Most puppy owners all have the unfortunate experience of having a biting puppy. This typically is a stage dogs go through, but some owners find the biting appears to be more than a stage. If this is the case for you, there are puppy training methods you can use to stop the biting. First, you need to figure out whether your puppy still is in the biting stage or whether you actually need training for your dog. If your puppy constantly bites at other dogs without any provoking, then it no longer is the stage. Also, if he always is biting at you when you play with him, you should look into training.
Because it is natural for puppies to explore their new environment, part of this exploring includes some biting. They have a tendency to chew on things to see what they are. This type of biting is fine and he will grow out of it. The more serious biting can be addressed during puppy training and this is where you can come in and stop it.
The first thing you can do is to have a biting toy for your puppy. Introduce this toy to your puppy and try to make it one of the only toys he plays with for a while. He will be able to take out all his biting on this toy.
Another way you can stop the biting through puppy training is when you are playing with him. Do not let him bite you when you are playing. Even if you see it as playful biting, you have to realize that your puppy will not be able to distinguish when playful biting is allowed. He might playfully bite a young child. One way to prevent this is to hold a toy when you are playing with him, that way he will bite the toy.
One thing to remember when you are using puppy training to stop your little pup from biting is that you never should use physical force. If he hurts you, you should tell him ouch loudly so you get his attention. This often ends the biting for the session. If it does not, then you should crate him for a while so he understands he did something wrong. Hitting a puppy typically encourages the more biting or completely confuses him because he does not know what he did wrong. There are ways to stop your puppy from biting. The tips provided as well as puppy training learned from e-books is always a good start.
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Filed under Puppies Problems by on Oct 4th, 2011. Comment. 
If you have more than one dog or puppy living under your roof, then this is one of the most important and useful exercises you can teach. Without this exercise (or something very similar), one of your dogs will probably learn to bully the other dogs out of the way for attention or food. This exercise lays the foundation for happy, well-mannered multiple dog homes.
What we’re going to do is teach each of our dogs to stay on a Mat while we pay attention to, groom or feed one of our other dogs. The mat gives our dogs a clear place to go to and a boundary to stay within. If we have multiple dogs we can send each dog to their own individual mats. This removes any confusion about what our dogs are to do, and removes the need to place our dogs in position. If you have several dogs, it could be quite time consuming to place a number of dogs.
To start with, teach each dog individually to “Go to Mat”. A “Mat” is either a dog bed you can easily move around, or something as simple as a towel on the floor. We’ll just call it a “mat” from now on.
It’s always easiest to teach a new behavior in the lowest distraction environment you can find. For most people, this means finding a boring room such as the bathroom, and locking your other dogs out while you work with one dog at a time.
Have a bowl or bag of small, tasty treats, your mat, a clicker, and a dog who hasn’t eaten a meal yet today. If you don’t own a clicker, you can substitute with verbal praise, but make it short, sweet and consistent; e.g “good!” or “Yes!”
Full instructions for training “Go to Mat” can be found here.
Train each of your dogs, one at a time, to Level 3 with a full 1 minute stay according to the instructions given. Practise it in different rooms of the house, and maybe even out in your yard.
Stay tuned for Part II, where we’ll learn how to teach our dogs to go to their mats as a group.
Filed under Puppies Problems by on Oct 3rd, 2011. Comment.
I have decided to start a puppies problems section to the blog. So if you have any basic puppy training problems then write a comment at the bottom of the page with your problem and I will try and answer your question.
If this goes well I might even try and put a forum on the blog so you can help each other and get to talk to other new lab puppy owners and know that you aren’t the only one having problems with your puppy.
Tell me what you think, I would love to have some feed back.
So today I will start off with a question from Kimberly about her puppy Sparky
How do I stop my puppy from chasing my cats?
Filed under Puppies Problems by on Sep 24th, 2011. Comment.
1. Good management skills: Puppies can get into trouble very quickly. A new puppy owner needs watch her puppy all of the time. When you can not keep an eye on your puppy, it is a good idea to use some type of confinement. I like to use crates. A crate is a great way to manage your puppy’s behavior when you are not home. As a former animal control officer, I have seen many young dogs that have been injured when left on their own. Almost all dogs at some point in their lives will be exposed to a crate. An overnight stay at the Vet’s office, a grooming appointment, or if you have to travel will all require your dog to go into a crate. It is much better to teach your new puppy to love her crate than it is an adult dog.
2. Start training early: For many years dog owners have been told that they could not start training their puppies until they were six months old. This is just simply untrue. A good reward based puppy class is the most important thing that you can do for your young puppy. Your puppy will become well socialized and many behavior problems can be prevented before they ever start.
