How to Train a Puppy Guide

Puppies are so cute. I think they are made that way so it's easy to forgive them for peeing all over the floor and chewing up anything they can get their little teeth on. It takes time and patience to learn how to train a puppy but there are a few things to know that will make it a little easier.

First of all it’s very important to train your puppy.  An untrained puppy turns into an untrained dog which can lead to big problems.  Puppies are usually very willing to be trained – they just don’t know it yet.  The first 20 weeks (5 months) of a puppies life is the most valuable learning time.  Its little brain is like a sponge and soaks up everything you teach it. 

Here are some things to keep in mind when you are learning how to train a puppy:

• Always use positive reinforcement when training your puppy.  Never hit him.  He will learn not to trust you and if he doesn’t trust you, he won’t learn from you.   Reinforce good behavior with dog treats and lots of praise.
• Use simple one word commands like “sit” and “stay”.  Don’t use them in a sentence like “Now I want you to sit down like a good boy”.  Just simply say “sit”.

• Don’t give up.  You have to stick with it.  You can’t work with him one day and not the next.  You have to be very consistent.  It’s a lot of work but it will pay off in the end.

• Train your puppy one skill at a time.  After he learns one skill, then move on to the next one.

Another good thing to do is to enroll your puppy in an obedience course, but this will cost some money and take quite a bit of time. If you don’t have the time or money to devote to that, then you should look into the many programs you can purchase online to teach you how to train a puppy.