Beyond their adorable looks, adopting a puppy can positively impact your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and even symptoms of depression disorders. Adopting a new puppy is both exciting and overwhelming. New puppies need training to be calm and attentive members of the family.
The way to a calmer puppy is by making a puppy training schedule. This schedule will set both you and your puppy up for a successful relationship. Let’s dive into why a puppy training schedule is so important and how you can make the perfect one for your new furry family member.
Importance of a Puppy Training Schedule
When you first bring your puppy home, they may show some puppy behaviors like chewing, nipping, and having accidents. Creating and sticking to a puppy training schedule will turn your excitable new furry friend into an obedient, calm, and happy pup.
Training a puppy is a great way to encourage a bond between your dog and your family members. Your dog will learn to feel secure, happy, and supported as they adjust to their new home.
A key part of puppy obedience training is to create a training schedule for your puppy that you’ll follow. Routines keep a puppy feeling safe. A predictable schedule will help encourage your curious puppy to be successful in areas like eating, using the bathroom, and playing.
Puppy Training Schedule Areas
Before you start your puppy training, you’ll want to make sure each family member is on board with who is doing what task. You’ll want to sit down and figure out the family’s schedule. This planning time will help keep the outline for your puppy training work for everyone.
Food
Puppies need a certain amount of food at specific times of day. You’ll also want to develop a phrase to use when it is time for them to eat.
When it is time for breakfast or dinner, make sure that your puppy watches you put the food in their bowl. They should start associating you with the person who gives them the food.
Make sure your puppy is in a calm state before you put the food down. Giving your puppy food while they are jumping around will reinforce this behavior in the future. Make sure you have your puppy stay sitting before you give them their food bowl.
Potty Breaks
Housebreaking a puppy is similar to potty training a toddler. The breed and age of the puppy you adopt can play a role in how long house training can take.
For the first few months, puppies are still learning to control their bladder, and can be hard to train. By the time they are old enough to be adopted, they should be able to start the housebreaking process.
Start by taking your puppy outside anytime you think they may be ready to use the bathroom. The more you take them outside for bathroom breaks, the less chance you’ll have that they’ll have an indoor accident.
If your pup does start to go to the bathroom inside, redirect them and bring them outside to finish their business. Don’t scold or yell at a dog who has an accident, but reward your puppy when they go to the bathroom outside.
Exercise and Play
Your puppy will be full of energy, which, if left unchecked, could turn destructive. Daily walks are a great way for your puppy to get pent-up energy out of their system. Going for walks can help your dog socialize with other dogs and people.
Puppy Training Tips
Once you’ve got your training schedule down, here are a few tips you can use to make the process go as smoothly as you can.
Marker Words
A marker word is a word you’ll say to your dog when you want to cue them to do something. When you use marker training, you’ll come up with a word or phrase for good behavior and unwanted behavior. You’ll use these marker words when you want to praise your puppy or redirect them.
You’ll want to start by introducing a reward every time you use the positive marker word. Once they have that word down as being associated with a reward, you’ll add in a command with the marker word.
This type of training is like clicker training. The benefit of marker training is that you don’t need a separate clicker device to train with.
Consistency Is Key
The key to your puppy training success is going to be how consistent you are with training. Consistency in your schedule and training approach will create a strong bond between you and your puppy. Keep to your training schedule and always reinforce the behaviors you are looking for.
Correct Unwanted Behaviors
Puppies are still learning so misbehavior is inevitable. If this does happen, give them feedback on what they should be doing right away. For example, if a puppy jumps on the couch, use your marker word for “no” and have them sit back down on the floor.
Reinforce With Treats
Treats are a great way to help train your puppy. Your puppy treats don’t have to be anything fancy. A few pieces of dry kibble will work fine as a reinforcement tool for good behavior.
As your puppy gets better with their commands, you’ll want to reduce the amount of treats you give them. Replace the treats with praise as they get older and better at their skills and training.
Puppy Training Equals a Happy and Well-Adjusted Dog
Putting a puppy training schedule into place is essential for instilling good behavior in your new furry family member. Investing time and commitment early on will pave the way for a lifetime of companionship between you and your new dog.
If you are in the market for a new puppy, Woodlot Companions has a variety of designer dog breeds and purebred dogs that will make the perfect addition to your family. People who choose Woodlot Companions will find that we use nothing but the most ethical and responsible breeding practices that result in pups that are happy, healthy, and loved. If you’re interested in one of our puppies, contact us to get the process started today.
