Dog Training Can Start When Your Puppy Is Young

Almost on a daily basis I am asked when can a puppy start being trained. Well that actually depends on what type of training you're talking about, if you are talking about formal obedience training or if you're talking about potty training.

When can you start potty training? Potty training is something that should start immediately when you bring your puppy home. This is also the perfect time to teach your puppy not to chew on your personal belongings. Personally I like the crate training method of house training. I feel that it's the most effective and has long-lasting effects. While you're using the crate to house train your dog it also serves as a way to eliminate a tremendous amount of chewing. Eliminating chewing at this point is very important. I tell people if you have a six month old puppy that is chewing you will have a six-year-old dog that's chewing, so we want to stop that bad habit now.

How old should the puppy be to start obedience training? I have found that the perfect age for formal obedience training is 16 weeks old (four months). At 16 weeks their minds are like little sponges and they are able to absorb everything you want to teach them.

Quite often I'm asked can we wait for the training until the dog is a-year-old. The answer is sure you can, the only problem is in that one year your dog will develop a bunch of bad habits. By starting early hopefully the puppy will not develop those bad habits.

Another question that comes up, is a dog ever too old to train. We've all heard that expression you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Well that just isn't true, you can teach old dogs new tricks.

Getting your puppy used to its leash and collar is very important so when your puppy is about 8 - 10 weeks old get it a small collar and a leash and start getting it used to walking around with a leash and collar on in the house and on short walks.

So now, last but not least, do I need a professional trainer to help me train my dog. The answer is no, you don't need a professional trainer. However it certainly would make your life easier to have one to guide you through the rough spots and teach you the proper methods of training.

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If You Like to Travel With Your Dog

Going for a car trip with your dog can be something exciting for both of you. But for this excitement, there is a need to plan for your dog travel before travel time. Below are dog travel tips comply with for a better trip with your dog

Take your dog for health checks before travelling. You can take your dog to the veterinarian for a general checkup. Although it is not a necessary step, it is better to do it before going on an extended trip.

Dog Crate

Familiarize your dog to the crate, if you have one. Introduce the crate with a positive manner to your dog so that it cannot see that it is a suffering. Let the dog sniff the crate before putting it into the car. When the crate is in the car, place your dog inside it and leave it alone for some 15 minutes just to be familiar with it.

Ensure that your dog has a sturdy leash and collar. The collar should contain identification tags with the dog's name, your name, and your home phone number. Or another alternative is to put a permanent form of identification, such as a microchip because you never know if you two will part ways accidentally!

Before hitting the road, it is advisable to exercise your dog until it gets tired. This will make him want to rest and it is the perfect time for you to be travelling.

If your trip and the dog was to start now, make sure you feed the dog a couple of hours before. This will prevent him from getting carsick while travelling.

A very important point to take note is that you should have the dog supplies well packed before the long trip starts. Make sure you carry along plenty of water for the dog to be drinking. You can also pack some snacks with high protein content.

Since the journey will be long, you need to keep the dog entertained all the way. To do so, it is advisable to carry his chewing bone along or his favorite toys. Never bring along Squeaky toys, as they make a lot of noise which can make you lose concentration while driving.

Once you and your dog have boarded the car, make sure you don't leave him to roam in the car. You can do this either by crating your dog (considered to be the most effective way) or you can also purchase a dog safety seat which offers more comfort than a seat belt.

Solvit Tagalong Pet Booster Seat, Deluxe

If the trip is very long, it is advisable to stop the car after every 4 hours. It is better to halt somewhere grassy and relatively calm, away from the busy road and get the dog out for some pooping, drink some water and give him a small walk so as to release the energy accumulated.

Always when you make a stop. Never leave the dog inside the car for more than five minutes, as they will get stressed up and apart from that they suffocate and become more nervous.

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