In order to grow into amendable, housebroken, obedient and well mannered adults, puppies need to
be taught how to be all of these. The training plan provides examples of the steps to take to start training.
Avoid overexercising your puppy, as this can cause serious damage to his growing bones and developing muscles,
tendons and ligamen. Remember to keep training sessions short as puppies have limited attention span and get
tired easily.
Week 1
- Teach the puppy to recognize and respond to his name
- Begin socializing: accustom the puppy household sights and sounds. - television, washing machine, vacuum cleaner etc
- Begin food training by handling the puppy while he is eating
- Start housebreaking and crate training
Week 2
- Begin collar and leash training
- Have the puppy meet people of all ages and sexes. Remember to praise and reward where appropriate, not scold. Simply ignore the puppy if he displays inappropriate behavior
- Begin any behavior training necessary such as for play-bitting or jumping up
Week 3
- Get the puppy use to seeing and being near other animals including companions pets and larger animals. For safety, put him under control so he can't chase these animals
Week 4
- Introduce car travel
- Once he's been vaccinated, introduce the puppy to sights and sounds on walks. Keep this short and close to home at first.
Week 5
- Gradually extends car trips.
- Start going to puppy training classs.
- By now the pup will be going to his crate for time out or to rest in 'his' den. If he is fully housebroken, you could replace it with a bed