Does anyone have a step-by-step dog training guide for puppies?

Question

Two days ago, my wife and I got a puppy. She's a Cocker Spaniel/Terrier mix. She's about 8 to 10 weeks old.

I was wondering if anyone knows of a step-by-step guide to training her. Firstly, the basics of course: potty training, whining, chewing, etc.

Secondly, commands and the like.

I have found some websites but I would LOVE to find something that basically encompasses all the basics and in what order I should teach her these things.

Pretty much a puppy-owner's starter guide.

If anyone has anything that can help, that would be greatly appreciated.

Also, before anyone suggests it, I have visited best-dog-training.com but haven't really found much.

Answer 1

How to Raise a Puppy You Can Live With by Rutherford and Neil is a good book for first time puppy owners.  Also a good puppy training class will be helpful too as you will have an instructor and mentor to help you through the rough spots that a book won't be able to help you do.

Answer 2

You should have researched what you needed to know Before getting yourself a puppy.  That was really not a good decision and your puppy suffers for it.

First off you don't get an owners manual with a Puppy!  They are not an appliance with a how to book.

A puppy is a lot of work ,  and in order to properly care for it you need to Learn FIRST.  then get a dog.

Sorry but this just makes Me mad when I see people that are this un-responsable.

Hope you'll learn how to do it right or do the right thing and give the puppy to someone who can do it right!

Answer 3

http://www.traindogsandpuppies.com/puppy...

Answer 4

Here's a website I've found VERY useful

http://leerburg.com/puppytraining.htm

Answer 5

Go to the bookstore and get the book Puppy Raising and Training Diary for Dummies by Sarah Hodgson.

Answer 6

Basic training

Most dogs, no matter their eventual advanced training or intended purpose, live with people who want them to behave in a way that makes them pleasant to be around, keeps them safe, and provides for the safety of other people and pets. Dogs do not figure out basic obedience on their own; they must be trained.

The hardest part of training is communicating with the dog in a humane way that he understands. However, the underlying principle of all communication is simple: reward desired behavior while ignoring or correcting undesired behavior.

Basic pet obedience training usually consists of 5 behaviors:

    * Sit

    * Down

    * Stay

    * Recall ("come" or "here")

    * Close (or loose-leash walking)

    * Heel

"Corrections" should never include harmful physical force or violence. Using force while training is controversial and should not be taken lightly, because even if it ends the behavior, when applied inappropriately with some dogs it may lead to a loss of drive (enthusiasm for the given task), stress, and in some cases even aggression. A handler may decide to use force, however the standard used by most trainers is the minimum amount necessary to inhibit the unwanted behavior.

[edit] Puppies and learning

The prenatal period is a recently recognized developmental period of puppies. It is thought that “long-term effects on behavioral development may also be produced in some mammals by events occurring in utero.” (Serpell, 1995, p. 80) Previous studies tended to overlook the existence of this period, since the puppy’s behavior could not be observed. With the development of the ultrasound machine, a puppy can now be observed within the mother as early as the fourth week of gestation.

It was found that puppy fetuses would react to touch and/or pressure from the outside of the mother’s abdomen. In addition, it is theorized that since puppies have such a well-developed sense of touch at birth, the sense of touch would also be well-developed before birth. Studies have found that “when a pregnant animal is petted her litter is more docile,” (Denenberg and Whimbey 1963, in Fox 1978) According to Fox, this facilitates relaxation, emotional attachment, and socialization. Other studies have indicated that puppies that receive outside contact (petting of the mother) while in utero have a higher tolerance for touching than puppies who receive no contact at all. One could theorize that gentle petting of the mother’s abdomen could help to facilitate positive, beneficial puppy socialization with people.

