs to interact with, humans and observe the world around him: cars, noises, bicycles...It is very important that you habituate your puppy to all these stimuli in a constant and regular way, always ensuring that the meetings are positive.

Do not approach to your dog to any dog ​​or person, before you should always ask if the other pet is sociable or not, or if the person you approach wants to pet him.If your puppy suffers a negative encounter and will end up biting him probably in the future he will show insecurity and fear when interacting with other dogs.If every day your dog gets relate to different people and pets , you will be educating him to be a social and affectionate dog, without fears and accustomed to the behavior of those of his species.

Obviously you should not approach your puppy to reactive dogs that can bite you, however, if you notice that another dog grunts at you (and even if it marks you without harming you) you should allow it.Dogs communicate through the grunt to indicate that they don't like something.understand canine behavior and can relate well to other dogs you should allow small conflicts to arise.Older dogs "educate" and teach younger ones how to behave.Your puppy needs to learn to behave through other adult dogs since it has been separated from their parents.

How to teach my puppy not to bite?

This is also a time of development of dentures canine and your dog will start biting objects to relieve themselves since they usually feel discomfort.Teaching your puppy to bite properly is very important For this, we recommend you buy various types of teethers that will not only help you mitigate the pain, but also teach you that the objects to bite are the toys.

No allow your dog to use your hand to practice.Move away and offer him his teether.If you notice that he does not use it and that he prefers your hands to encourage him by moving the toy and shaking it, your dog is telling you that he wants to play.On the other hand remember the importance of Properly clean your teeth so you stay healthy for many years.You can choose to give snacks cleaners or using tricks to clean the dog's teeth.

Finally, if your dog is tremendously tireless and seems to have no end in his eagerness to bite or all we recommend that you get a kong, a great tool that is also an intelligence toy.

How and how long to walk a puppy?

For your dog to be mentally healthy and happy, he must walk an average of two or three times a day, adapting the dog's walks to the real needs of your dog .Yes you observe that urination very often you can opt for shorter walks but little by little you should help him adapt to you and your schedule.

During the walks it is always recommended that your dog can enjoy being free time and without belt.Remember the great importance of the chip and the identification plate in case you lost it.Please see a fenced pipi-can to avoid leaks or accidents.

On the other hand and to end with the theme of the walks we recommend you visit our post to discover the most frequent mistakes of the walk, such as not letting you sniff.Remember that dogs receive information about the environment in which they are located sniffing and that helps them relax.If your dog is vaccinated, don't fear anything, he won't get sick.

How to train a puppy?

Now that your dog begins to go out on the street constantly and is already young, you should start educating him in dog training to be obedient.You should know that obedience goes beyond a few simple tricks like giving the paw or die, your dog must learn to behave and pay attention at all times, especially outside the home.

It is essential for your safety and that of other dogs and people.The basic training orders that consist of sitting, coming here, staying still or lying down.Teach your dog important training orders and help him in his day to day.To do this do not forget to review our post to know 5 tricks that They will help you in training.

On the other hand, you don't forget that positive reinforcement is the key to your dog to love and trust you.Discard using punishment methods, barbed collars or other tennis.Common training mistakes can be avoided and if you need it you should always go to a professional, never follow advice on behavior problems that are not contrasted by professionals such as dog trainers, educators and ethologists.

How to teach a puppy to stay alone?

Finally and to end the puppy's education, you should teach your dog to stay alone at home.It is very important that you carry out this process gradually and positively to that your dog understands that nothing happens because you leave for a while.

All this aims to avoid separation anxiety in dogs, a problem that affects many dogs that feel desperate when they are alone.

To teach your dog to be alone at home we must first do small tests inside the house, moving from one room to another without the puppy having access to us.come if he cries or scratches the door, but he will understand that we will come if he tries to get our attention.

After the movements inside the house we will start making short trips, between 5 and 10 minutes, in which the dog will be completely alone.Then we will increase the time for Gradual ma.To make you feel comfortable and perceive less your departure you can get the kong, one of the safest toys that exist.The kong to treat separation anxiety is a perfect tool.

If you want to read more articles similar to How to educate a puppy? , we recommend that you enter our Basic Education section.