How to Obedience Train Your Puppy Before It's 10 Weeks Old
Establish your position., Use your voice., Use a crate., When your puppy is entering the crate on his own, shut the door for short periods of time., Help him learn to become housebroken., Deal with chewing.
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Establish your position.
Right from the start you should establish yourself as your puppy's "pack leader" by showing strong leadership, consistency and affection.
Puppies will sense your confidence levels, and bad habits can develop at a young age if you are not consistent.
This doesn't mean punishing your nine week old puppy if he chews a rug, but is more about clarifying your control over certain aspects, such as when your puppy must be in his crate.Be sure you have time set aside to be close to him when he first arrives at your house.
He will need careful supervision in the very first weeks.
Techniques used on older puppies, such making your puppy walk at heel or behind you, or only being fed after you have eaten, will not be so successful with such a young puppy.
But you can begin to assert your position but not breaking eye contact, and showing him that he is only fed at particular times. -
Step 2: Use your voice.
Although your puppy may not yet understand commands, he will respond to your tone of voice.
Adjust how you to speak to help your puppy understand what you are saying.
As a basic rule deep or low pitched sounds indicate disappointment or disapproval, and high pitched sounds suggest enthusiasm and play.
Keep this in mind when you are talking to your puppy.Maintain a normal volume for normal talk.
This way your dog will understand that raising your voice means increased urgency.
Talking quietly or whispering can be a very effective way to get a dog's attention., The crate is an essential part of training your puppy and of them learning to live in your house.
This is especially the case in the first weeks you have him.
The crate is a safe place, like a play pen for a baby, and it can help calm anxious dogs and teach them when to sleep.
When your puppy is at this very young stage, he may be required to spend quite a lot of time in their crate, but remember this is just temporary.
It is keeping them safe and helping them adapt.
Help your puppy get used to the crate by initially being home when he is in it.
You do not want him to associate the crate with being abandoned.
Motivate your puppy to enter the crate.
You should sit with him after keeping the door close for a few minutes.
When your puppy investigates the crate, shower him with a lot of praise and show a lot of enthusiasm.
You can also place some treats hidden inside the crate to get your puppy to become curious about the crate. , You can slowly increase the amount of time the door is closed.
Try to only open the door when he is not whining or crying.
You do not want your puppy to learn that crying opens the door.
Establish it as the place where he sleeps, and if you notice him becoming tired, move him into the crate.
When he is between 7 and 9 weeks, it is advisable to have him sleep in the crate all night, as well as feeding him in the crate, and leaving him there when you are not at home.
He will want to keep his crate clean so it's important that you are attentive and take him out if he needs to go outside., Puppies this young will need to go to the bathroom frequently and won't have the kind of self-control required to stop them peeing on the carpet.
It's important to be very attentive at this stage to help your puppy learn that he has to go outside.
At this age, your puppy is too young to know he needs to alert you, so you need to watch out for signs, and let him out.
Some of the subtle signs could include him walking a few feet away, walking around in a circles, or sniffing the ground in circles.
Every time he changes between different activities you should take him outside.
So, when he wakes up, stops eating, or stops playing, take him outside.
If he urinates inside in front of you, just say something like "Bad dog"
or "No"
and take him outside.
If he has urinated inside and you didn't see it, it's no good trying to correct him.
He won't feel responsible for a past action., Puppies play with their littermates by chewing on each other, and when he comes home with you he will chew and bite you when you play.
Although he is only playing, his sharp teeth can be painful, so it's an important to teach him not to bite you early on.
When he bites you, signal your pain by saying "Ouch!"
and then give him a little shake or pinch.
By doing this you are mimicking the reaction of his littermates if he had bitten one of them too hard.
Make it a quick reaction.
He will stop for a moment and step back, and then you can go on playing as normal.
If you discover him chewing your shoes, furniture or anything else he is not supposed to, just stop him chewing it and give him a toy to chew instead. -
Step 3: Use a crate.
