- Stay consistent when training your puppy to establish yourself as the pack leader.
- Talk to your puppy regularly with a normal voice, so that they know raising your voice is a sign they’ve done something wrong.
- Use simple commands, such as “sit,” “no,” and “come,” to teach your puppy at an early age.
Starting With the Basics
Establish your position. Right from the start you should establish yourself as your puppy's "pack leader" by showing strong leadership, consistency and affection. Puppies will sense your confidence levels, and bad habits can develop at a young age if you are not consistent. This doesn't mean punishing your nine week old puppy if he chews a rug, but is more about clarifying your control over certain aspects, such as when your puppy must be in his crate. Be sure you have time set aside to be close to him when he first arrives at your house. He will need careful supervision in the very first weeks. Techniques used on older puppies, such making your puppy walk at heel or behind you, or only being fed after you have eaten, will not be so successful with such a young puppy. But you can begin to assert your position but not breaking eye contact, and showing him that he is only fed at particular times.
Use your voice. Although your puppy may not yet understand commands, he will respond to your tone of voice. Adjust how you to speak to help your puppy understand what you are saying. As a basic rule deep or low pitched sounds indicate disappointment or disapproval, and high pitched sounds suggest enthusiasm and play. Keep this in mind when you are talking to your puppy. Maintain a normal volume for normal talk. This way your dog will understand that raising your voice means increased urgency. Talking quietly or whispering can be a very effective way to get a dog's attention.
Use a crate. The crate is an essential part of training your puppy and of them learning to live in your house. This is especially the case in the first weeks you have him. The crate is a safe place, like a play pen for a baby, and it can help calm anxious dogs and teach them when to sleep. When your puppy is at this very young stage, he may be required to spend quite a lot of time in their crate, but remember this is just temporary. It is keeping them safe and helping them adapt. Help your puppy get used to the crate by initially being home when he is in it. You do not want him to associate the crate with being abandoned. Motivate your puppy to enter the crate. You should sit with him after keeping the door close for a few minutes. When your puppy investigates the crate, shower him with a lot of praise and show a lot of enthusiasm. You can also place some treats hidden inside the crate to get your puppy to become curious about the crate.
Refrain from shutting the crate door right away. According to dog trainer Jaimie Scott, "Your dog won't like the crate if it feels like a prison." Instead, Scott suggests "closing the door for a tiny period of time, like 1 second, and gradually working your way up to 5- and 10-second increments. After a long period of gradual training, your dog will love being in the crate." Try to only open the door when he is not whining or crying. You do not want your puppy to learn that crying opens the door. Establish it as the place where he sleeps, and if you notice him becoming tired, move him into the crate. When he is between 7 and 9 weeks, it is advisable to have him sleep in the crate all night, as well as feeding him in the crate, and leaving him there when you are not at home. He will want to keep his crate clean so it's important that you are attentive and take him out if he needs to go outside.
Help him learn to become housebroken. Puppies this young will need to go to the bathroom frequently and won't have the kind of self-control required to stop them peeing on the carpet. It's important to be very attentive at this stage to help your puppy learn that he has to go outside. Dog trainer Jaimie Scott suggests "using pieces of meat as rewards for 1-2 days. Then, wean them off the treats and train them to respond to praise as a reward instead." Some of the subtle signs could include him walking a few feet away, walking around in a circles, or sniffing the ground in circles. Every time he changes between different activities you should take him outside. So, when he wakes up, stops eating, or stops playing, take him outside. If he urinates inside in front of you, just say something like "Bad dog", or "No", and take him outside. If he has urinated inside and you didn't see it, don't correct him. He won't understand that he's responsible for a past action.
Deal with chewing. Puppies play with their littermates by chewing on each other, and when he comes home with you he will chew and bite you when you play. Although he is only playing, his sharp teeth can be painful, so it's an important to teach him not to bite you early on. Dog trainer Jaimie Scott advises against "saying 'ow' and pulling your hand away—this only gets your dog more excited and triggers their prey drive." Instead, wait until you think he's about to bite you, then say "no" or "no bite." Then, Scott suggests "giving him praise as positive reinforcement." Giving your puppy a command before he does something bad is a much more effective training technique. If you discover him chewing your shoes, furniture or anything else he is not supposed to, just stop him chewing it and give him a toy to chew instead.
Learning and Playing
Try some simple commands. You can start teaching your puppy some simple commands even at this young age. Simple commands are crucial for your long-term relationship, and basic obedience training will make your life together easier and more fun. "Sit" is a good place to start. You will just need a few soft treats to help him along. Hold the treat in front of his nose and then slowly tilt his head up and back towards his tail. He will move back into a sitting position, and as he does this, say "sit". Praise him and give him the treat. You can teach him "down" by starting from a sitting position and holding the treat in front of his nose. Lower the treat down and he will lower down. Say "down" as he moves and then give him and treat and praise him. You may need to keep one hand above his back to discourage him from standing up. You can teach him "come", just by moving away from him, holding out a treat, and saying "come".
Play tug of war. Puppies love to play tug of war, and it can be a great way to teach them to drop things on command. After playing for a while say "drop" to instruct him to release the object. If he doesn't let you take it, you can gently blow on his face. This will normally prompt him to drop the object and take a step backwards. Be sure to use the command "drop". If blowing doesn't work, gently squeeze one of his front paws. When he feels that his paw is stuck, he will open his mouth, dropping the object, and look down at his paw. Always use a gentle voice and remember that at this age it is all about learning while having fun together. Keep the sessions short and be sure to reward good behaviour.
Play fetch. Another great game you can play with a puppy this young is fetch. Playing this will help him learn to retrieve things and bring them back to you. Get two toys that look identical and throw one of them down the hallway. Hopefully the puppy will chase after the object and bring it back to you. If he picks it up and walks towards you but doesn't stop, the trick is to grab him not the toy. If you show that you want the toy too soon, he won't come near you next time. Take hold of him as he goes past and praise him for returning. Then you can begin to get him interested in the second toy you are holding. He will learn that if he brings something back to you, you will throw something else for him to chase. In the future he will be happy to give up the first toy because he knows there is going to be another one.
Use a leash. If you playing outside with a puppy this young you need to be very attentive. It's a good idea to put him on a long-leash even if you are playing in your garden and there are no escape routes. This will help him get used to being on a leash, but will also enable you to control where he can go. Use a leash of 10-15 feet, but make sure it is light and not too much of a physical burden for such a young puppy.
Be calm and patient. Remember that a puppy of ten weeks old is still very young and his comprehension is limited. Don't try to go too fast too soon, and be patient if he seems not to be picking things up. Puppies can be very easily distracted, so don't allow yourself to be frustrated. Be consistent, stay calm, and have fun. Accidents will happen in these first weeks. Don't have unfair expectations of a ten week old puppy.
Be positive. With a young puppy it's important to reinforce the positive, and ignore the negative where possible. For example, if he chews your shoe that's your fault for leaving it out. When the dog does something wrong remove the dog from the situation, and distract them with an appropriate chew toy. Puppies this young are infants and will not understand you trying to discipline them.
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