Puppy Training Starts with the Breeder
The personality and temperament of your dog will depend on several factors. It starts with breeding, you want to make sure the sire and dam are even tempered, gentle towards people, kids, dogs and comfortable in various social situations.
You can buy the best puppy training books
But if your puppy has not had a good start very early the training challenge may be more difficult. It’s not just breeding that makes a good do it’s environmental stimulus and proper dog socialization training.
Does the breeder know the importance of when to start socializing puppies?
Early Puppy Neurological Stimulation
It is proven, in both human infants and newborn puppies that early stimulation of the neurological system (the brain and nerves) can influence intelligence and future ability to learn and process information.
Military and service dog organizations use various puppy training programs to develop highly intelligent working dogs and responsible dog breeders take this phase of life very seriously.
How to Start Neonatal Puppy Training
What age should you start training your puppy? The answer is, the breeder should have already started the puppy training process.
Our puppy training schedule starts on the day they are born with the following activities.
I majored in Animal Science and when we decided to breed our Boxer Leah I decided I was going to use the same animal training philosophy used raising foals and horses.
Newborn animals need to be handled often and all over their bodies. The military developed a Bio-Sensor program which consists of exercises performed on each puppy every day through the first three weeks of life. Each exercise is performed for only 3 to 5 seconds.
- Tactile stimulation: Hold the puppy in one hand and tickle it between the toes on any one foot (a cotton swab can be used)
- Head up position: Using both hands, hold the puppy perpendicular to the ground so its head is directly over its tail.
- Head down position: Holding the puppy in the same position as in exercise 2, gently bend the head down so the nose is pointing toward the ground.
- Supine position: Place the puppy on its back in both your hands, so it’s parallel to the ground.
- Thermal stimulation: Cool a damp towel in the refrigerator for five minutes, then place the pup on it, feet down.
The Breeder’s Guide to Raising Superstar Dogs – Puppy Development, Imprinting and Training: 1
Secrets to training you puppy
Studies showed that not only could puppies cope with stressful situations better but they could also problem solve better than other puppies.
In addition, they were also physically healthier with higher cardiovascular performance, stronger immune systems, adrenal glands and heart beats. Assistance dogs are well mannered and good manners don’t magically appear.
We encourage our puppy families to visit and to hold all the puppies.
At least twice a day each pup is handled and cradled on a daily basis. Their little feet, ears, and bodies are rubbed, stroked, and manipulated until they are comfortable, relaxed, and yield to the touch. Each pup learns to fall asleep on their backs with either their belly, head, or chest stroked.
How to Socialize a Puppy
Our puppies have an 8×12 foot room in the basement connected to the back door. It really is a back entry “mud room” area which we converted to the puppy room.
They have access to assorted blankets of different textures in the nursery and as they grew a kennel crate
As soon as they open their eyes, and become mobile, I add balls and toys. I make fleece dog toys and encourage them to follow the toy in my hand and play tugging games.
The puppies are more interested in playing with each other than toys the first few weeks. They have plenty of room to learn to jump, climb, and ample space to sleep together in a giant puppy pile or apart.
Nylabone Just for Puppies Extra Small Pacifier Bone Puppy Dog Teething Chew ToyKONG Squeakair Tennis Ball with Rope Dog Toy, Medium, Yellow
Potty Train Boxer Puppy Right From the Start
The Boxer pups on the left are four weeks old and they spend most of their time sleeping on blankets inside their kennel crate
I like using bath mats and large quilted pillow shams as bedding. It’s soft, easily washed and fit perfectly inside their comfortable dog kennel.
Putting a thick layer of newspaper at the front of their dog crate gives them a distinctive place to pee and poop. You can also use puppy training pee pads
I’m not going to say they learned house training this quick, the newspaper was there as a suggestion.
We place newspapers outside the crate. All over the room at first. Gradually we reduce the area and the newspaper is only by the door.
By the time the Boxer pups are 6 weeks old most of them pee immediately after letting them outside in the morning.
At 9 wks the pups did their business on the newspapers 95% of the time.
Kennel Training Puppy
I’m a firm believer in kennel training a puppy early. Kennel training puppies should be stress-free and a part of their daily environment.
Puppy kennels and crates are a place to call their own. It’s a safe place, it’s their den. Dogs don’t like to soil where they sleep and it becomes one of the important puppy training tools in their new homes.
Puppies can also be very mischievous and get into trouble. If you work you during the day there is no way you can supervise puppy play time, and coming home to the kitchen trash all over the house is NOT enjoyable.
A crate, or kennel, serves as a short-term “time out” training tool.
If dogs learn at a young age that a crate is not scary or dangerous it makes transporting your dog less stressful.