During the first two weeks of a puppy's life, also known as the neonate period, puppies can learn simple associations. (Serpell, 1995) However, early experience events are unlikely to carry over into later periods. Studies indicate that puppies in the neonate period do not seem to learn by experience. (Scott and Fuller, 1965) It is theorized that this is due to the fact that the puppy’s brain, sense, and motor organs are still undeveloped. Based on its limited capacity to sense and learn it would be difficult to affect the puppy psychologically, either in a positive or negative sense. (Scott and Fuller, 1965)

The next period of development is known as the socialization period. This period begins around 3 weeks old and ends around 12 weeks old. (Beaver, 1999) The main aspect of this period is social play. Social investigation, playful fighting and playful sexual behavior is very important to developing social relationships during its life. (Scott and Fuller, 1965) New behavior patterns are directly influenced by the puppy’s interaction with its mother and other puppies in the litter.

During this period puppies develop social relationships, with other puppies as well as with people. However, there is a point at which the puppies can develop a fear of strangers. At 3-5 weeks of age, puppies will actively approach strangers. Shortly thereafter stranger avoidance begins and slowly escalates until it peaks around 12-14 weeks of age. (Beaver, 1999) While this natural fear of strangers could serve as a way to keep a curious puppy away from predators, it can also hinder normal relationships with people.

During this period, startle reactions to sudden movement and sounds develop. This serves to help the puppy learn to differentiate between dangerous and safe or insignificant events.(Scott and Fuller, 1965) During the socialization period, the development of attachment to certain locations occurs. This is displayed by an extreme disturbance in the puppy whenever a change in location occurs. This is known as localization. (Serpell, 1995) Localization often peaks in puppies between 6-7 weeks old (Scott and Fuller, 1965), and then tapers off after that time until a change in location is no longer distressing to the puppy.

Dogs that are handled and petted by humans regularly during the first eight weeks of life are generally much more amenable to being trained and living in human households. Ideally, puppies should be placed in their permanent homes between about 8 and 10 weeks of age. In some places it is against the law to take puppies away from their mothers before the age of 8 weeks. Puppies are innately more fearful of new things during the period from 10 to 12 weeks, which makes it harder for them to adapt to a new home.[citation needed]

Puppies can begin learning tricks and commands as early as 8 weeks of age; the only limitations are stamina, concentration, and physical coordination.(Beaver, 1999; Lindsay, 2000; Scott and Fuller 1965; Serpell 1995)

[edit] Basic training classes

Professional "dog trainers" train the dog's guardian on how to train his dog. Although it is also possible to send a dog to a training school, the owner must learn what the dog has learned and how to use and reinforce the techniques. Owners and dogs who attend class together have an opportunity to learn more about each other and how to work together under a trainer's guidance. Training is most effective if everyone who handles the dog takes part in the training to ensure consistent commands, methods, and enforcement. Classes also help socialize a dog to other people and dogs. Training classes are offered by many kennels, pet stores, and independent trainers.

Formal training in classes is not always available until the puppy has completed all its vaccinations around 4 months of age; however, some trainers offer puppy socialization classes in which puppies can enroll immediately after being placed in their permanent homes as long as disease risk is minimal and puppies have received initial vaccinations. In most cases, basic training classes accept only puppies who are at least 3 to 6 months old. It is however recommended to start training as soon as the puppy comes into your home. A better way than groupclasses is "In Home Dog Training", with companies who will have trainers coming to your home, you can start training as early as 8 weeks and set a great start to proper housebreaking procedures and building a good consistent start.

A puppy requires discipline, consistency, and the patience of its owner. Owners should take time to train their puppies and take steps to make their home safe. The puppy training phase is integral in raising a healthy and happy dog and keeping a safe and fun home environment.

Puppies need consistency more than anything else. A stable diet and clear expectations will help the puppy learn what it is expected. Dogs are expressive and may communicate needs by biting, whining, and getting fidgety. The owner's response may contribute to a healthy, obedient puppy. An important principle is that the best way to change a puppy's behavior is to modify one's own conduct. Giving a puppy toys that are similar to household items he likes to chew may facilitate easier puppy training.

An integral puppy training issue is house training. Various methods of housetraining will work although the key is to be consistent. With regularly enforced rules, litter box, crate, or paper training can be successful.

