Dog Training Tips

We update this page on a regular basis, so check back often for new tips!

Articles to download (PDF format):
Training Eye Contact and “ATTENTION”
Training “SIT”
Training Targeting or “TOUCH”

Ways to Exercise / Train Your Dog When the Weather Doesn’t Cooperate

Although Mother Nature sometimes won’t cooperate with our outdoor plans, your dogs exercise plan shouldn’t suffer. There are ways to exercise your dog indoors.

Try playing “Hide and Seek.” Find a place to hide in your house with a handful of really yummy treats. Start calling your dog. Once he finds you, give him some yummy treats and lots of praise. It’s good exercise plus you are training a recall (teaching your dog to come to you).

Play ”Upstairs, Downstairs.” If your dog can go up and down steps with no issues (make sure there are no medical issus prohibiting him from doing so), take a ball and throw it up the stairs. Your dog will run upstairs to get it and come back down. Repeat. This is great exercise for your dog!

Play “Find It!” Take some yummy treats and hide them in a room. Take your dog over to each item saying “dogs name – find it!” When your dog finds it, praise him. Then after a few times of showing him the treat, begin by just saying “find it” and let him use his nose to do so!

Use interactive toys – There are lots of toys like Busy Buddy’s that are excellent ways to drain mental energy. These toys can keep your dog busy for hours! And, draining mental energy is just as important as draining physical energy. Stop by “The Learning Dog” to check out our great selection of Busy Buddy toys and other interactive toys!

Training Tips

Some quick tips to remember as you work with your pup in this class and for future training.

• Keep training fun – if it’s not fun for you, it’s not fun for your pup!
• Keep it short – keep training sessions to approx 10-15 minutes, several times a day
• Use a soft and calm voice
• Use HIGH rewards – keep an arsenal of treats. As the training becomes more difficult, you will need to up the rewards. Dry biscuits won’t do! Use hot dogs (beef only and tiny pieces), freeze dried liver, etc. (Side note: You can back off their regular food just a bit to compensate for the extra treats).
• Say your commands once. We want to teach our dogs to respond to our cues the FIRST time we say it. Be patient and give them time to think.
• Train your dog a feeding time with their normal kibble – a hungry pup is an eager pup!

CHEWING

All puppies chew. So would you if your gums drove you as crazy as theirs do, especially when their adult teeth are coming in (around four months of age). The trick here is to redirect the behavior by keeping things you don’t want the puppy chew out of reach and by giving her approved chew toys and praising her for using them.

One of the oldest pieces of pet advice in the world is not to give your puppy things that are like the object you want her to leave alone. In other words, don’t give her your old slippers to chew on and expect her to leave your new ones alone.

Some objects like table legs are not capable of being picked up and put away. Discourage chewing on these by applying Bitter Apple to favorite spots (the taste is so horrible your puppy won’t put their tongue on it again).

Remember that puppies MUST chew. If you catch yours chewing on something you don’t want her to, don’t make a big deal of it. Give a verbal correction “eh-eh” to her to distract her, move her away from where she was chewing (even just a few feet) then give her an approved toy and cue her by giving her a word to associate, like “chew.” Then praise her for using it. Be careful not to “swap out” a no-no item with an approved chew toy because you want to avoid your puppy making the connection “if I chew on the table leg, mom gives me a yummy chew toy.” Move them away and then give the appropriate chew toy.

Never give a puppy free run of the house allowing her to make her own decision on what is or isn’t chewable. If you can not observe her, put her in a crate. Make sure that you leave her a chew toy or two. Or if you can’t crate her, tether her to you. She MUST be insight of you so you know what she’s getting in to.

Use sterilized bones, stuffed with peanut butter, cheese, hot dogs, or anything else yummy! And don’t forget the most important toy, a Kong which can likewise be stuffed with peanut butter or lots of good stuffed and either given at room temp or you can freeze it. Buy a couple so you always have one in the freezer ready to go.  Forget the rawhides! Rawhides don’t satisfy the chewing urge because they soften as they chew them. Plus they can break off big chunks and swallow it which can cause problems. Remember, if they puppy isn’t getting satisfaction from their chew toy, they’ll find something else to chew on that works!

All products mentioned are available at The Learning Dog facility.

Crate Training and Housebreaking

House breaking your puppy can be an easier process than you think IF it is done correctly. Using a crate is the first step in setting yourself and your puppy up for success. A crate is not “cruel.” It is not a “cage” as if we were trying to contain a wild creature (although it may seem like it sometimes!). A crate is a very natural place for a dog. Remember, dogs are den animals. They are intuitively comfortable and familiar with creating and sleeping in a “den.” The crate IS the den. So the first step is choosing the right product. I recommend wire/metal type crates versus “airline” crates which are those you see animals being transported in. Airline crates don’t offer much visual access to the dog. Dogs should be able to see everything going on. If a dog requires “privacy” because of anxiety or fear, you can place a blanket over the back quarter of the crate which will still allow him to see everything else when he’s ready.

What size to get?  Know that your puppy is going to grow so buying a larger crate is a smart choice. However, keep this in mind. The crate should only be large enough for your dog to turn around and lay down in. Note, for taller breed dogs, look for a taller crate than the average. Most metal crates offer dividers (or you can often buy them separately) to block off a section of the crate and then offering the option of removing it as your pup grows. Something to consider when shopping is looking for a metal crate that is collapsible versus having to be completely dismantled. This comes in handy if you need to travel with your pet and crate. It is also much easier for storing.  Be sure it is assembled correctly and that you and everyone else in the family is comfortable latching and unlatching the crate.

