Puppy Talk

There are two ways to be more patient with your puppy, and I will discuss both in this episode.  Patience will go a long way when raising a puppy.  Give your puppy time to learn and adapt to your lifestyle.  Be patient when teaching new commands Be more patient overall as they grow up If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is...

In this episode, I discuss the pros and cons of having your puppy sleep with you in your bed.  Remember, that is my opinion, and the opinions of other dog trainers and vets will vary.  The Complete Puppy Training Manual is now available on Amazon .  If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training In-home dog tr...

In this episode, I share what I did during my dog Dixie's First Day Home on May 5, 2020. I immediately taught Dixie her name, leash acclimation, and set boundaries in the apartment.  Notice my tone, words, and leadership skills when I communicate to Dixie in this video https://youtu.be/f-qA1fYUp40 . Here is a link to the podcast episode, The First 5 Things to Teach Your New Puppy . View my ne...

I use three types of walks for puppies that I train. Each of these walks is unique and can be combined to achieve multiple goals in one outing. The Training Walk The Enrichment Walk The Potty Break Walk Roughly 40% of your walks will be potty breaks, 40% will be training walks (loose leash walking), and 20% will be enrichment walks. FREE GIFT:  Download the chart below to help identify unwanted mi...

The top 3 reasons why your puppy's behavior is not improving:  You are reinforcing the unwanted behavior. You are trying to "fix" your puppy instead of teaching your puppy. You are not being consistent.  Use this FREE chart below to help identify unwanted minor puppy behaviors and teach a replacement behavior. Practice reinforcing the replacement behaviors without reinforcing the un...

In this episode, I discuss one of the chapters of my new book, Leash Training Your Puppy , which will be available by the end of February 2023. To get on my mailing list for updates on the book release date, go to PuppyTraining.dog.   The most important tip for starting the loose leash walking journey with your puppy is to stay in the moment . Learn to be connected to your puppy through the leash....

Use this FREE chart below to help identify unwanted minor puppy behaviors and teach a replacement behavior. Practice reinforcing the replacement behaviors without reinforcing the unwanted behaviors. Download the chart here https://www.puppytraining.dog/bemod-chart If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training...

I recently received an email from Dr. Leslie Brooks DVM, MPH, and a Vet Advisor for Betterpet. She sent me some information on a new tool that she helped create called The Dog Age Calculator.  She went on to say that many pet owners don't always know how old their dog actually is and how they should be caring for their furry friend. If pet parents know their dog's exact stage of life, th...

Can You Take Your Puppy Outside Before it is Fully Vaccinated?  This is a great question that was a comment on one of my YouTube videos.  The short answer is "Yes, But Follow These Rules To Stay Safe." Links to supporting articles and Podcasts: PawsGeek.com article: https://www.pawsgeek.com/can-i-take-my-puppy-outside-before-it-is-vaccinated/ ThePamperedPup.com article: https://www.thepa...

Our most popular episode has been #3 from January 12, 2021, on How to Potty Train Your Puppy . I continue to receive comments on social media posts and daily emails from local clients of Top Gun Dog Training who are having trouble potty training their puppy.  In this episode, I share the top 3 reasons why your puppy is not properly catching on to potty training. I have also linked several related...

In this episode, I am going to discuss important details about using corrections with young puppies. This information is a companion to the past episode #56 on The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training. When to use corrections What type of corrections should you use How to use corrections - correct it, redirect it Why too many corrections are not productive How to know when you are overcorre...

This episode is from an article written by Taylor Andrews for my website. You can read the entire article here https://topgundogtraining.com/blog/f/the-benefits-of-positive-reinforcement-training Dale's dog training website is https://topgundogtraining.com/ Visit the shows website at http://puppytalkpodcast.com Visit this website http://puppytraining.dog to join our mailing list for updates o...

Everyone in your family, including dogs, has to have rules and boundaries in the house. You should start teaching the puppy rules and boundaries as soon as you bring them home. Giving a puppy too much freedom and the ability to do anything it wants, is a recipe for disaster. Setting Rules Rules refer to what a puppy is and isn’t allowed to do.  Here are some examples: No jumping on furniture when...

