Training a new dog
About a month ago I got my first puppy ever. I may confess I have never had a dog before nor had I trained a pet. I started researching this topic since I got the idea of getting my new friend at the beginning of December 2020.
Where do I start? Well, if you want to have a well-behaved dog, the first thing you have to have is patience. You need A LOT of patience. See, a puppy is like a child and even though I am still learning, I can see the changes my 3-month-old puppy has gone through so far because I have been patient.
The second thing most experts recommend is to be consistent. I have been reading and watching videos from experts and they always say, “Be consistent.” Train your new puppy every day for almost 30 minutes a day. I personally like to train my puppy throughout the day while we do common things. For example, you’ll find me saying “Leave it” the entire day with almost everything he puts on his mouth.
There are several steps to follow if you want to have a well-behaved puppy or dog. Nowadays, if you have a phone with an internet connection and use Social Media such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or any other, you may have noticed that once you search for something, thousands of advertisements appear on your screen. Well, this happened to me and for my good luck, it was a good one.
I found myself registering for a free 30 days puppy training course. Yes, this wasn’t a scam and even though it sent me many offers and discounts to buy their merch, it was worth it. The course is called “30 Day Perfect Pup with Zak George!” and this is the link https://pupford.com/30-day-perfect-pup-with-zak-george/
Training a new pet is not always hard. I have found myself enjoying it and laughing with my puppy. Cocoa is his name. He is a sable merle toy poodle. Cocoa has a half-blue eye which makes him unique and even more adorable. Here are some pictures of him.
I knew I wanted to train my puppy since day 1. But how can I do it? I found out there are different ways to train a puppy. In one of them, experts suggest punishing your dogs or hit them so they will learn but I didn’t like that method. The other one is through positive reinforcement. This method consists in reward your puppy’s good behavior with treats.
Can you use any kind of training treats? I mean, you could, but the best ones are those that don’t have many calories. After researching a little bit more, I found True Acre Foods Mini Training Rewards. Here is a picture of it:
I liked these training treats because they are only 2 calories per treat and I cut them in half or in fourths (You will find yourself using a bunch a day). They offer a variety of flavors too!
I read that another kind of treat, especially when you want to put emphasis on a specific trick, is cheese. I tried this with Cocoa and he seemed to love it! I have also given him to try broccoli, carrots, lettuce, and yogurt. I plan to keep giving him safe food to try and use as treats to train him.
The first trick I learned to teach my puppy was to sit. I had to put the treat over his nose and make him adopt the sitting position. Once he did, I gave him the treat. I repeat this command every day several times. He’s getting better at following directions but if he is distracted, he doesn’t listen. Here is when patience and consistency play a big role.
For me, the most important trick I have introduced so far to my puppy is “Leave it” and it means leaving something alone to stop doing what he’s doing. As I have mentioned before, this is the command I say the most. As you may know, puppies discover the world that is around them with their mouths and this is why they chew everything they find. Cocoa bites EVERYTHING and it is my job to keep him safe so when I say “Leave it” he does so.
To teach the “leave it” trick, you have to put a treat in your hand and say the command. In the beginning, the puppy will eat it, but you will have to close your hand and wait until the dog stops acting crazy and relaxes. When the puppy does so, open your hand, say the command, and give the treat away.
While I write this blog it is winter and it’s cold so I have a heater on the whole day. Puppies love cables so Cocoa feels allured by it. He has learned with the “leave it” command that he cannot chew it.
Other aspects of training a new pet are potty training and crate training. Some people love to sleep with their dogs but I am not one of those people. I am allergic so I had to train my puppy to sleep in his own space. During the first three weeks, I had him sleeping in my room in his crate. I would have had to wake up every three to four hours to make him go potty. Today, he sleeps in the living room inside a playpen where he has a bed, toys, food, water, and a potty training pad.
Some nights are better than others but I am trying to train him to stay all night in the playpen without me having to take him out during the night to go potty. I am planning on having him inside this area until he is fully trained and that I know he won’t eat anything dangerous or that he will not destroy my furniture.
Potty training is another story. I want him to go potty in the backyard but since it has been snowing so much, I can’t let him go out and keep improving this practice. What I am implementing while there’s snow outside is having a potty training pad in a specific place and reward Cocoa every time he pees or poops there. Of course, my puppy still has many accidents but with patience and time, we’ll work it out.
One of the issues I am still facing is how much biting my puppy does. He bites everything he finds, but what I worry about the most is that he bites my hands and I have even bled. So, after reading and researching I bought him different kinds of toys. I bought him soft and hard toys so he can chew on them, but as I am writing this, it is really hard to concentrate on doing something and leave him to walk around the house without my supervision. It is hard to find the middle point between not punish him by putting him into the crate and create a positive environment when he is in his crate. I also bought a bitter cherry chew deterrent and I apply it on my rugs and other objects I don’t want him to bite.
After all, I think, training a new dog well comes with practice. For me, this is my very first time but I am sure that if I get to have the chance to train a new puppy, I will have the tools and knowledge that I need in order to succeed.
Before I got Cocoa, someone I love told me this was a good experience to have before having a baby and I underestimated how right she was! I have experienced moments of despair because I don’t know what else to do so my puppy does what I say. I have also experienced moments of anxiety. For example, three days ago, he couldn’t poop. My husband and I had to help him take out a hard piece he had stuck. I was worried until he pooped normally again.
This has only been a month of my experience. I know me and my puppy can do better with time and practice, and so can you! We just need to have patience and be constant to achieve our goal, having a well-trained pet!
I do recommend taking the 30 days course to train your dog. It is well explained with videos, articles, and other resources. I also think that reading and researching about your dog’s race is a wonderful idea. Always consult different sites and don’t be afraid of trying different ways if something seems not to work. For example, I read that when my puppy bites my hand I have to yelp aloud. I tried this many times but it doesn’t work always so I decided to combine it with another trick. I give him treats when he doesn’t bite me. Remember all of this but above all love and take care of your most faithful member of the family!