How to train puppies

By Juliet Myfanwy Johnson

Instructions

Step 1:
You can start training your puppy as soon as you bring him home at eight to 10 weeks.The biggest thing you'll want to train is to go to the bathroom outside. This is fairly easy. Feed your puppy twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. About 20 minutes after they are done eating, they'll need to go outside. Talk in an upbeat way and show them the way out to the yard to do their business. Praise them when they are done.
Step 2:
A puppy can only hold their bladder for a few hours at time, so every time your puppy gets up from a nap, or from a game of tug of war, take him outside to go to the bathroom. He'll start figuring out that every time he gets up, he should probably go out to pee. Keeping your puppy with you or confined in a smaller area while in the house will help you keep an eye on him and cut down on the accidents.
Step 3:
If you follow your routine pretty regularly, it won't take long for a puppy to understand housetraining. It's even easier with a doggy door. If you tape the doggy door open at first, and go outside, calling your puppy, he will figure out to come out the hole in the door. If you repeat the same action each time, he will learn to let himself in and out whenever he needs to go to the bathroom.
Step 4:
Training puppies with basic obedience commands is the same for teaching an adult dog. You just limit your training sessions to short sessions, like five or 10 minutes, and enjoy your puppy's enthusiasm and lack of attention span. Take one command, like 'sit' and focus on that for a week's worth of training sessions. Try to do at least one session a day. Your puppy should catch on quickly, and will enjoy being rewarded. With "sit," you tell the dog to sit, and hold a treat up above his head until he has to crane his neck back to see it, forcing his bottom down. When his bottom touches down, you give him the treat and praise him.
Step 5:
Teaching a puppy to lay down is fairly easy, since they are naturally playful. Once you have him in a "sit" tap a treat on the floor and say "down." The puppy will leap down to get the treat. Praise him. To teach "heel," walk your dog on a leash. Every time he gets in front of you, change directions. When he catches up right to your leg, say "heel." When he passes you (and he will!) change directions again. Work on this every time you go out on a walk.

More Puppy Pages

How to train your rottweiler puppy with simple commands

Instructions Things You’ll Need: Buckle collar 6-foot leash Long training leash Toys Treats Step 1: Rottweilers have been bred for centuries to work independently and they are really intelligent dogs. If your Rottweiler puppy seems stubborn, it is...

Instructions Things You’ll Need: Buckle collar Leash Toys Treats How to train a bullheaded puppy Step 1: Consider your puppy's breed. Some breeds were developed to work very closely with humans. Most herding and hunting dogs are in this category...

Instructions Step 1: Sit your dog at your left side. It might be helpful to first train your dog to respond to the "Sit" command. Step 2: Hold the leash loosely through your left hand with the looped end in your right. Do not hold it tightly or pull up...

Instructions Things You’ll Need: Dog treats Step 1: Choose a treat to use to reward your puppy's behavior. Puppies respond well to praise and a physical reward. Step 2: Keep training sessions short and practice them several times throughout the day...

Instructions Things You’ll Need: leash treats crate or baby gate How to Train My Puppy Step 1: The most important part of puppy training is housetraining. You want to set your puppy up for success, so you have to make sure she has access to going...