[edit] Communication

Fundamentally, dog training is about communication. From the human perspective, the handler is communicating to the dog what behaviors are correct, desired, or preferred in what circumstances and what behaviours are undesirable. From the canine perspective the handler must learn what motivates the dog if optimal results are desired.

A handler must understand communication from the dog. The dog can signal that he is unsure, confused, nervous, happy, excited, and so on. The emotional state of the dog is an important consideration in directing the training, as a dog that is stressed or distracted will not learn efficiently.

According to Learning Theory there are four important messages that the handler can send the dog:

Reward or release marker

    Correct behavior. You have earned a reward.

Keep going signal

    Correct behavior. Continue and you will earn a reward.

No reward marker

    Incorrect behavior. Try something else.

Punishment marker

    Incorrect behavior. You have earned punishment.

Using consistent signals or words for these messages enables the dog to understand them more quickly.

It is important to note that the dog's reward is not the same as the reward marker. The reward marker is a signal that tells the dog that he has earned the reward. Rewards can be praise, treats, play, or anything that the dog finds rewarding. Failure to reward after the reward marker diminishes the value of the reward marker and makes training more difficult.

These four messages may be communicated verbally or with nonverbal signals. Mechanical clickers are frequently used as a reward marker. Hand signals and body language also play an important part in learning for dogs. The meanings of the four signals are taught to the dog through repetition, so that he may form an association by classical conditioning so that the dog associates the punishment marker with the punishment itself.

Dogs do not generalize commands easily. A command which may work indoors might be confusing out-of-doors or in a different situation. The command will need to be re-taught in each new situation. This is sometimes called "cross-contextualization," meaning the dog has to apply what's been learned to many different contexts.

[edit] Reward and punishment

Most training revolves around establishing consequences for the dog’s behaviour. Operant conditioning defines these following four types of consequences.

   1. Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.

   2. Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.

   3. Positive punishment adds something to the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.

   4. Negative punishment removes something from the situation to decrease the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.

Most trainers claim that they use "positive training methods ". Generally, this means using reward-based training to increase good behavior rather than physical punishment to decrease bad behavior.

[edit] Rewards

Positive reinforcers can be anything that the dog finds rewarding - special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owner's attention. The more rewarding a dog finds a particular reinforcer, the more work he will be prepared to do in order to obtain the reinforcer. Just being happy about a dog's accomplishment is a reward to them.

Some trainers go through a process of teaching a puppy to strongly desire a particular toy, in order to make the toy a more powerful positive reinforcer for good behaviour. This process is called "building prey drive", and is commonly used in the training of Narcotics Detection and Police Service dogs. The goal is to produce a dog who will work independently for long periods of time, in the hopes of earning access to its special toy reward.

Positive punishment may be the consequence that is least used by modern dog trainers. A dog is generally only given this type of punishment if it is willfully disobeying the owner. Punishing a dog who does not understand what is being asked of him is not only unfair to the dog, but can make the dog fearful or unwilling to cooperate.

Punishments should only be administered as appropriate for the dog's personality, age, experience and physical and emotional condition. A sharp "No" works for many dogs, but some dogs may show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. Other dogs with may ignore a verbal reprimands. Trainers generally advise keeping hand contact with the dog to positive interactions; if hands are used to threaten or hurt, some dogs may begin to behave defensively when stroked or handled.

Punishment should only be used if unwanted behavior can be corrected immediately.

[edit] Training tricks

Many dog owners teach their dogs tricks. This serves several purposes: it develops a stronger relationship between the dog and human, it provides entertainment, and it engages the dog's mind, which can help to alleviate problems caused by boredom. For more information, see clicker training or bridge and target training.

[edit] Collars and harnesses

Choke Collar: The choke collar is a length of metal-link chain with a large circular ring on either end. The chain is slid through one of these rings and it is slid over the dog's head. When the dog displays an undesirable behavior the collar is tightened. This is primarily used in traditional dog training.

Prong (or Pinch) Collar: The prong collar is made of metal links that fit together by connecting through long teeth that point inward toward the dog’s neck. A section of this collar is made of a loop of chain links that tighten the collar when pulled, pinching the dog's neck. The use of these collars is controversial and is opposed by animal rights groups such as PETA. This collar is mainly used in traditional dog training.

