Dog FAQ

So, considering more aspects of how to settle your new puppy into your home, which is now her home too – at some point you will be thinking about the training of your puppy.

Try to remember not to over-train her. She is still a baby, and in the same way that you wouldn’t expect of a child the same standards of behaviour that you would expect from an adult, you can’t expect your small puppy to have the same standard of behaviour as a well-trained adult dog. It is really just the very basics that you can encourage your puppy to follow, such as manners, house-cleanliness and socialisation, until she is mature enough to start more formal training.

One crucial point in considering your pup’s training is this: do not encourage her to behave in a way that will not be acceptable later on. For example, because people, especially your younger members of the family, find the puppy so cute, they may encourage her to jump up at them, a behaviour which would not be acceptable or practical in an adult dog. So from the start you must discourage jumping up. It is natural for a puppy to jump up when greeting anyone. Rather than reprimand her, simply ignore this behaviour and wait till she settles down and is not jumping up, before giving her attention. Remember not to encourage the behaviour by patting or praising her when she is in the ‘jumping mode’, as this will reinforce the behaviour.

Filed under: Puppies, Training & Behavoir