My Puppy

Puppy Training Book

 SOCIALISATION

In order to raise a behaviourally healthy puppy proper socialisation With different ethnic backgrounds

is critical. Without it many dogs end up shy, fearful, rude or even People wearing, hats, sunglasses, carrying bags/umbrellas,

aggressive. In order to be effective, a socialisation programme men with beards/moustaches, people with weird hairdos,

must involve introducing your puppy to people, other animals and disabled people, people on crutches/with walking sticks etc

environments in a fun and positive manner. If your puppy shows Joggers, Cyclists, Skateboarders, Rollerbladers, Prams,

signs of fear in a new situation DO NOT CODDLE HIM. Instead jolly Shopping Trolleys and Motorbikes

him up, encourage him by using a happy tone of voice and reward

him with yummy treats as his confidence grows. Other Animals

Your puppy needs to meet:

Socialisation should occur between the ages of 8 to 18 weeks, Other dogs (puppies and adult dogs)
this is often termed the ‘Critical Period for Socialisation’. Your Cats
puppy will readily accept new people, animals and different Birds
environments and take them in his stride at this age. If left Horses
until after 18 weeks of age socialisation can be a long and often Livestock (Cows, Sheep etc)
difficult process.

Strange Environments

Humans Your puppy needs to experience new and different environments

Your Puppy needs to meet humans: such as:

Of all ages – Adults Male and Female, Babies, Toddlers, Shopping Centres/Markets

Children, the Elderly and Crowds Construction Sites

 Train/Bus Stations Power Tools

Busy Streets Yelling or arguing

Vet Clinics/Grooming Salons/Pet Shops Door slamming

Sirens

Different Surfaces:

Your puppy needs to walk on different surfaces such as: Household Items

Wet Grass You need to introduce your puppy to normal household items

Pebbles/Gravel/Sand such as:

Steel Grates/Manhole Covers Vacuums/Brooms/Mops

Tiles/Pavers/Cobbles/Bitumen Stairs

Doorbells

Loud Noises Telephones

Your puppy needs to become comfortable around loud noises Loud music/TV

such as: Hair Dryers

Fireworks Mowers/Blowers

Thunder

LEADERSHIP
Leadership is one of the most critical, yet often misunderstood, as- puppy school can help you acquire the knowledge and skills to

pects of dog ownership. Without good leadership from you your train your dog to become a confident, happy and well behaved

puppy can grow up to become: companion.

A bossy, obnoxious, hyperactive, destructive delinquent Part of your responsibilities as a good leader to your puppy

A shy, neurotic, withdrawn, fearful mess includes teaching him to do the following:

An anti-social, aggressive, potentially dangerous menace

Calmly accept handling, restraint, grooming and examinations

To be able to function properly puppies of all ages and sizes Chew, Bark and Dig appropriately

require the following: Allow all humans to handle his food, toys and bones

Eliminate (toilet) on cue in a designated area

Good Leadership and Communication Walk politely on lead

Physical and Mental Exercise Greet humans and other animals appropriately

Good Healthcare and Nutrition Be well mannered indoors – whether you are home or not

Perform basic behaviours such as ‘Sit’, ‘Drop’, ‘Watch’, ‘Leave

Good leadership and the proper training of your puppy will build It’, ‘Give’ and ‘Come’ on cue

a lasting foundation for a rewarding, lifelong friendship. A good

TRAINING
SHOULD BE FUN
Training should be fun for both you and your dog so train your

puppy using only Positive Reinforcement Methods. Reward based

training is an effective and easy to follow technique based on the

sound scientific principles of learning theory. Teach your puppy in

a positive, nurturing environment.

Put basically, you should reward your puppy’s good behaviour and

ignore any bad behaviour such as jumping up, stealing your things

and toileting inside.

Remember – the hallmark of a good leader is the ability to control

without the use of physical force or intimidation.

PHYSICAL EXERCISE
Puppies, like dogs, require regular exercise. Providing your puppy

with exercise is one of your responsibilities as a dog owner and is

an essential component to keeping your puppy mentally and

physically healthy. A bored or under exercised puppy will quickly

discover alternative outlets for excess energy such as destructive

chewing, digging and barking.

While it is important to avoid strenuous exercise until your

puppy’s joints mature there are many ways to exercise your

puppy and strengthen the bond between you:

Brief games of fetch

Leisurely 10-20 minute walks

Games of Hide and Seek

Treasure Hunts

Chase games – where your puppy chases you!