Radio-controlled Collars: These consist of a radio receiver attached to the collar and a transmitter that the trainer holds. When triggered, the collar delivers an aversive. The specific aversives vary with different makes of collars. Some emit sounds, some vibrate, some release citronella or other aerosol sprays, some apply electrical stimulation. A few collars incorporate several of these. Of these, electrical stimulation is the most common and the most widely used. Early electrical collars provided only a single, high-level shock and were useful only to punish undesirable behavior.(Lindsay, 2005, p.583) Modern electrical collars are adjustable, allowing the trainer to match the stimulation level to the dog's sensitivity and temperament. They deliver a consistent and measured level of aversive stimulation, ranging from a tickle, tingle, twitch, or a prickly twinge to a highly aversive electrical event that produces significant discomfort and startle but without risk of producing physical injury or pain.(Lindsay, 2005, p.584) Although these collars are inappropriate for use as the initial or primary means for establishing basic obedience control, no comparable techniques or tools can currently match the efficacy or safety of them for establishing safe and reliable off-leash control.(Lindsay, 2005, 586)[neutrality disputed]

Martingale Collar: The martingale collar is a collar that has only a section on it that will tighten when pulled. This is different from the choke collar that will tighten indefinitely.

Head Collar: The head collar is very similar to a halter on a horse. The theory it is that if you have control of the head, you have control of the body. The head collar generally consists of two loops. One loop goes behind the ears and the other goes over the dog's nose and they meet somewhere below the dog's jaw. This tool makes it more difficult for the dog to pull on his leash. This tool is usually employed during positive reinforcement training.

No Pull Harness: The no-pull harness is worn on the body of the animal. The no-pull harness differs significantly from the standard harness since it makes it harder for the dog to pull because it distributes energy over the dog’s back and shoulders. The no-pull harness restricts the movement of the dog’s body when the dog pulls. Like the head collar, the no pull harness does not teach the dog not to pull; it only makes it harder for the dog to pull. This harness is generally used during positive reinforcement training.

[edit] Teething

Between three to six months of age, a puppy begins to get its adult teeth. This period can be quite painful and many owners do not recognize the natural need to chew. By providing specific chew toys designed to ease the pain of teething (such as a frozen nylon bone), attention can be diverted from table legs and other furniture. Many people also use a bad-tasting, bad-smelling spray on favorite items, such as shoes, furniture, or even wallpaper, to discourage chewing. Bitter apple is a commonly used spray, but there are several commercial sprays available. Different sprays work better for different applications, owners, or puppies.

Potty Training:

Common methods

One of the most popular methods of housebreaking dogs today is the use of crate training. Like most animals, dogs instinctively try to avoid soiling their own dens. The crate training method makes use of this instinct by confining the dog in an artificial "den" when it cannot be closely supervised. Because the den instinct is common to all canines, this method of housebreaking is highly effective for all dog breeds and even for wolf-dog hybrids.

The "crate" is most often a plastic dog carrier, although other kinds of small, comfortable enclosures can be used. It must be large enough for the puppy to stand and turn around comfortably, but not much bigger; if the crate is too large, the puppy will simply eliminate in one end and sleep in the other end, defeating the purpose. As long as the crate is comfortable and the puppy is introduced to it gradually and is taken out to receive plenty of attention every day, most puppies will not only grow accustomed to the crate but actually become fond of it. Many dogs voluntarily continue sleeping in their crates long after they have been fully house-trained and no longer require confinement.

The puppy must not be confined in the crate for long periods of time. Most puppies under the age of about six months are incapable of waiting long periods of time for a chance to eliminate. If the puppy repeatedly finds itself forced to eliminate in the crate, it will eventually lose the inhibition against soiling its den entirely - making house-training much more difficult. The puppy must be taken outside to eliminate at least once every two to four hours during the day. In addition, it will almost always need to eliminate shortly after eating a meal or drinking water, after waking from sleep, after being removed from its crate, and after play or exercise. The owners also closely observe the puppy's body language and take it outside every time it shows signs of being ready to eliminate, such as squatting, walking in small tight circles, or sniffing the ground as though searching for the ideal spot. They only use this body language for a few seconds before they eliminate, so careful watch on the owner's part is needed.

