How to train your puppy so that even Gllen will like her

Today, I talked to a friend who is bringing home a puppy this week. We got to talking about how to train a dog and she was extremely complimentary of Ruby, my one and a half year old shih-poo who is very well-mannered. She was asking me how I trained her, which leads me to this blog.

Gllen hates dogs. I mean, HATES dogs. Prior to getting Ruby, if you brought up the subject of dogs to him, he would likely spew out a monologue of pure loathing and reasons to back up this opinion - and this would be a non-stop flow of words that could last up to an hour. If you know Gllen, you feel lucky if he completes a sentence in a conversation with you. This should give you an indication of how much fodder he had in his hate-bucket. To summarize, his view of dogs was this: Dogs are eating, pooping, puking, barking, shedding machines. End of story.

Obviously, this is at odds with MY opinion of dogs. To summarize, my view is this: CUUUUUUUUUTE! LOOOOOOOOOOVE! SNUGGGLE!

So, I knew I wanted a dog, and I knew Gllen wanted to never encounter a dog in his life again. How does one solve this dilema? I made promises. Promises that I would devote myself to training a dog to not shit in the house, not bark at every little thing, not puke and then eat it…. things I thought I’d be able to control. I promised we would get a non-shedding dog. The dog would be little and less poop would come out of it - and that poop would be localized in designated pooping areas of the yard.

I did a lot of research prior to adopting a dog. I planned how I would train this dog. I did a lot of cheerleading to Gllen on the thoroughness of this plan. I waited a year. Then, as if it was meant to be, I found Ruby and we brought her home. The training plan was initiated.

Now, I will freely say that I did not train my dog perfectly - there are things we could have done differently or better. For instance, our neighbors, Mike and Kate, somehow trained their dog to stay in the front yard and never run into the street - I wish Ruby knew how to do that. I also failed at the “contained area of poop” in the yard. She poops wherever in the back yard she pleases - and we do our best to clean it up on a semi frequent basis. I also, for the life of me, cannot train this dog to roll over - much to my chagrin, as I managed to train my brother’s dog to roll over in the space of an hour. She just won’t do it.

But despite these little issues, Ruby has soaked up all the training we worked with her on, and she is an absolutely charming, sweet and well mannered dog. And this is not only my opinion, but one that is shared with me by others on many occasions. The ultimate measurment - Gllen approves (and I would even say LOVES) our dog. So, I will share here, the secrets to our success.

Day 1 - Bringing the puppy home.

Training your puppy begins the moment you bring them home. Regardless of the experiences they have had at their previous home, the new environment is a chance for them to “reset” on any behaviors they have learned thus far. So from that very first moment, the puppy is learning the rules of the new environment.

1. 
   

   Don’t even bring that sweet little puppy inside the house until they have achieved a very important thing: going to the bathroom. Take them to your yard or area you want them to do their business. If they are a puppy, they go pretty frequently, so just wait and encourage them to “go potty” or whatever you want to use as a command. When they squat, use the command. They will get to know what it means. Afterwards, lavish that little pup with praise and petting. Treat them like a freaking hero. Then bring them inside to their new home.

2. 
   

   Don’t be lazy in the first few days/weeks - take that puppy outside every chance you get - don’t even give them a chance to have an accident inside. If they have an accident inside, do not yell, just gently, but firmly tell them “no”, pick them up - mid stream if you can catch it, (wash your hands later) and bring them out to the bathroom area outside. Let them finish the job and then lavish praise.

3. 
   

   How do you stop them from barking? For us, this was the EASIEST thing to teach. Every dog has their own personality, so I can’t say this is foolproof, but I got the method by researching pretty extensively and I know it’s worked for others on the internet. When the puppy barks, all you have to do is physically turn your back to the dog. They are barking to get your attention - give them the opposite. They learn pretty quickly that barking has the oppositve effect they want. It’s extremely important to do this right away, from the very first moment - and CONSISTENTLY. Every time the puppy barks, or tries to jump up on you, turn away and ignore them. Once they are quiet and calm, turn around and lavish with affection and attention. It took Ruby about 1 day to catch on. She’s a super quite dog now - and I will tell you, she barked with the best of them when we brought her home. Please note, it’s unreasonable to think your dog will never bark - they are dogs, of course. Sometimes they get so excited they can’t help it! But that will be rare if you follow this method.

4. 
   

   If you need to get your puppy to calm down, put them in a gentle restraint. This is when you simply pick up the puppy, hold them on their back, snugly in your arms. They will struggle and try to turn over - just keep a solid, snug hold on them. Eventually, they will realize the struggle isn’t working and you will feel them relax in your arms. When they finally relax, you can praise them and release. This also help assert that YOU are the boss and they are not in charge. There is a very good article on “Teaching Your Dog to Settle” here: http://www.grcco.org/teaching_your_dog_to_settle.htm

Don’t overwhelm yourself and try to do too much at first. Your first goal is to establish routine and just get the basics of behavior expectations - go to the bathroom outside. Don’t bark to get attention. If you decide to kennel train, that is another huge hurdle to conquer in the first days and weeks. These should be the only goals you worry about. The other commands can come after you’ve gotten these things relatively conquered. Perhaps I will expound on that in some future blog articles. For now (and I’m specifically referencing my friend who’s getting the new puppy) have fun and enjoy your new family member.

Just remember, consistency is the key to training success! And praise - positive reinforcement is 100% more effective than any scolding. Show your puppy what you want, don’t punish them for not knowing any better.