Bringing your new puppy home is an exciting time for all involved. The first few months of life for a puppy are key to shaping their brain and future. This vital window begins to close at 16 weeks old, so it is essential we start teaching them from the very beginning.
We recommend reward-based training as puppies respond well to this method and avoids using harsh techniques.
It is incredibly rewarding training your puppy, but it can quickly become overwhelming especially when searching for advice, it can often lead to being incorrectly informed.
Here are some simple tips and advice we believe will help your puppy succeed in the big, wide world!
Blythman and Partners recommend every puppy enrols onto a training course provided by a recognised dog trainer/ behaviourist.
Please ask for more information.
Walking On Lead
You firstly need to introduce your choice of collar and lead or harness slowly and ensure they are correctly fitted. Allow your puppy time to desensitise to them by introducing them firstly in the house, always rewarding after placement and interaction. Choke/check collars can cause considerable damage to a growing puppy and are not advised.
Correct identification is a legal requirement. All dogs are required to wear an ID tag with your name and address including postcode, a contact number is optional but advised.
Practice leash walking inside the house/ garden first as this will encourage your puppy to stay focused giving you a head start before heading outside.
Pick a side you wish your puppy to walk on and introduce a command such as ‘heel’ or ‘side’ and reward often for staying there. Sniffing should be encouraged and allowed.
Be aware that the attention span of your puppy is extremely low, and it would be unrealistic to presume your puppy will listen and stay at heel for the duration of your walk. The use of a long training line works well to allow them to the opportunity to sniff/ explore their surroundings and enables you to guide them safely.
Most interactions your puppy has with other dogs should be with dogs you know. All interactions they experience must be positive so knowing the temperament of the other dog is vital.
It is particularly important not to allow them to interact/approach dogs that are on leads without consent from their owner as it can unknowingly put them at risk.
Please note there are many ways to train your puppy. If you are ever in doubt or have specific issues, please seek professional advice.
Useful links:
Finding a certified clinical animal behaviourist:
www.abtc.org.uk/
Dog training classes near you:
www.apdt.co.uk
Training advice useful videos:
www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice
Analysing dog food:
www.allaboutdogfood.com