If the puppy is caught in the process of urinating or defecating indoors, the owner should make a sharp, loud noise. The purpose of this is not to punish or frighten the puppy, but to startle it so that it will stop. The owner should then take the puppy outside through the same door or to some other designated area to finish the process. It is very important that after the dog has relieved itself in the appropriate area, it should be warmly praised and offered a treat, to make going outside seem like a very good act to do. If the puppy does not eliminate itself after 15-20 minutes of being outside, the owner should return it to its crate and try again later.

In the wild, all the dogs or wolves in a pack urinate and defecate in a designated area, away from the den. With housebreaking, the puppy comes to understand that the designated area for elimination is outside. The puppy will begin going to the door when it feels the urge to eliminate. The owner watches for this behavior and, when he sees it, praises the puppy and immediately lets it outside. If the door is not opened quickly, most puppies will spontaneously whine, bark or scratch at it to get their owner's attention; some owners may even train the dog to ring a bell when it needs to relieve itself. As the puppy grows older, it gains the ability to control its bowels and bladder for longer periods of time, and becomes increasingly able to wait long periods without requiring confinement.

The amount of hours a puppy can hold its bowels is approximately equal to the number of months of its age. For example, if a puppy is 5 months old, then it can usually hold for 5 hours. This is true until the puppy is 10 months old, when 10 hours is the maximum time for any age. However, some breeds, especially the basset hound and many of the toy breeds are harder to housebreak than others. If a puppy seems not to be able to hold it very long (e.g. only 1 hour when they are a year old), then the puppy should be examined for bladder problems by a vet.

One decided advantage to housebreaking a dog is the choosing of the proper breed of dog. Some breeds such as the hound family can be rather difficult to house break due to the natural instinct to be overly excitable.

[edit] Common mistakes

Most experts advise against punishing dogs when they defecate indoors, at least during the early part of the housebreaking process. This is not because they believe all punishment is necessarily inhumane, but because it can very easily create more problems than it solves. If a dog is punished for urinating or defecating, especially before it really understands where it is supposed to defecate, quite often it will simply learn not to defecate when people are watching. It may actually begin to avoid defecating when its owner brings it outside. Then, when the dog is indoors, it will look for an opportunity to hide and relieve itself, creating a mess in a place where the owner may not find it until hours or even days later. This can make house-training much more difficult than it needs to be.

Another extremely common mistake is for owners to punish a dog for eliminating in the house when they have not actually caught the dog in the act. If the owner finds a mess on the floor and goes to find the dog and scold it, the dog will believe it is being punished for whatever it was doing when the owner found it. Dogs are totally incapable of associating the punishment with their earlier actions, even if their owner drags them to the mess and points it out to them. Punishing a dog when it cannot understand what the punishment is for only makes it confused and upset, possibly creating entirely new behavioral problems.

One traditional method of punishment - rubbing the dog's nose in its own mess - is particularly counter-productive. As noted above, dogs and wolves have a natural urge to defecate where the rest of their pack does. They locate the spot by scent; this is why dogs will generally spend some time sniffing the ground before they relieve themselves. Thus, rubbing the dog's nose in its urine or f***s actually reinforces to the dog that it should continue eliminating in that particular spot.

[edit] Other problems

Sometimes a dog will fail to relieve itself when taken out. Often what they need is a little exercise to stimulate elimination. This is opposite to confining it to a crate to suppress the need to eliminate. In some difficult cases you may need to walk the dog until it just can't hold it any longer. Then effusive praise.

Formerly housebroken dogs may develop problems with defecating indoors due to emotional stress from changes in the dog's schedule, or due to medical problems.

