Puppy Talk

You must put in the work yourself to raise a puppy successfully. A dog trainer cannot fix all of the dog issues and strengthen your relationship with the dog. Dog trainers give advice and suggestions and help educate you on how to solve problems. You have to do the work. You have to put in the time with your dog. Things you can do right now: Check your emotions - let go of all stress, anxiety, fea...

Over the past year, I have seen too many puppies lacking confidence and self-esteem. They are shy, withdrawn, and fearful of experiencing new adventures and situations. Six ways to build confidence: Help Them Navigate Through Challenging Situations Don’t Baby Them; Encourage Them Stop Spoiling Them Socialize Them Early Leash Training Other Enrichment Activities If you need help housebreaking your...

Many people think dog training is stopping unwanted behaviors or fixing the dog. Dog training is actually teaching the dog what you want it to do.  Dog training should be focused on setting your puppy up for success instead of focusing on their unwanted behaviors. When you change your mindset to teach the puppy good behaviors, the undesirable behaviors disappear.  Focus on what you want the dog to...

A therapy dog lends comfort and affection to people in a facility setting or specific individuals who require visitation to deal with a physical or emotional problem. There are 4 steps to complete Therapy Dog Training .  After these 4 steps, you must take a test and be observed by the therapy dog organization for several public visits with your dog around people. I suggest ATD ( Alliance of Therap...

Conditioning your puppy for bad weather, such as heat, cold, rain, and snow, is essential. This helps build their confidence and allows them to realize that bad weather is part of their life. In this episode, I explain how to do this safely and effectively.  If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training In-ho...

Here is a list of the top 6 dog training mistakes: Chastisement upon return Confusing rules Rewards for bad behavior Constantly offering food treats Getting angry Poor communication You can read the article here: https://www.topgundogtraining.com/post/dog-training-mistakes-avoid-them-if-you-want-a-well-behaved-pooch If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com fo...

One way puppies can explore the world and learn about things is with their mouth. They pick up everything from the ground and bite stuff because they have no other way to explore and learn about physical objects. In this episode, I teach you a method to stop puppy play biting.  If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is Top Gu...

3 Steps to Potty Train Your Puppy. More info in my book Potty Training Your Puppy . 1) Your puppy should always be supervised or confined while indoors. Supervise your puppy closely or have them in the crate. Supervised means you will see it taking place if your puppy has an accident. The only exception to this rule is if you know your puppy has just gone potty and now has an empty bladder or colo...

There are two times when you need to use your puppy's name when training.  One is if there are multiple dogs present. The other is to get them to come to you.  Don't overuse the puppy's name, or there will be no value to it.  If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training In-home dog training se...

Littermate syndrome is a term that describes unwanted behaviors among sibling dogs, including aggression and intense attachment. It is often used to describe behavioral issues that occur when two or more dogs from the same litter are raised together and adopted into the same home. If you are considering adopting two puppies from the same litter, it is essential to do your research and understand t...

Leash training your puppy is an essential part of obedience and discipline.  Leash training will get your puppy out of the house to learn socialization skills and how to behave in public. These are called Leash Manners. Here are three tips to help leash train your puppy.  Keep the walks short, about 5-10 minutes. Long walks for young puppies ages 8-24 weeks could result in them losing focus and en...

Potty training a puppy is very simple is you follow the basic guidelines in this episode.  Manage the puppy's space in the house Reward the puppy immediately after they go potty outside Be consistent; take the puppy out at least every hour Don’t use pee pads.  Combine potty training with obedience and leash training. Potty Training Your Puppy Book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNGRNXNX If you...

Your puppy's age and breed can determine the amount of exercise your puppy needs. Some dogs will need more than others. This episode advises determining what your puppy needs for exercise and mental stimulation.  The book mentioned in this episode is Leash Training Your Puppy .  If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is...

The place command is an essential tool in the training arsenal of any puppy owner, enabling them to establish control over their furry friend's movements both indoors and outdoors.  Follow the three steps in this podcast and read the article from Top Gun Dog Trainings website or read the transcript for this podcast.  If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy....

Oftentimes, puppy owners are unaware of their puppies' need for mental stimulation. However, once they are educated on how to introduce it into everyday life and form a more structured schedule for their puppy, owners will see results almost immediately. While there are endless ways to mentally stimulate your puppy, I am going to recommend some of my favorites in the list below, which have pr...

As a professional dog trainer, I have never been asked to help make a puppy more hyper, but almost every new puppy owner requests some training on how to make their puppy more calm.  To achieve the goal of puppy calmness, it’s mostly about trimming the fat…or eliminating things you are doing that overstimulate the puppy. In addition, most new puppy owners unconsciously create and reinforce the unw...

The goal of raising a puppy is to prevent unwanted behaviors from developing so that you can live harmoniously with your puppy. Most new puppy owners allow most unwanted behavior to develop, even reinforcing the behaviors in the puppy.  The behaviors I get called the most to help “fix” are play biting, jumping, barking, chewing, and pulling on the leash.  Once the puppy has associated the unwanted...

Focusing on your puppy being calm in the crate lets you create a list of ways to achieve this goal. I will help you get started with this list. It is up to you to expand on this list and follow through. Help your puppy develop a positive association with the crate by feeding them their meals there. Also, playing games with your puppy, going into the crate to fetch a toy or treat, and calling them...

This is a great question. In this podcast episode, I will discuss why so many puppies are being rehomed and how to prevent this from happening to your puppy. Why Are So Many Puppies Being Rehomed? Owners don’t have time to raise and train a puppy. Owners have unrealistic expectations for their puppies. Owners realize they have the wrong dog for their lifestyle.  Puppy develops behavior problems th...

Here is the List of some Essential Equipment for New Puppies: Dog Bed for relaxation and teaching place Play Toys for enrichment Kong® mental stimulation toys LickiMat® mental stimulation feeders Dog Puzzles for mental stimulation Bully Sticks for heavy chewers Dear Antler for aggressive chewers Nylabone® Puppy Starter Kit for moderate chewers 6” Snap Leash for leash training and walking Collar fo...

Isolating your puppy in the house and yard during their critical socialization period of 4-16 weeks is a big mistake.  Lack of puppy socialization during the critical period of their life is the number one reason they develop serious behavior problems as adult dogs. Here is the link to a resource on the importance of puppy socialization from  Robert K Anderson, DVM  http://trainyourdogmonth.com/wp...

Every puppy has different needs. Below are the ingredients, and it’s up to you as the puppies owner to determine the exact recipe. This list is presented in order of importance for creating a happy, healthy, and obedient puppy.  Exercise Mental Stimulation Socialization Enrichment Play At the very end is affection. Don’t substitute affection for any of the other components listed above. Use affect...

Mental stimulation is often referred to as enrichment and covers a wide variety of activities. They often appear to be fun games or clever ways to feed snacks, but they're really so much more than that! You can read the full article here . Here are 4 reasons why your dog must have mental stimulation. Entertainment Improve Anxiety Wear Them Out Provide An Outlet For Natural Behaviors If you ne...

This is a great exercise to build the relationship between the handler and the puppy. We start this in the house with no distractions, then move it outside with distractions so she can get focused back on me when she has reactivity to other dogs or people. Here is the video teaching my puppy Dixie the Watch Me command: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4RVPIfmXPs If you need help housebreaking your...

I found this post on another dog trainer Olivia Mergl of Mannered Mutts Dog Training on Instagram. Below is her post text. The image that goes with the post will be placed on a blog post here .   No is not a cue!! No is not a behavior, it’s not something your dog can perform. You might mean one thing like stop, come here, stand still, lie down, drop it, down but it’s likely very unclear to your do...