10 Essential Puppy Training Tips

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Make Socialization a Top Priority

Prioritize socializing your puppy early, exposing them to new people, places, and things while avoiding health risks before vaccinations.

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Teach Bite Inhibition

Teach bite inhibition through yelping when bitten and transition to "Leave it" command to prevent mouthing. Control mouth and keep teeth off people.

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Practice Handling

Teach puppy to tolerate touch by pairing gentle touches with treats. Practice handling exercises using meal kibble. Continue until 2 years old.

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Use Kibble in Your Training Sessions

Use your puppy's daily meal kibble as training treats or in hollow chew toys. Helps with self-soothing, self-entertaining, socialization, commands, crate training, and behavior management. Healthier, motivated, and avoids overfeeding.

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Find a Good Puppy Class

Good puppy classes offer socialization, bite inhibition, and handling opportunities that are hard to replicate at home. Research for a quality class.

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Try Crate Training

Crate training benefits house-training, prevents destructive chewing, ensures safety, and prepares for various situations. Properly sized crate, breaks, stimulation, comfort, and affection are essential.

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Teach Commands That Help Build Manners

Teach obedience commands early for better behavior, safety, and a calmer life. Commands like "Sit," "Down," "Come," "Leave it," "Off," and "Wait" are valuable.

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Prevent Food Aggression Early

Prevent food aggression by positively reinforcing commands like "Drop it" and associating your presence with pleasant experiences during meals. Use techniques like adding treats to the bowl and practicing impulse control.

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When You Need Some Help, Don’t Wait to Seek It

Seek professional help for unusual signs of fear/aggression in your puppy. Timing is crucial for effective intervention. Choose a trainer experienced in behavior/aggression, not just obedience. Research and ask questions before selecting a trainer.

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Be Consistent With House-Training

House-training is crucial but time-consuming. Avoid long-term use of pee pads. Start outdoor training early, taking them out frequently. Gradually reduce night trips as they grow and understand better.

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