Puppy Adult Dog Training

How to Train a New Puppy or Adult Dog

It is important to train your dog, whether small or large, young or old. Besides helping it behave better, training a dog will improve its relationship with you. In addition, training a dog what it can and cannot do, and to always respond to your commands, ensures its safety. For example, it could save your dog from being hit by a car if it ever escapes or gets lost.

It's the vision that we as puppy owners all dreamt about. A puppy that’s leisurely strolling beside you, or sitting calmly at your feet at an outdoor cafe. But there are some steps to do to make sure your pup is on the right track with their training in order to get there!

In the beginning, that perfect pup will come with some growing pains: nipping, chewing, potty accidents, barking, and more. Your puppy is growing and developing quickly. Once they’ve been home for a couple of weeks, your puppy should know the basics of a daily routine and be working on some obedience training and learning basic commands.

So how do you know what you should begin training your pup first on? No matter what age you bring home your new pup, you can use our puppy training schedule as a guideline to help your puppy grow, develop, and learn the good manners they need at home and in the world to help shape them into becoming that perfect pup you envisioned! At first, dog training can seem pretty overwhelming, especially if this is your first dog. The truth is that training your dog is a very big project. If you take it step by step, you will find the task to be far less daunting.

As you begin to socialize your puppy, you will notice if it tends to be more aggressive or submissive. Brave puppies tend to challenge older dogs by standing tall, pushing out their chests, and sticking their tails and ears straight up. Courageous puppies will also wave their tails slowly, and they may growl at older dogs. Conversely, timid puppies will attempt to make themselves look smaller to older dogs. They will crouch low to the ground, wag their tails, and roll over onto their backs.

Training helps your puppy to cope with unfamiliar experiences and helps to prevent fear of meeting new people, so they may be more comfortable in social situations. Building training into your pet’s playtime also makes use of all that extra energy and keeps them happy and healthy. Before jumping into training a new puppy with an older dog, you first have to take the time to introduce your new puppy and your older dog.

The initial introduction between your new puppy and your older dog will play a significant factor in your puppy’s training; remember that young puppies are essentially learning about EVERYTHING. Puppies are forming their overall perspective of the world at a young age, which will mold them into the adult dogs they will become. Whereas older dogs already have a comprehensive picture of the world. To learn more about socialization, read our socialization article. The proper way to introduce your puppy and older dog is gradual and dependent on how well mannered and trained your older dog is.

Training your pup starts with the week you bring them home, typically 8 weeks of age. At this age they are able to quickly grasp the commands to sit, stand, stay and come. The moment you bring your puppy home you essentially start house training. Puppies learn from birth and if you are a good dog parent you will try and prioritise socialising your pup. Young pups have short attention spans, which means you need to spend extra time and have more patience while training. Because of their short attention spans, pups can only be trained in simple and basic tricks. Formal dog training however should no be delayed till 6 months of age. When a pup is young they tend to pick up on a lot of behaviours that they will have as an adult, therefore making this period the best opportunity for teaching them to behave. However behaviours learnt by themselves during the puppy stage will have to be rectified.