Puppy Training Secrets

Owning a puppy can be a happy, rewarding experience for any animal lover. But it also comes with some serious responsibilities, like making sure the puppy stays healthy, giving the puppy the right food, making sure he exercises, and training him to behave appropriately. Although many owners choose to take their puppies to professionals for training, it's important for all pet owners to have a good understanding of how to train a puppy at home as well.

  1. Crate

    • Crates are an important tool for training puppies. Use crates to give a puppy a place of her own, with blankets and toys. Teach a puppy to sleep on her own in her crate by putting the puppy in the crate during down times, when you're working or cleaning house. Give the puppy treats in her cage to teach her that this is a good place. Use the crate for housetraining; take the puppy outside as soon as she comes out of the crate, and put her in the crate when you can't supervise to keep accidents from happening.

    Leash and Collar

    • The leash and collar set are important tools both indoors and outdoors. Train your puppy to a leash and collar so you can take him outside for walks and play times, for both housetraining and exercise. Use the leash and collar indoors to keep the puppy with you as you move through the house, and keep him out of mischief. Use the leash and collar to immediately interrupt the puppy if he begins to eliminate in the house, and then take him outside. The puppy will quickly learn that the interruption means he is doing something wrong, and correct his behavior.

    Dog Treats

    • All puppies respond better to positive reinforcement than punishment. Although most people consider dog treats to be only a snack, they are also valuable in training. Use treats to make a new house, person or crate a positive experience. Use treats as rewards when you're training a puppy to sit or stay, and to reward puppies when they come to their name or a whistle. Give a puppy a treat, along with praise, when she goes to the bathroom outside, so that she's motivated to do so again.

    Grooming and Clipping

    • It's important that puppies with long or curly hair, like Cocker spaniels, poodles and West Highland terriers, learn early about grooming, brushing and clipping. These dogs require lifelong schedules of regular grooming to remain healthy. Train them as puppies by taking them to professional groomers for "puppy" cuts and baths, so they get used to bathing and clipping. This makes a lifetime of clipping easier. This is also true of nail clipping for all puppies.