How To Train A Puppy - Obedience Training

Puppy Obedience Training - How to Succeed. When should you start Puppy Obedience Training? Puppies aged - 5 - 7 weeks

The age of your puppy plays an important part in deciding when you should start the training program...

• 5 - 7 weeks - This is the age where puppies start to act and behave like dog's.
• The mother will start to wean the young puppies from around the forth week (although this can vary slightly.)
• From the forth week (approx) the mother dog will start to teach the puppy discipline such as the bite inhibition - this is the process of teaching the puppy how much pressure should be put on a bite (so the puppies don't go around biting too hard on their litter mates.)
• The age from 5 - 7 weeks is also very important in a puppies development as it is the time when the mother dog starts to teach the puppy social skills - this will enable the puppy to learn how to interact with other puppies, dogs and humans.
• Important - If a puppy is removed too early during these stages of development it could have disastrous effects on the puppy and its behavior and obedience in later life.

The Importance of Housetraining early...

• If puppies are properly trained at this very crucial stage 5 - 7 weeks + they will then learn the basic concepts of housetraining.
• Puppies (given the choice) will not natural eliminate in their crate/whelping box (if they have been taught this by their mother and not separated too early) even if it means having a quick stumble and wobble to the other side of the crate/whelping box.
• If for whatever reason (you may have left him to long in the crate/whelping box) your puppy eliminates in his den - he may then think that it's ok and continue to do this.

Puppies aged 8 - 16 weeks.

• This is a critical stage in the life and development of your puppy - if you get it wrong here then you are setting yourself up for major puppy obedience and puppy behavior problems in the future.
• At this age your puppy starts to realize whether it's a great world to live in or a terrifying and scary world.
• IMPORTANT - If your puppy doesn't meet and interact with other people, children and dog's at this age he may become scared, and as we know a nervous and scared dog can lead to an aggressive dog.
• At this point if you are inconsistent with the housetraining process then your puppy will be inconsistent with housetraining in later life.

Don't be fooled!

• You may think that your puppy is completely housetrained at this stage - he may even go towards the door when he wants to eliminate - however ...
• This is where basic and very common mistakes happen in the training process - YOU are having unrealistic expectations...
• Just because your puppy THINKS that he is a big boy - he has learned the concept of the process of asking to go out - but biologically he is still a baby and may pee on the way to going outside because as a baby he still struggle with bladder control.
• At about 8 weeks your puppy can hold his bladder for approximately 2 hours and this will increase to about 4 hours when he reaches 16 weeks.
• Don't expect your puppy to hold it - if you do you are asking your puppy to get a urinary tract infection.

Puppies aged 4 - 6 months.

This is where all your training is proven to work or fail!

• If you thought everything was going well and your beautiful puppy was housetrained - don't hold your breath as this where you could be proven wrong.
• At this age your puppy is very very easily distracted - just when you think he is about to pee he will go and chase a fly - this is normal.
• At this age puppies can hold their bladder for about 4 - 5 hours approx - without a potty break.
• At about 6 months your puppy should be able last about 6 7 hours.

Puppies aged 6 - 12 months.

This is when your little puppy starts to develop sexually - this brings it's own problems.

• If you own an unneutered male - because he is developing sexually he may start to raise his leg and pee on the furniture.
• If you own a female then she may have her first heat anywhere between 6 - 12 months.
• If you have been consistent in your housetraining then your puppy should be able to hold his bladder between 7 - 8 hours between potty breaks.
• Don't make the common mistake of thinking that your puppy is completely house trained at this age - many people let them have the run of the House when they are out - only to find accidents around the House - This is because puppies may not associate their den's/crate with the entire House until they are about 1 year old or more.