These 5 things need to begin even before the basic obedience training command such as sit, down, stay, etc.  Potty Training - Episode #3 Crate Training - Episode #21 Rules and Boundaries Puppies Name Stopping Play Biting - Episode #5 If you teach your new puppy these 5 things from the very beginning, you can prevent a lot of frustration. Video Resources: How I Potty Trained My Puppy in One Day:  h...

I have a lot of clients with puppies that pee when they get excited. This is a huge issue with some new puppy owners, and in this episode I will provide some tips to help you deal with excited or submissive urination in puppies. In this episode I discuss: What is the difference between submissive and excited urination? Why do either of these happen? What steps can you take to minimize submissive u...

Setting unrealistic goals for your new puppy is a huge mistake.  This is just as bad as trying to “fix” all of your puppies unwanted behaviors. As discussed in the last episode, we always want to focus on what we want the puppy to do, not what we want them not to do.  Be patient, take it slow, don’t force the puppy to try and learn too fast. Remember, they do not live with the same technology as h...

There is one secret to raising your puppy so that they continue to do what you ask from them, and stop doing the behaviors that you don’t eat such as barking, jumping, play biting, and chewing. Listen to this entire episode for complete details. Visit the shows website http://puppytalkpodcast.com Visit our sponsors website http://topgundogtraining.com If you need help housebreaking your new puppy,...

In this episode I discuss the importance of using hand signals in addition to vocal commands for foundational work such as sit, down, stay, come, etc. 3 reasons to use hand signals: Dogs easily habituate vocal commands when overdone Dogs sight is dominant over their hearing - Dogs perceive the world through her nose, eyes, and ears (in that order) Body language, spacial pressure, and hand signals...

In this episode I discuss Fresh Patch all natural real grass training pads for puppies. I also discuss the benefits and how to use Fresh Patch effectively. Here is a link to their website if you want more information https://www.freshpatch.com/ If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com for FREE resources. Our Sponsor is Top Gun Dog Training In-home dog trainin...

Here is a list of our top 5 Puppy Talk episodes: Episode #35 - Puppy Training Series: Teaching Come Episode #3 - How to Potty Train Your Puppy Episode # 2 - The First 5 Things to Teach Your New Puppy Episode # 1 - Owning a New Puppy is a Lot of Work Episode # 18 - The Importance of Puppy Relaxation with Laura Donaldson If you need help housebreaking your new puppy, visit pottytrainingyourpuppy.com...

In this lesson, I am going to discuss how to teach the “drop-it” command to your puppy. This is for basic obedience training, this technique does not apply to resource guarding.  What not to do: Repeat the command Grab the object from the puppy’s mouth What to do: Say the words “drop-it” after puppy has an object in their mouth that you don’t want them to have Wait for puppy to let it go, do not f...

In this episode I teach you you to teach your puppy the leave-it command before they pick unwanted things up in their mouth. Follow these steps: Grab some high value food rewards Locate the item that you don't want your puppy to have in their mouth Bring the item close to the puppy until they start to open their mouth and attempt to grab it Before they grab the item, firmly say "leave-it...

In this important episode, I discuss how to prevent unwanted puppy behaviors.  Follow these steps below.  Do not have the mindset of “fixing” your puppy, they are not broken. Two parts to preventing unwanted behaviors 1) Before the puppy knows they exist, and 2) at the beginning of the act of displaying the unwanted behavior. When my dog Dixie was with me the very first day, I corrected her play b...

This is our 1 Year Anniversary Episode! Today we talk about leash training tips for puppies. Below is a list of the topics discussed and links to recommended equipment. Nothing is more important than the dog walk, If properly done, it builds the relationship, discipline, and obedience. 3 Types of walks: potty break, training walk , enrichment walk Set you intention for the walk Use good equipment...

This is a great question, and one I get asked a lot. This episode breaks it down for you and provides important information that will help you understand the importance of sleep for puppies.  8-12 week old puppies need 16-18 hours of sleep per day 12-16 week old puppies need 14-16 hours of sleep per day 16 weeks - 1 yr old puppies need 12-14 hours of sleep per day Puppies 1 yr+ need at least 10-12...