Play with other puppies or well mannered older dogs

Gentle tug games – once you have taught your puppy to ‘Give’

Remember – a tired puppy is a good puppy!

MENTAL MANAGEMENT
EXERCISE
Setting your puppy up for success is crucial to your success in

raising a well mannered puppy. Do not put your puppy in

positions where he can make bad choices.

Just as your puppy needs an outlet for physical exercise, he also

needs a way to exercise his brain. A lack of mental stimulation is SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE, SUPERVISE!

the main reason many puppies engage in undesirable behaviours

such as digging and destructive chewing. They are often left alone An unsupervised puppy can quickly get into trouble resulting in

for long periods with nothing to occupy them. There are harm to your property or worse, death or injury to your puppy!

numerous ways to provide mental exercise for your puppy: There are many dangerous, even deadly things to a puppy in the

average home – puppies have chewed on electrical cords and

Rotate toys daily power points, choked on curtain cords, ingested poisons or

Keep your puppy’s interest in his toys pricked by rotating his toys suffocated in plastic bags. Don’t let this happen to your puppy!

daily. Have a collection of approximately 25 toys that includes store

bought toys, plastic bottles, butter or ice-cream containers, and NEVER allow your puppy unrestricted access to your home, not

food dispensing toys. Give your puppy approximately 4-6 toys per even for one minute! If no one is available to supervise your puppy

day. put him in a crate, a playpen, a puppy-proofed area or simply at-

tach his lead to your waist and keep him with you. This way you

Food dispensing can go about your daily business confident in the knowledge that

Use your puppy’s daily food rations as a way to entertain him. no harm will come to your puppy or your belongings. As your

Don’t feed him from a bowl, place the food in a food dispensing puppy matures you can gradually allow extra privileges in the

toy such as a treat ball, Kong or Buster Cube and have him work house.

for his food. You can make your own food dispensing toys from Interrupt and Redirect

milk bottles, toilet roll cores (place a treat inside and fold the ends If you catch your puppy in the act of an undesirable behaviour,

in) etc. Hide his food around the house and send him on a treasure such as chewing on a table leg, interrupt him using ‘Ah Ah!’, if

hunt. Freeze his food on a warm day and serve as a dogsicle. necessary clap your hands together loudly near him. This should

Scatter his dry food on the lawn like chook-feed and have him interrupt him. At this point it is critical that you redirect him onto

hunt for his dinner. Provide him with a raw bone or a pig’s ear a something appropriate for him to engage in, otherwise as soon as

couple of times a week. you turn you back he will re-engage in

Digging Pit inappropriate behaviour.

Teach your puppy to dog appropriately by providing him with a

chil- dren’s clam shell and filling it with sand or dirt. Bury hidden Remember –

treasures such as food and toys in his new digging pit and let him SUPERVISE,

discover them. Praise and reward him for digging in his legal SUPERVISE,

digging pit! SUPERVISE!

Visitors

Get a friend or relative or hire a dog walker to come in daily and

play with your puppy. This will help break up long lonely days

waiting for you to come home and give him something to look

forward to!
 How long should I crate my puppy for?

Your puppy should sleep in his crate at night. During the day do

not crate him for any longer then his age in months plus one. For

example a 3 month old puppy can be crated for four hours. For

nighttime crating this means you will need to set your alarm for

the puppy’s time limit and get up to take him outside for a toilet

break.

My puppy cries when I put him in the crate, what should I do?

CRATE TRAINING
If your puppy is whining he may need to go to the toilet. Take him

outside and give him the opportunity to eliminate, avoid too

Crate training is a must for any puppy, regardless of size. When much interaction with him though. If he eliminates reward him

properly introduced, crates will become a safe haven for dog to and have a quick game before crating him again. If he has already

retreat to where they enjoy spending time. Crates are a much bet- eliminated then you must ignore his cries, no matter how sad or

ter alternative to a puppy-proofed room such as a bathroom or cute he looks! Giving him attention when he is whining for it only

laundry because they are portable and your puppy can stay with teaches him to whine for attention. Wait until he’s quiet and then

you without getting into trouble. He can watch you like TV as you go to him.

go about your business. How to introduce a crate

When you bring home the crate, act very interested in it. Stick you

Crate training helps with the following: head inside and make happy noises. If your puppy investigates

Housetraining (puppies are less likely to soil where they sleep) and goes inside say ‘Yes!’ and reward him with a yummy treat.

