Pets admin  

10 Things You Should Teach Your Puppy Before It Turns One Year Old

Have you ever run into a dog at the dog park, or had to babysit a dog for a friend, only to find out they don’t have any kind of canine manners? That’s because they haven’t been properly trained. Here are the 10 things you MUST teach your pup before he turns one, so you can have the best dog on the street!

 

Ok, let’s start with the basics…

 

Training bath. We all know it’s important to teach your pup where to go potty, but it’s just as important to teach him to let you know WHEN he needs to go potty. You might think it’s easiest to teach your pup to go at set times (after meals and just before bed), and it’s true. However, there may be times in your dog’s life (such as when he is unwell) when he needs an extra stop.

 

It’s a great idea to teach your dog to let you know when he needs to go outside. Or, you can teach your dog to answer your question “do you need to go potty?” No, seriously: if you ask this question every time he goes out to relieve himself, he will eventually associate that phrase with going to the bathroom. So when you ask the question, they won’t be interested or will jump in ready to go. Trust me, this comes in handy later in your dog’s life.

 

sit, stay, loose. Seems like I shouldn’t have to mention this, but I’m amazed at how many dogs don’t sit on command! The sooner you teach your pup, the better. Drop can be particularly difficult for puppies, but it’s worth persevering. The Drop command is quite a submissive action for a dog, and can be very useful when small children are around, putting the dog below them in terms of height.

 

Walk on leash and off leash with you. Going for a walk should be fun, but not out of control. Teach your pup from an early age to stay put while he puts on his leash (and collar if he’s not wearing it inside). When walking, your dog should walk to the side of him, not in front, and not wander all over the place sniffing and urinating. Your dog may have some “free time” (see later in this article), but most of the walk should be by your side and calm.

 

It’s also a good idea to teach your dog to walk beside you off-leash (once he’s mastered the leash, of course). It’s best to start this in your own fenced-in yard before moving outdoors. And always take the initiative with you as backup. However, this is very useful if your dog somehow strays off the leash when he is outdoors. You should be able to call them and then put them on a leash or take them home without one.

 

get and release. Throwing a ball or Frisbee and getting them to catch it is a great game for a pup. It’s great exercise, it’s fun, and they’re with you! However, it’s just as important that you teach your pup to drop the ball or Frisbee when it comes back to you. It’s actually more important: They need to recognize that you’re in charge of the game and that the ball always comes back to you.

 

DO NOT fight with the dog for the ball or Frisbee, and do not allow them to “play growl.” Tug is a separate game played with a tug toy. In Fetch they must always return the ball to you. If they don’t, stop playing.

 

puppy tag. When your pup meets another dog or cat, she needs to know proper etiquette for introducing herself. Puppies usually learn this from their littermates, but I have seen many cases where puppies were obviously removed from their litter too soon and have no idea how to behave around other animals.

 

You will know if your pup has a problem by how he behaves when guests arrive. A well-behaved pup will approach visitors and want a pet or some attention, but won’t demand it. Misbehaving puppies demand attention by poking their noses at people or jumping up. If your pup does any of these, he probably won’t do very well with new animals either. And that could mean trouble at the dog park! Nip it in the bud now.

 

Do not jump. Sticking with our point about etiquette, you may think it’s cute now that your pup jumps on your lap for attention or tries to jump onto your lap. But wait until he’s a full-grown dog, or when he’s tested on a frail elderly person and knocked over. Don’t jump on people, ever.

 

Sharing food and toys. This is a very important lesson to teach if you have, or plan to have, other animals or children in the house. Some dogs can be very possessive, especially with their food and/or toys. Puppies should be taught at a young age that nothing is theirs alone, neither their food nor their toys. You need to start this training when they are young. Remove the toy or food from the dog and give it to your child to feed back to the dog. This teaches the dog that things come back, they won’t necessarily be lost forever.

 

If you have another animal, especially another dog, make sure that both (or all) of the dogs play with all the toys. No toy belongs to any dog.

 

go to your bed. Your dog needs a “safe” area, a place where he can go to rest, sleep, or eat his food. This could be his bed, a rug, or even his cage. Teach them from a young age to go there on command. This way, if the pup misbehaves, you can send it for a timeout with this command.

 

“Free time. OK, I mentioned this when we talked about walking on a leash. It is important that your dog is allowed some free time to run and play and goof around and sniff things and pee on things. Teaching your dog early using the word “free” spoken out loud will happily train him so he can now be himself! This is a great command to use at the dog park. You should also have a word “off” so they come back to you when it’s time to go home or put the leash back on. Either by calling them by name, or “come”, or another word you use.

 

Who is in charge. If you’ve been able to teach your pup all of the above behaviors, then you’ve also taught your dog who’s in charge: you!

 

If you teach your pup to be a well-behaved, well-mannered pup, then you will have a dog you can be proud of later in life.

Leave A Comment

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1