Puppy Training Part 10 (last part)

Is your puppy older than 2-3 months?

You might think a training schedule would be different for an older puppy.... but it isn't.

Whether your puppy is 3 months old, 6 months old, or 9 months old, the order of training must start with the same vocabulary words and respect training I discussed in earlier parts of this series.

Namely.... daily routines, praise and correction words, crate training, housebreaking, acceptance of being handled, gentleness, and household rules.

So if your older puppy is still mouthing on your hands, or barking back at you when you tell him to do something, or if he doesn't stop whatever he's doing when you say, "No", you can't rush on to "heel" or "sit-stay".

Respect needs to come first, no matter how many months it takes. Then you can move on to....

• Walk on the leash without pulling.
• Come when called. EVERY TIME.
• Lie down – and stay lying down for up to 30 minutes.
• Wait inside the door or gate, even when it's open, until you tell him he can go through.
• Stop barking when you say "Quiet."
• "Give" or "Drop" whatever is in his mouth when told.
• and much, much more

All of these skills involve your puppy learning new words, but remember, simply knowing what a word "means" won't automatically lead to your puppy DOING it.

You need to teach these new words in specific ways that encourage your puppy to view you as a worthy leader. giving treats won't accomplish that.

Now, leadership doesn't mean hitting your puppy. No choke collars or shock collars. Just little things you need to say and do every time you interact with your puppy. These little things are viewed as "leadership" by the canine mind.

All puppies misbehave from time to time. How you respond when your puppy misbehaves is very, very important.

• If you respond the wrong way, he will keep misbehaving.
• Respond the right way and he will view you as a leader and listen to you.

It's best to get this right the first time around, because your puppy won't ever be the same age again. You get only one chance to teach all the right habits to a "clean slate" puppy. If you try to train your puppy without help, you will probably have to re-do the lessons, only this time with an older puppy with bad habits.

You don't need to sign up for an obedience class to get help training your puppy. I've taught hundreds of those classes and they can be overwhelming for a puppy. Timid puppies can get overrun by bullies, and excitable puppies just get more excitable.

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