Destructive Chewing (your puppy cannot destroy your furniture

when he’s crated) Feed him all his meals in the crate

Settling (crates teach your puppy about quiet time) Give him a Kong, a bone or a pig’s ear to chew on in the crate

Preparation for stays at Vets, Groomers, and Travel When he goes into the crate of his own accord reward him

handsomely with attention and treats

CRATE TRAINING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Ignore him for a few minutes when he comes back out

When he’s not looking, leave tasty morsels of food in the crate

What size crate should I buy? for him to discover when he ventures inside again

You should purchase a crate that is big enough for your puppy to Put his favourite toys inside the crate

stand up, turn around and lay down. If a crate is too large your Do not allow children near his crate – the crate is your

puppy will soil up one end and sleep in the other. If you want to puppy’s safe haven AWAY from pestering children

buy a crate that allows for your puppy to grow then block one end

with something solid such as an esky or a box. Currently there are Once your puppy is comfortable with entering the crate begin

a few companies making crates with special dividers in them, ask closing the door for very brief periods - perhaps while you feed him

your pet store about these. his meal. Gradually build the period of time that your puppy is

confined inside is crate with the door closed until he is happy and

What sort of crate should I buy? comfortable inside with the door closed for long periods.

For puppies the best choices are moulded plastic crates (like you

would use for airline travel) or collapsible wire crates. If buying a If your puppy toilets inside his crate do not punish him, instead re-

wire crate cover it with a blanket or towel. This provides a secure vise your toileting schedule to ensure that you are not asking him

environment for your puppy. to hold it for longer than he can.

 HOUSETRAINING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

How long can my puppy ‘hold it’?

Generally your puppy can hold it for his age in months plus one.

Therefore a three month old puppy can hold it for 4 hours.

However, your puppy will still need to go after mealtimes,

immediately upon waking and after a period of play.

What should I do if I catch my puppy toileting in the house?

You must NEVER punish your puppy or rub his nose in it; this will

only frighten him and make him anxious about toileting in your

presence. If he refuses to toilet when you are around you cannot

reward him for making the correct choice. If you catch him in the

act simply take him outside to finish toileting. Then reward him for

finishing off outside.

HOUSE TRAINING What are the signs that my puppy need to toilet?

Whining, pacing, circling, sniffing and squatting are all signs that

The secret to housetraining is good management, keen observa- you puppy may need to toilet. Be sure to be on the lookout for

tion skills and rewarding your puppy for toileting correctly. these signals.

How do I clean up my puppy’s ‘mistakes’?

You should take your puppy outside every two hours, 5-10 minutes Clean with a mixture of vinegar and water or a specialised cleaner

after meals or water, immediately upon waking from a nap and available from pet stores such as Urine Off. Do not use ammonia

immediately after a play session. It is best to take your puppy out- based cleaners or bleach as they may attract your puppy back to

side on lead and stay with him until he toilets. This way you can that spot in the future.

immediately praise him and deliver a yummy treat. If you allow

him to wander around on his own a) he will toilet anywhere he What do I do when I go to work and leave my puppy home?

feels like and b) you may not see the exact moment he toilets and Ask a friend or relative to come over and take your puppy outside

therefore praise and treats will not be associated with the act of for toilet breaks. You can also employ the services of a dog walker/

toileting. sitter to take your puppy outside for a toilet break. Alternatively, if

Avoid interacting with him until he has done his business, keep your puppy toilets on grass you can purchase a piece of turf and

him focused on the job at hand! One he has toileted you can place it in a kitty litter box (or something similar) as an indoor

reward him with a brief play session inside. ‘toilet’ for your puppy to use through the day. It is best to set your

puppy up for success and always provide opportunities for him to

Crate training is very useful when housetraining your puppy since toilet outside in his designated area.

puppies are far less likely to soil their crates. When you let him out

of the crate take him to his toileting area immediately, if he toilets

allow him some free time (supervised of course), if not return him

to his crate for 10-20 minutes before trying again. He will soon

make the association that once he toilets he gets free time.

 BITING MOUTHING
Puppies explore the world with their mouths and your hands and

arms are often on the receiving end of those needle-like puppy

teeth! It is natural for your puppy to try to entice you into a game

with a playful nip as this was how he enticed his littermates into

playing. However, if he bit too hard while engaging with his

littermates they let out a yelp and snubbed him. This is how he

learned to inhibit his bite in order to keep the game going. Bite too

hard and the game stops. You need to act in the same manner

with your puppy to teach him that human skin is fragile & must be

treat as such. You do not want your puppy to stop biting

altogether, you simply want him to inhibit his bite & bite softly.