Where to put the crate? Always keep the crate in a room that the family is in. In the beginning if needed, the crate can be kept in your bedroom however for “cool down times” the crate should be near where the family is versus being isolated. We want to avoid a negative association with the crate (crate means isolation).

What to keep in the crate? Good, safe chew toys (Kongs) and a crate pad or simple blanket(s). Do not use blankets that are easily torn, stuffed or have “stringy” material. If your puppy is quick to destroy the blanket, remove it and try a crate pad (a specially designed covering for inside the crate available at most pet stores – usually made of a Sherpa type material). Nothing with stuffing should be used for bedding until you know that your dog is okay with that because if they destroy it they could ingest it and leave one big mess! Other toys are ok if and only if you are supervising. Do not keep food or water in the crate.

One rule to remember: NEVER use the crate as punishment.

Okay, so how to start. Since puppies are not born with knowing how great a crate is, it is our job to teach them. So set the crate up in the appropriate place (den, dining room, etc.) and place a few yummy treats in the crate. Leave the crate door open. Let the puppy walk in to get the treats and walk out. Do NOT shut the door. Periodically throw in treats or toys and allow the pup to retrieve them, praising them as they do.  Your pup will get comfortable with going in and retrieving good things.

Once they are comfortable going in and out, you can close the door and then quickly reopen it.  Repeat this over and over lengthening the time slightly each time. You can even feed your pup in the crate with the door closed. He will most likely be so excited to eat he won’t focus on the fact that the door is closed. Then let him out when he is finished and calm.

You will then want to begin luring him in the crate (use treats and good, stuffed chew toys) and shutting the door for extended periods such as 10 minutes then go to 15 then go to 20, etc. As he begins going in the crate easily, you can add a cue like “go to bed” or “kennel up.”  Remember to ALWAYS have something good for your pup in the crate that is safe to chew on. Stuffed Kongs or Sterilized bones are always good. We want your pup to enjoy being in the crate.

Now for bed time…

Depending on your scenario, you may want to keep the crate in your bedroom for sleeping or close by so that the puppy does not feel alone and so that you can hear him when he cries.

Make sure you go out and potty and then lure him in with a treat (using the cue if he’s ready for that). For the first hour or so, the puppy may fuss. You are going to have to be strong and ignore it. Don’t coddle him by saying “it’s ok, you’re ok” as you are only acknowledging and thereby rewarding the behavior.   I know it’s hard but it will get easier.  And, don’t let him out.

Remember that in the beginning, you WILL have to get up when he cries or barks to take him out. A young puppy (4 months and younger) can not typically hold it thru the night. You may have to get up several times.

Now to the housebreaking part…

Okay, so now that you have a good idea of how to use the crate, use it to your advantage when housebreaking your pup. The crate, in my opinion is the greatest tool for housebreaking!

Most puppies will not mess where they sleep. This is why the appropriate size of crate is important (too big means they can mess in one corner and lay in the other).

First, feeding on a schedule is important. Most puppies will develop a “schedule” of when they eliminate after eating. Pay attention.  If they are under 7-8 weeks, I would take them out 10 minutes after eating. 9+ weeks, start at 15 minutes. You’ll get a feel after the first few feedings. Also pay attention to water habits. If they drink a lot, they may eliminate within 10 minutes. Watch for signals too. Circling, sniffing, etc. Those are your cues to get them outside!

Plan where your pup should eliminate. Remember that pups need to go out after eating, drinking, playing and right after they wake up from napping. Each time, take them to the same door, to the same spot in the yard ON LEASH. Give a cue “go potty” and be ready to reward. If your pup goes, CELEBRATE! Give lots of praise and a treat (make sure you reward immediately after going so your dog knows why you are praising him)!

Do not allow your puppy to roam freely or walk around for 30 minutes finding a spot. Give them enough slack to check the area out only. If you give him too much slack, he will begin to wonder and forget why he’s out there. And, you’ll be standing in freezing temps waiting for him to do his business!  Remember, there is no playing when we go out to potty.

If your pup doesn’t go, this is where the crate comes in handy. Simply put your pup in the crate with something really good to chew on and set your kitchen timer for 10 minutes. Then try it again. Once your pup goes, he can be out to play!

Free range is a no-no for a puppy. You simply can’t watch your puppy if they are roaming the house. If you can’t watch them then you probably won’t be able to catch them before they use your living room as their own personal restroom.  So, this is where tethering comes in. Think of it as an umbilical cord. Your puppy goes where you go. Go to your local pet supply store and purchase a fabric training lead.  A 15’ is fine although they make them 20’, 25’ and even 50’.  Clip or tie the lead around you and clip the end to your pup. Now your pup is in sight at all times. You can then catch the signals (sniffing the ground, circling, etc .) so you can run him out side. If you can’t tether your pup or watch him, then crate him. It is better to be safe than sorry.

What if I catch him in the act?

If he’s going in front of you (and yes this may happen), simply scoop him up and give a verbal correction (eh-eh), rush him outside (carrying him is best at this point) going out the same door and set him down in the “potty” area and give him his cue (“go potty”). If he already eliminated completely in the house he may not have to go but go thru the exercise. If he doesn’t do anything outside, simply take him back in and give yourself a verbal correction for not watching him or taking him out earlier.

If there is an accident and you never saw it, there’s nothing you can do except clean it up and learn from it.

To clean the soiled area, use an enzymatic cleaner (“Natures Miracle”) that you can find at the pet store. Follow the instructions on the bottle.

Housebreaking is easier than you think if you have patience and consistency. Accidents may happen but don’t give up.