3. Socialization: You can never over-socialize your puppy. The first four months of your puppy’s life are the most impressionable. To become a confident and stable dog, a young puppy needs to be exposed to many different people, dogs, places, sounds and scents. Bringing your puppy in for grooming is a great way to introduce him/her to new environments, sounds, smells and people.
4. Puppy proof the house: Anything that you value should be put away until after the puppy stage. Also, keep a close eye on you puppy around electrical wires. Puppies love to chew on wires. A crate is a great way to keep your puppy safe when you can’t be right there to watch her.
5. Going to the vet’s office: Drop by the vet’s office when you don’t have an appointment. Most veterinarians will allow this but give them a quick call before you come by. When you get to the vets, give your puppy some treats and have the office staff give some treats also. For the rest of your dog’s life going to the vet will not be a chore. You can also do this at a grooming shop.
6. Consistency: Have a game plan for everyone in the house to follow. Bad habits develop and many dogs become confused when half the family allows the puppy onto the furniture and the other half scolds the puppy for being on the furniture. Consistency is very important in training your young puppy or dog.
7. Take loads of pictures: You will be amazed at how fast your puppy grows and changes. You will be thankful down the road for those pictures.
Filed under Puppies Problems by on Sep 23rd, 2011. Comment.
Dog training isn’t difficult, but it does require consistency and the right methods. If you issue a command, do so with authority. Some commands are taught together to be effective. Once you know the secrets to basic dog training, advanced training will come much easier.
Here are solutions to some of the common problems new puppy owners face.
Before any dog training can begin, you’ll need a training collar and leash for your puppy.
1. Puppy runs out the door and won’t come back.
Until your puppy receives his dog training, the only solution is to ensure he can’t get out the door or gate. The sooner you teach him the proper commands, however, the sooner you can stop worrying about him escaping.
There actually are two commands that work together in this situation: sit or down, and stay. You’ll start by teaching your puppy to sit. Once he’s learned this, which shouldn’t take long, you can teach him to stay. So he doesn’t get confused, it’s best if you save the stay lesson until tomorrow.
Teach to sit:
Kneel or squat down beside your puppy. Keep the leash at a length of about two feet between the puppy’s collar and you hand. Gently but firmly grasp the spot on his back just in front of your puppy’s hips. Press down firmly to force his back end down while holding his head end up with the leash. While doing this, tell your puppy to Sit, making sure you emphasize the ‘t’.
Teach to stay:
There are two parts to the stay command. You’ll tell him to stay and block him with your hand. With leash in hand, stand beside your puppy so that you’re both facing in the same direction. Tell him to sit. He should have learned to obey this command in the “Teach to sit” instruction. Then, order him to stay while holding your flat hand about four inches in front of his face.
Be persistent with your dog training, but don’t work with him for more than 10-15 minutes at a time or he and you will become frustrated.
Don’t forget the consistent praises for a job well done.
Once he’s learned the sit-stay command, you’ll find lots of opportunities to use it, like when he jumps on people.
2. Puppy is destructive when he’s left in a closed room.
Being social animals, puppies **** being separated from the pack. The separation anxiety, fear and distress caused by being isolated causes him to chew anything in site. There are several, solutions. First, never use a barrier that he can’t see through, such as a door or piece of wood. Use a special dog gate or other such item that enables him to see the other “pack” members.
Putting a radio in the room can help, too. And don’t forget the toys.
3. Puppy eats shoes, socks and other clothing.
One mistake many owners make is to give their puppies old socks or shoes to gnaw. While this is great fun for the puppy, it sets you up for problems later on. What you’re essentially doing is dog training. He doesn’t know the difference between your clothes and the ones you give him. Never give your puppy socks or shoes. Provide him with proper puppy chew toys and special jaw exercisers.
4. Puppy won’t leave visitors alone.
Puppies love everybody and are anxious to show it. To break your puppy of this habit, teach him the sit-stay command. Of course, you can’t do that when company’s around. The sooner he goes through dog training, the easier it is to resolve these situations. After he’s trained, issue the sit-stay command whenever he jumps on people. In the meantime, simply put him in a confined area with a see-through gate until your guests leave.
Dog training is very important for a number of reasons. It saves you a lot of problems when certain situations arise. It gives you control over your puppy. In addition, it can save his life. Some owners are content just to teach their puppies the basics: sit, stay, come, fetch, and wait.
Once your puppy learns the basics, you can move on to more advanced dog training.
Filed under Puppies Problems by on Sep 19th, 2011. Comment.
