How do we stop a puppy from teething?
The biggest tip is just that as they get old enough and all the puppy teeth fall out, they're gonna stop teething. But some big things are crinkle toys; they love that, it's very distracting for them. They love the sound, it keeps them active. And then cold things. You can either take a rag that's large enough that they can't swallow it or destroy it, put it in the freezer and let it freeze, and then let them chew on that. It's nice and cold on their gums. You can also find online at the pet store lots of great treat teething toys that you freeze, put water in, and freeze that they can then use to chew on. That can be really helpful for teething.
Dr. Leigh Samanowitz
University Animal Clinic
What about potty training?
It really makes a big difference whether you're inside or outside. There's all kinds of different tips for both of those, but the biggest thing they all have in common is consistency. If you can go out the same door every time, say the same thing every time, so if it's gonna be "go potty," "go peepee," whatever your word is gonna be to trigger them to know that that's what you're expecting them to do, use that every time. So if you can keep that consistent, then that will help them know what you're asking of them. Another big thing you can use to help with potty training is crate training. Generally, in a crate, we want it to only be big enough that they can turn around in it. Not that they have one area where they can not go into and then be another area; that's when we can have accidents in a crate. Generally, a puppy does not want to have an accident in the crate unless they're not feeling well. So that can be really helpful for potty training; you can have them in there and they shouldn't have accidents.
How to crate train them?
Lots of positive reinforcement, treats, feed them in the crate, have that crate out and about with the rest of the family so that's a place that they can go and sleep and have a nap. It's kind of their little space that they have. So if you can keep that in an open positive environment, then they'll want to go in there.
What about positive versus negative reinforcement?
A lot of trainers nowadays, there's been some new studies to show that negative reinforcement really doesn't have any benefit when it comes to training. It only has some negative connotations later on. So most trainers nowadays are only using positive reinforcement, so lots of treats and praise.
How does positive reinforcement work then?
The biggest key that I would recommend is when you're training and using positive reinforcement, if they're doing something you don't want them to do, distract them, get them away from that thing they're not supposed to be doing (digging in the trash, whatever). Get them over to you, maybe entice them with a treat to come to you. Have them do the act that you know they know how to do: sit, stay, paw. Use one of those obedience training things that you've been working on. That way they can do that, then you know they know how to do it, and then you reward that behavior. If we can reward the thing we want them to do and distract them from the thing we don't want them to do, eventually they'll just forget about that and not go into it any longer. Some of the basic commands I'll start with are: sit, stay, down, and leave it. "Leave it" is a good one because we don't want them to pick up something off the ground. To teach "leave it," put some treats in your hand and put it on the ground under a cup. As they go to try to get it, the second they stop, you tell them "leave it" and then you give them a treat. A good job giving them a treat. Eventually, they get so smart that you do that with the cover, and they just look at you like, "I'm not gonna go after your hand. I know you're not gonna give me the treat until I do that," and then you give them the treat. Eventually, you work your way into putting a treat on the floor, something like that, and they don't touch it until you tell them that it's okay, and you can give them the treat then. So that's a great one to teach and very helpful if they pick up things you drop.
When do you start obedience training?
This can be a hot topic, especially when we talk about vaccines and safety. I think that the sooner we can start things like obedience training and socialization for our puppies, the better it is for them. We want to start that early on, but we want it to be safe because we know they don't have all their vaccines yet. I recommend a reputable company that you can call, that they have all the pets that are there tested, and that they have to show their vaccine records and prove they're as up-to-date as they can be for their age and that they have all their vaccines on board that they can have at that point depending on their age. Then you know that you're keeping your puppy as safe as possible because it's hard to wait till four months old before we start things like walking on a leash and sit and stay and all of those good things. So make sure you ask if all the puppies are up-to-date as far as they can be for their age group.
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