-
Step 4: When your puppy is entering the crate on his own
-
Step 5: shut the door for short periods of time.
-
Step 6: Help him learn to become housebroken.
-
Step 7: Deal with chewing.
Detailed Guide
Right from the start you should establish yourself as your puppy's "pack leader" by showing strong leadership, consistency and affection.
Puppies will sense your confidence levels, and bad habits can develop at a young age if you are not consistent.
This doesn't mean punishing your nine week old puppy if he chews a rug, but is more about clarifying your control over certain aspects, such as when your puppy must be in his crate.Be sure you have time set aside to be close to him when he first arrives at your house.
He will need careful supervision in the very first weeks.
Techniques used on older puppies, such making your puppy walk at heel or behind you, or only being fed after you have eaten, will not be so successful with such a young puppy.
But you can begin to assert your position but not breaking eye contact, and showing him that he is only fed at particular times.
Although your puppy may not yet understand commands, he will respond to your tone of voice.
Adjust how you to speak to help your puppy understand what you are saying.
As a basic rule deep or low pitched sounds indicate disappointment or disapproval, and high pitched sounds suggest enthusiasm and play.
Keep this in mind when you are talking to your puppy.Maintain a normal volume for normal talk.
This way your dog will understand that raising your voice means increased urgency.
Talking quietly or whispering can be a very effective way to get a dog's attention., The crate is an essential part of training your puppy and of them learning to live in your house.
This is especially the case in the first weeks you have him.
The crate is a safe place, like a play pen for a baby, and it can help calm anxious dogs and teach them when to sleep.
When your puppy is at this very young stage, he may be required to spend quite a lot of time in their crate, but remember this is just temporary.
It is keeping them safe and helping them adapt.
Help your puppy get used to the crate by initially being home when he is in it.
You do not want him to associate the crate with being abandoned.
Motivate your puppy to enter the crate.
You should sit with him after keeping the door close for a few minutes.
When your puppy investigates the crate, shower him with a lot of praise and show a lot of enthusiasm.
You can also place some treats hidden inside the crate to get your puppy to become curious about the crate. , You can slowly increase the amount of time the door is closed.
Try to only open the door when he is not whining or crying.
You do not want your puppy to learn that crying opens the door.
Establish it as the place where he sleeps, and if you notice him becoming tired, move him into the crate.
When he is between 7 and 9 weeks, it is advisable to have him sleep in the crate all night, as well as feeding him in the crate, and leaving him there when you are not at home.
He will want to keep his crate clean so it's important that you are attentive and take him out if he needs to go outside., Puppies this young will need to go to the bathroom frequently and won't have the kind of self-control required to stop them peeing on the carpet.
It's important to be very attentive at this stage to help your puppy learn that he has to go outside.
At this age, your puppy is too young to know he needs to alert you, so you need to watch out for signs, and let him out.
Some of the subtle signs could include him walking a few feet away, walking around in a circles, or sniffing the ground in circles.
Every time he changes between different activities you should take him outside.
So, when he wakes up, stops eating, or stops playing, take him outside.
If he urinates inside in front of you, just say something like "Bad dog"
or "No"
and take him outside.
If he has urinated inside and you didn't see it, it's no good trying to correct him.
He won't feel responsible for a past action., Puppies play with their littermates by chewing on each other, and when he comes home with you he will chew and bite you when you play.
Although he is only playing, his sharp teeth can be painful, so it's an important to teach him not to bite you early on.
When he bites you, signal your pain by saying "Ouch!"
and then give him a little shake or pinch.
By doing this you are mimicking the reaction of his littermates if he had bitten one of them too hard.
Make it a quick reaction.
He will stop for a moment and step back, and then you can go on playing as normal.
If you discover him chewing your shoes, furniture or anything else he is not supposed to, just stop him chewing it and give him a toy to chew instead.
About the Author
Denise Lane
Specializes in breaking down complex crafts topics into simple steps.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: