Training in puppies

We always anticipate the joys of all-that's-good about owning a puppy. But often it doesn't work out as well as we'd hoped. Because puppies are delightful bundles of energy and curiosity....but they can also be exasperating and frustrating.

The earliest training that your puppy must learn is housetraining. With patience, persistence, and consistency, housetraining usually takes only a few weeks. The key is to take the puppy outdoors at the times that dogs naturally eliminate and to praise them enthusiastically when they do. Establishing a designated area that the puppy can associate with elimination can be helpful. If accidents happen, take your pet outside to the designated elimination area and praise it for eliminating (if it does so). Punishment, such as rubbing a dog's nose in urine or faeces, does no good and can even have a negative effect on training. Each accident indoors sets the process back a little, so the fewer accidents, the better.

Proper nutrition is important throughout a dog's life and is especially critical during puppyhood. It is difficult for growing puppies to take in enough calories, fat, protein, vitamins, and minerals to meet their needs for rapid growth and development. Puppies need multiple daily feedings of a specially formulated puppy food. The number of daily feedings can be gradually decreased as the puppy ages, but feeding with a name-brand puppy diet should continue until adulthood, which is about 9 to 12 months in most dogs but up to 2 years in giant breeds

All dogs should learn to pay attention and respond to everyone in the household. Teaching young dogs basic obedience commands, including sit, stay, down, come, and heel, increases the control that you have over your dog, which can prevent potentially dangerous situations (such as running away or running into the street). Dogs have an early socialization period, lasting from roughly 2 to 4 months of age. During this time, they more easily learn to accept new people, places, animals, and other experiences. Giving your puppy positive experience with new events during this period can help reduce the chances of fearful behavior and other problems later in life.

Many good books are available on raising and training puppies. In addition, many local trainers, kennels, and community services offer socialization and obedience classes. Socialization classes can begin as early as 8 weeks of age, with obedience classes generally starting at 4 to 6 months of age. In general, obedience training is an activity that you and your dog learn together. The trainer teaches you, and you teach your dog. It takes only a few hours per week, is generally fun for both you and your pet, and can establish good behavior and a strong family bond for the life of your dog.