Early Puppies Training...

Q: I have been told that we should not start training our puppy until they are six months old. Is this true?

A: Not true!!

For the first week or two that you have your puppy home, you will both be busy getting familiar with each other, you will be learning how to take care of your new pet’s physical needs, and very soon, it will be time to begin some training. Once a puppy is settled into the household happily and has begun to trust you, you should start early basic puppy training. Obedience classes usually require their canine students to be four months old because of medical reasons -- to protect the participants, dogs in class need to have their permanent vaccinations. Nevertheless, this does not mean your puppy cannot start her training before then. With some dog breeds, waiting until they are four months of age could mean you will have a serious behaviour problem before class even starts.

Many people still hold the presumption that young puppies are not ready to learn anything until they reach a certain age and that they should be allowed to simply grow up up with no rules or parameters. However, this may not be true because they are pack animals by nature, all canines, no matter how young, are happier and more secure when they know what is expected of them. Young wolf cubs are not allowed to simply run wild until they reach a certain age. Their mothers and the other adult pack members keep careful watch on the cubs and clearly show them exactly what they are allowed to do, where they should eliminate, and so forth. In other words, wolf cubs are given rules to live by from the moment they leave the den, for their own safety and for the good of the entire pack. Puppies need this kind of direction, too.

This is not to say that a very young puppy is ready for strict, complicated training. Nevertheless, it is receptive to you, eager to please, and will be happier and less confused if it gets clear signals from you, its combination mother and pack leader.

Whatever you call it, these early weeks of training are very important if you want your puppy to grow up to be a well-mannered dog. Just as it is never too early to socialize a puppy to handling and touching, it is never too early to begin to teach it some basic social skills such as toilet training, wearing a collar and walking on a leash, and learning its name.

Subsequently, you can start teaching your puppy simple commands like Sit, Stay and Come right now.

Keep your training periods short and fun. Puppies have very short attention spans -- there are so many things happening that are new and fascinating that it is impossible for them to be focus for very long. Work on one command at a time and end the session when they are successfully completed a command and use lots of praise and treats. You will be amazed just how fast they can learn!

Puppy Cottage provides day care services for your puppies, which are great for early socialization with strangers and other dogs, as well as building a foundation for early obedience training. They are design to help you and your puppy start your relationship off on the right foot. Moreover, they are a lot of fun for puppies and people alike!


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