Puppy Training Problems

Puppies are sweet, cuddly, fun-loving creatures that live to play and explore. When a puppy is finding its way in the world and in its new home, it can get into all kinds of mischief. By beginning to train the puppy at a young age, it learns what you expect from it and will likely grow into a well-behaved adult dog. Problems may arise when training your puppy, but most are solvable.

  1. Types

    • The most common problem you might encounter when house-training your puppy involves accidents. Puppies have small bladders and little to no bladder control. Supervising your puppy at all times can prevent most house-training accidents, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Reinforcing the act of eliminating outdoors with praise or treats helps cut down on accidents. Another common problem when training a puppy is the puppy's loss of interest because puppies have extremely short attention spans.

    Identification

    • Identifying a problem with your puppy's training in its early stages allows you to work on it before it becomes a big issue, dog trainer Ian Dunbar says at Clicker Solutions. As an example, puppies tend to chew on inappropriate items when they are teething. By providing the puppy with plenty of chew toys and bones and redirecting the pup's attention to these when it is chewing on your shoe, the puppy learns what you consider to be acceptable behavior.

    Considerations

    • Since puppies have extremely short attention spans, keeping training sessions short prevents them from becoming bored, veterinarian Bonnie Beaver of Claws and Paws veterinary hospital in Texas says. If training sessions are too long, the puppy could associate training with boredom and become uninterested in training. Introducing games into training sessions also helps keep the puppy's interest. Games like hide-and-seek teach the puppy the "come" command.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Most puppy training-related problems are preventable with constant supervision, according to the Humane Society of the United States. Supervision is essential to prevent accidents that could be counterproductive to your potty training. Allowing your puppy to frequently eliminate in the house will only confuse him, states the Humane Society. Supervision also helps prevent inappropriate chewing and allows you to constantly teach the dog what good behavior you require.

    Warning

    • Puppy training is not always easy. It takes some puppies longer than others to understand the concept of training. Punishment for not obeying commands is counterproductive, because the puppy might see you as being unbalanced and unpredictable, veterinarian Race Foster says at Pet Education. Yelling or smacking the puppy for refusal to cooperate creates a negative association with training and with you, which could result in fear. Instead, take a break when your training session is going badly, and only start training again when you are calm.