Some dogs, especially puppies, may urinate when extremely excited, such as when an owner comes home after being gone all day. In this case, the dog genuinely cannot control its bladder. Rather than attempting to teach the dog not to urinate, the owner may want to focus on training the dog to stay calm enough to not lose control. Dogs - especially puppies - also urinate to show extreme submission to a more dominant pack member. This is an instinct, and cannot be trained away. Punishing a dog for submissive urination only causes it to urinate more in a desperate attempt to appease the punisher; if the cycle continues long enough, the confused and frightened dog may eventually begin to display fear-induced aggression. The solution must involve training the dog to feel more secure, so that it no longer feels the need to perform extreme submission displays.

Dogs may also begin urinating in the house to mark their territory, as a way of challenging for dominance in the pack. Both male and female dogs may do this, even if they are spayed or neutered. Again, this should not be understood as a housebreaking problem, but a dominance problem. The solution must focus on teaching the dog to accept a subordinate position in the household. A professional trainer or behaviorist should be contacted to solve this kind of problem.

Answer 7

  You can try this website, it's for training Cocker Spaniels. You might find it useful. Good Luck and Happy Training.

                              .http://bryanrainespetservices.com/Cocker...          

Answer 8

I could type and type all nite but I'll try to make it short.  

Crate training is wonderful, get a nice metal crate that is big enough for her to stand up in and turn around, put a nice doggie bed in with a removable washable cover and a worn tee shirt with your scent on it.  Put a towel over the crate at nite but leave alittle open so she can still see you and know you're there.  Take her out AS SOON as she gets up in the morning or naps and in the middle of the nite if needed which will probably be needed for a while.  Take her out about 15 minutes after meals (3 a day) and after playing and every 30 minutes or so in between. Treat and make a big deal when she does her business outside.  Keep the crate out in the public area (kitchen) of the house during the day so he is part of the pack.  Get baby gates if you want to let her roam the kithcen and leave the crate door open if you want to let her go in and nap.

Leave the tv on when you go out for noise.

Get lots of STURDY chew toys, NO rawhide.  Kongs are great.  Talk to the people in the store and take the dog with you when you go puppy shopping so you know what to get.

Keep all stuff that you don't want chewed UP or behind closed doors.  Keep bedroom, bathroom and closet doors closed.  Get all cords hidden as best u can.  Get Grannick's bitter apple spray from Petsmart and spray it on anything you don't want chewed...molding, walls, cabinets, throw rugs etc.  

Feed a good quality food, NOT one you can buy at a grocery store or Walmart....NOT Science Diet, Iams or Eukanuba either.  No food with corn or gleutens or "by products" in it or soy or wheat.  All of those foods are garbage and give them digestive upset and allergies and your vet is not going to tellyou that so you have to be educated on it.  GO to a feed store or pet store that sells quality foods.  Some names of good dog foods are Canidae, Wellness, Innova,  Merrick, Eagle Pack Holistic, Orijen, Solid Gold or any HOLISTIC food.  Read labels and stay away from the ingredients said above.  http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com and feed a 4,5 or 6 star food.

Positive reinforcement works best for any kind of training especially potty training.  Treats and rewards and NO HITTING or yelling at puppuy....Patience patience patience.  

Dogs don't need baths every day or every week, it dries their skin out.  So, every month or two put her in the shower with you with no or little DOG shampoo and rinse rinse rinse to get all the shampoo out.

Commands she should be starting to learn NOW are sit, stay, leave it (in case you drop something that can be lethal to your dog), drop it and come.  You can teach tricks later but these are important commands.  Practice 3 times a day for 10-15 minutes at a time.  Enroll in Petsmart puppy class.

Exercise is very important to a dog.  A nice walk every day or twice a day is important.  She's small now so it doesn't have to be real long but by the time she's 8 mos old, she should be walking a mile a day.  

'Get a good vet that you trust cause puppies usually come with worms and parasites that  you'll need to get checked out this week.  Take a stool sample with you.  Get puppy shots and get her spayed about 7-8months old.

Get another job to pay for vet bills, heartworm meds and flea and tick meds every month.  lololol

Well, that about covers it.  Good luck and congrats!!!!!!