Even after your puppy is house trained it’s a good idea to keep the crate door open with a comfortable bed inside. Many dogs love the security a den provides and will go in voluntarily to take a doggy break from the ruckus of an active household.
When to Start Weaning Puppies
How I decide when to start weaning puppies is when they are enthusiastically eating solid food. This is usually at four weeks.
At just 10 days of age, the Boxer pups start to follow Mom to the food bowl and nibbling on the small pieces that fall on the floor.
I soften their puppy food with water and wait for it to turn to mush.
Soon they eat like pros. I soften their puppy food the first couple of weeks, but at 2-3 weeks their teeth come in and they begin eating more food and nursing less.
When to Start Socializing Puppies
We didn’t set out to “formally educate” our puppies. But it is what we ended up doing. By using common sense puppy training tools we make sure our pups are fully socialized with other dogs and their littermates so they will be great pets when they go home.
A well-raised puppy makes a wonderful companion dog. If you are looking to train a service dog ask the breeder about their puppy training program. It is important.
Many people who train service dogs for Assistance Dogs International understand the importance of early socialization. They react to situations with a calm attitude and are dependable in every situation.
It is our hope that our puppy families would have a good foundation to continue training and their dog will be a good canine citizen.
Learn More About Puppy Training for Service and Assistance Dogs
Some parents read all the child rearing books and do everything by the book. This is not our philosophy in puppy rearing or puppy training.
But, we do understand the importance of the puppy socialization period and expose our pups to a myriad of environments, people, and stimulus.
I am very proud of them when they go to their new forever families. If you want to read more on 
newborn puppy training or training a pup for a future as a service dog these organizations below are a wealth of information.
- The Infant Puppy (not just for service dogs)
- Canine Companions for Independence
- Hero Dog Puppy Program
- Guide Dogs of America Puppy Raising
- Guide Dogs of America Raise a Puppy Program
- Early Scent Introduction
Books on Training Your Puppy
The best puppy training books are those that teach positive training methods and respect for the dog and their human family. Books are a great place to start. If you like more personalized training then a local obedience club is ideal.
You can even get free online dog training tips which can be invaluable when your trainer is not available.
The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition)Training the Best Dog Ever: A 5-Week Program Using the Power of Positive ReinforcementThe Happy Puppy Handbook: Your Definitive Guide to Puppy Care and Early TrainingK9 Behavior Basics: A Manual for Proven Success in Operational Service Dog Training (K9 Professional Training Series)
I’ve never had a puppy, but were I to get a dog, I certainly would want one that had had this kind of training as a puppy.
Beautiful interesting post. Just as the early days in a humans infant life are so important, so it is eith each living being. Ultimately impacting the adult we eventually hope to become.
Peta
Thanks for the comment, infant development is important not just in the development of humans, but animals as well. I love watching our puppies grow into well adjusted and very smart dogs.
oh my, how beautiful! I have two dogs (rescues), and I had to give them a big hug after reading this. I wish they had that kind of love and attention when they were that small. I only know that they had a rough start, but since I had them – 4 years for both of them – they had the good life. I will keep this post in mind, when I am ready to adopt another. We are thinking about it at the moment. Blessings!
Claudia via http://avalon-media.org
I’m glad you enjoyed the article. We only have one litter per year and because we do spend so much time with them we have a waiting lists for pups. I have a rescue Jack Russell also and he has issues. Thanks for commenting and please come back again.
Great info. I have a 5 month old cockapoo and she’s doing well. Almost housetrained, doing well with commands…but she isn’t very confident with other dogs. Hoping she grows out of this.
She might grow out of it, but the best thing you can do is introduce her to more and more dogs. Obviously start with dogs who are very socialized first. She will only grow out of it with training.
Great article on raising puppies. I wish more breeders would do these things to ensure a good start in life. I actually trim dog nails for a living and I get so many dogs that not only don’t like having their nails trimmed, but just don’t even want you to pick up their feet. I think it would have helped so much for these dogs to have had their feet handled and nails trimmed from a very early age.
I haven’t had a puppy around for many years, although I love to cuddle the ones that come to my shop. I have mostly rescued older dogs for the past several years. Everyone loves puppies, but older dogs need lots of love, too – especially the ones thrown away by their previous owners in lieu of getting a puppy. I adopted a 10 yr old black lab once because the owners had gotten a puppy and the older dog didn’t get along with it. They took the older dog to the shelter to get rid of her. It breaks my heart that people can be that cruel. But she got a few years of lots of love from me. So it ended well.
Thank you for the kinds comments. It’s too bad about the older dogs. My Jack Russell is 12 years old now and yes he’s a “grumpy old man” but I wouldn’t think of getting ride of him.