Perfect products to invest in for training your puppy

Aug 26, 2008 8:53 AM by Alexis James

Posted in Pets & Animals / Dogs / Dog gear & accessories

Please Your Pup

Puppies are fun, energetic, and - oh yeah - adorable. But they are a lot of work. Raising one into a good dog requires almost constant attention and dedication, at least for the first few months of their lives. After all, while it isn't an easy job to train a pup, it's a lot simpler to ingrain good habits when they're little than to try and deal with issues when they're older.

Pug Puppy in Crate

I recently adopted two beagle puppies – I know, two! I must be crazy! I love dogs, and I've worked with them both on professional and volunteer levels. Here are a few tricks and products that have made my life (a tiny bit) easier during these formative months.

1. Crates

Many books, trainers, and methods nowadays recommend crate training as it complies to a dog's natural instinct to want a den-like atmosphere. Plus, they are less likely to soil their "den." Therefore, you can be relatively certain that – if left in the crate for reasonable amounts of time – you don't have to worry about accidents. Of course, if you do leave them in there for longer than they can hold their bladder, and they relieve themselves in the crate, you then run into dangerous territory. The dog may get used to being around its own urine or feces, and then nothing is "sacred."

It's not uncommon for your puppy to scream and whine at first while being confined, but do not let them out until there is at least a small break in the noise. Otherwise you will be conditioning the behavior opposite of what you want.

2. Puzzle toys

These are trainer recommended. Dogs – puppies especially – need lots of mental stimulation, often times more than we can give them. Food time is the perfect opportunity to give these to them – especially since their instinct is to hunt for their food. A puzzle toy forces them to do a little work for their food, and gives them that much-needed stimulation. Plus, it'll give you an extra few minutes of (relative) peace and quiet. Visit this site
http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html

3. Baby gates

These help partition off your houses in a way that is much more manageable than piling a bunch of boxes in a doorway – and also less likely to be destroyed by a teething pup! Sure, the cheap ones become a bit of a hassle to be constantly stepping over. But by investing a little more money, you can get gates that swing open and shut, latching into place. These gates keep your pooch corralled in the space you want them to be in, and you don't have to worry about teaching them what is off-limits at this early age.

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Comments

Comments on "Perfect products to invest in for training your puppy"

I have had bassets for over 18 years. When we sent our first dog to puppy class the taeinrr yelled and screamed and expected me to do alpha rolls and hang the dog. I refused to do the latter and never really felt like the alpha rolls really worked. Fast forward to this year. We got a puppy from a basset rescue and sent him to puppy class. The instructor insisted on a gentle leader even though the dog hated it and refused to walk on it. The taeinrr had me continue to walk and ingnore the fact that I was draggin the dog. I had to take his older sister to a behavior clinic and they introduced us to clicker training. I ditched the gentle leader and just used to clicker to mark appropriate walking behavior . Yes, he gets a treat. Well, he isn't going to win any heeling contests, but that was never my intent. I just wanted a good walking partner. He is, even the place where he boards when we are out of town commented on what a joy he is to walk. This is so much better than the old methods. Ignore the bad and mark the good behaviors. If nothing else, you dog will think you are a better friend.