Children are more often on the receiving end of puppy biting and

HANDLING
mouthing. This is not a dominance or hierarchical issue. It stems

from children being more excitable and noisy around puppies –

Now is the ideal time to teach your puppy to become accustomed this makes them targets for puppies that want to play! If your

to and enjoy being handled. Your puppy needs to learn to be puppy is biting your children ensure that they interact calmly with

handled for a variety of reasons that include: your puppy at all times.

Grooming FOOD BOWL MANNERS

Checking for Fleas/Ticks

Examination It is important to teach your puppy to remain calm around food

Administering and to look forward to humans approaching his food or bowl. To

medication achieve this there are a number of things you can do:

Introduce your puppy to being handled gently by a number of

people, paying particular attention to his: Feed your puppy some dry food in his bowl & approach him

with tasty morsels of chicken, placing them in his bowl as he

Ears eats

Paws As your puppy is eating his dry food pick up his bowl, put

Mouth some chicken in it and give it back to him to continue eating

Tail As your puppy is eating his dry food approach him and give

him pieces of chicken out of your hand

Reward your puppy for remaining clam and confident through the When your puppy is chewing a bone approach him and take

handling process. his bone way briefly, hand him some yummy chicken and

then return his bone to him

Tip - Never put a squiggly puppy down! If you pick up your puppy Always feed your puppy in busy area of the house, do not let

and he squirms and wriggles to get down, patiently wait until he him get used to being alone with his food as can encourage

calms down before placing him gently on the ground. If you let food aggression

him down when he’s squirming you are teaching him to act up in By doing the above exercises your puppy will learn that a human

order to be put down. ap- proaching him while he is eating is something to look forward

to!
 your hand in front of your puppy’s nose. Gradually draw the treat

up and back towards the puppy’s rear. In order to continue looking

at the treat your puppy will need to ‘Sit’. As soon as his rear makes

con- tact with the ground say ‘Yes!’ and reward with the treat. Do

this several times until your puppy is responding reliably. You can

then begin to pretend you have a treat in your hand and reward

COMMANDS
the puppy for sitting in response to your hand movement. When

you are certain your puppy will sit in response to your hand
Responding to Name
movement you can then add the word ‘Sit’ just before your puppy

Teaching your puppy to respond to his name is the basis of sits.

training. If your puppy will respond happily to his name then you Drop

have his atten- tion. You simply cannot ask your puppy to do Teaching your puppy to drop is useful because it helps teach him

anything for you until you have his attention. Do not use your to settle down.

puppy’s name in a negative way, this only teaches him that his

name is a punishment and he will stop responding reliably. To teach your puppy to ‘Drop’ on cue hold a yummy treat in your

hand and place it in front of your puppy’s nose. Slowly draw the

Call your puppy’s name several times a day and when he responds treat down to the ground and out along the ground in an ‘L’ shape.

by looking at you throw him a treat. Teach him that his name is As your puppy’s belly touches the ground say ‘Yes!’ and reward

the sweet- est sound he can possibly hear. him with the treat. Do this several times until your puppy is

responding reliably. You can then begin to pretend you have a

Watch Me treat in your hand and reward the puppy for dropping in response

The ‘Watch Me’ cue is useful for keeping your puppy focused on to your hand movement. When you are cer- tain your puppy will

you, especially in distracting situations. It also teaches your puppy drop in response to your hand movement you can then add the

that mak- ing eye contact with humans is rewarding. word ‘Drop’ just before your puppy drops.

If your puppy will not drop using this method it may be useful to

To teach ‘Watch Me’ show your puppy a yummy treat then slowly use a yummy treat to lure him underneath your knees as you sit

draw the treat up to your nose, between your eyes. When your on the ground.

puppy makes eye contact say “Yes!’ and reward him with the treat.

When your puppy is responding reliably you can begin pretending Leave It

you have a treat as you point to your nose – as your puppy makes Teaching your puppy a ‘Leave It’ cue will go a long way towards

eye contact say ‘Yes!’ and reward with a treat from your main- taining your sanity!

pouch/pocket. If you are certain that your puppy will make eye

contact when you point to your nose you can begin adding the To teach your puppy a ‘Leave It’ cue, simply show him a yummy

cue ‘Watch Me’ just before he looks at you. Say ‘Yes!’ and reward treat in your hand and close your hand around the treat. Offer your

eye contact. closed hand to your puppy; he will most certainly mug your hand

Sit in an effort to get at the treat. You must not move your hand away;

All puppies should be taught to ‘Sit’ on cue. Sitting will eventually you must wait your puppy out patiently. When he gives up, even

turn into your puppy’s way of saying ‘please’. Your puppy should for a second, and moves away from the treat say ‘Yes!’ and reward

be asked to ‘Sit’ for anything that he wants. him with the treat. When your puppy is reliably leaving your hand

alone when you offer it you can begin to add the cue ‘Leave It’ as

To teach your puppy to ‘Sit’ hold a yummy treat in your hand and place you offer your hand out to him. Say ‘Yes!’ and reward with the treat.
10

Never call your puppy to punish him or to do something

unpleasant to him such as administer medication, clip his nails etc.

