Top 3 Things To Teach Your New Puppy
It’s puppy season, y’all! If you added a new four-legged member to your family this holiday season, you’re not alone. This is the time of year we get the most calls about how to survive the potty training, biting, chewing, and other typical puppy shenanigans.
One of our very favorite things as trainers is helping families set realistic goals and routines to adjust to life with their new pup. Which is easier said than done when you start listing out all of the things your puppy needs to learn to thrive in a household!
So let’s make things as simple as possible; you have enough on your plate and your primary focus right now should be enjoying your puppy and helping them grow up. All of that flashy training you see on Instagram can wait, you have a whole lifetime to perfect those skills. For now, let’s stick to foundational skills that are fun and easy for the whole family to practice.
Here’s what you’ll need to start training:
Training treats (you can use their kibble, or our favorite Purebites treats)
A clicker (or verbal marker like “yes! Check out our blog on Clicker Training for more info.)
A mat, towel, or blanket (which will soon be your “magic mat”)
About 5-10 minutes per day to practice
Touch
This deceptively simple behavior has 101 practical applications. You can use touch to redirect your puppy away from inappropriate things, have them reliably come when called, teach them to greet people without jumping or nipping, and even help them conquer fears. Just a few minutes a day can build a powerful cue that you can use every day to make life that much easier.
Click here for a PDF of step by step instructions!
2. Relax on a Mat
Trust us on this one, it’s a life saver. Puppies come to us with two modes: 100% ball of chaotic energy or dead asleep. Relax on a mat is how we can start to teach them about that middleground of being conscious but calm. If your puppy gets over-excited, chases the kids or cats around, or seems to fall into “cranky toddler who refuses to nap” territory, this is the game for you! Teaching our puppies how to relax on their own is a crucial skill that will help us build the dog who can chill with us in the home or out on the town.
Click here for a PDF of step by step instructions!
3. Pattern Games
Technically we’re cheating a little bit here since there are a lot of different pattern games, but finding one that works for you and your puppy can be a huge win for socialization! Pattern games, many of which are courtesy of trainer and author Leslie McDevitt, are a way to help our puppies navigate a chaotic and unpredictable world with confidence. The goal is to teach our puppies consistent, reliable patterns of behavior to engage in with you, their favorite person, even if the world seems a bit scary. There are so many amazing games in this category, but we narrowed it down to our top two:
Up-Down Pattern Game
1-2-3 Pattern Game
If you’d like personalized help and a custom training plan for you and your puppy to meet your specific goals, we can help! We offer private training locally in Orange County and all over the world via zoom. If you’re in the area, you can also check out our Puppy Kindergarten classes or our brand new Puppy Homeschool Program!