This will only serve to teach your puppy that coming to you is not a

pleasant experience and he will stop responding. Use every

opportunity in his daily life to reward him for making the choice to

come to you. For example, call him to ‘Come’ just before:

Feeding

A Walk

A Play Session

A Car Ride (assuming he likes the car!)

Play with other dogs

Give Cuddle time (assuming he wants a cuddle at the time!)

Teaching your puppy to relinquish anything he has to you is an

important part of leadership and may save your new Italian leather Lead Walking

shoes from destruction! NEVER, NEVER ,NEVER chase a puppy Many puppies resist having a lead attached to them and fight the

that has something in his mouth. This will only encourage him to lead as soon as you attach it to them. Avoid this by attaching a

get your attention for a game of chase in the future by stealing light lead to your puppy and letting him drag it around the room

your things! It is far better to teach your puppy to give things up to for a while (supervised of course!). Reward your puppy for

you happily than it is to get into a game of chase or tug with them. confident behaviour while the lead is attached.

To teach your puppy to surrender items to you it may be necessary Now is the time to teach your puppy to walk politely on lead. Many

to ‘trade up’. When your puppy has something in his mouth offer people inadvertently teach their puppies to pull on lead when the

him a yummy treat, he will probably lose interest in the item he puppy pulls and they follow. If your puppy is pulling on lead, stop

has and drop it in order to get the treat. Pick up the object he had or change direction and make him follow you. You need to help

and inspect it, if the object is safe for him to play with offer it back him to understand that pulling on lead will not get him anywhere

to him. Continue to trade him frequently, perhaps offering him as you will refuse to follow. Frequently reward your puppy as he

other toys as a trade. If the object is forbidden, reward him for walks without pulling.

giving it up and replace the item with something ‘safe’ for him to

play with such as one of his toys.

Come

Puppies have a natural inclination to follow their humans around,

al- most relentlessly! Use this time in your puppy’s life to your

advantage and begin building his recall. There are many fun ways

to do this that can even incorporate games. Play ‘Hide and Seek’

with your puppy. Hide from your puppy briefly and call him to

‘Come’ when he finds you reward him with a treat or a quick

game. Involve the whole family in this game it is a great way for

kids to interact with your puppy. You can also play ‘Come Ping

Pong’ – sit the whole family in a circle around the puppy and take

turns at calling him to ‘Come’. When he goes to the person that

called him he gets a treat and a quick game.

 11

COMMUNITY
MANNERS
Remember that as a dog owner you now have a community

responsibility to behave in a respectable manner with your

puppy at all times. This includes:

Registering your puppy

All local councils require that puppies are registered by three

months of age. However, there are rebates available upon

presentation of a desexing certificate from your vet once the

puppy has been desexed.

Picking Up After Puppy

All councils require you to clean up after your dog. You must carry

an adequate supply of poo bags with you at all times. You can still

be fined if you have already used your poo bag and do not have

another one on you.

Dog Parks

Most councils provide designated off-lead areas for dogs to play

in. It is important to use these areas responsibly and do not al-

lows your dog to threaten, intimidate or otherwise make himself

unwelcome to people and other dogs using the area. DO NOT

take a puppy under 6 months of age to an off-lead area, they are

simply too young to cope in these areas before then and may be

physically attacked or mentally harassed.

Leash Laws

All councils require that your dog be on lead in all area except

designated off-lead areas. Many councils stipulate that the lead

must not be any longer than 2 meters. Retractable leads are

unacceptable.
Desexing
Please seriously consider desexing your puppy when the
Meeting People/Other Dogs on Lead time comes – usually around 6 months of age. The world
When meeting other people and dogs on lead do not approach is full of unwanted dogs and one of the largest
unless you have permission to do so. Many people and dogs are contributors to this problem is backyard or accidental
uncomfortable around strange dogs, be mindful of this when out breeding. Leave breeding up to professional breeders.
walking with your dog. Speak to your vet for further information about desexing.
 My Puppy

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