I wish everybody knew this about Puppy Training

When people get a new puppy, they often incorrectly focus on what the puppy is doing rather than how the puppy is feeling. You are raising a baby dog, and the things you do (or don’t do) in the first few months will have long-lasting effects on their behaviour.

It’s vital that we nurture their developing brains and their feelings of safety and trust, just like with a human baby.

We should avoid conflict, which means not telling them off, not taking things away from them all the time, not punishing them & and not being soft one minute and shouty the next. This confusion about whether you are nasty or nice, safe or dangerous can really damage their emotional well-being.

Protecting the puppy’s emotional state is paramount, for them and for you. This is why getting the focus of early puppy training right, is so important.

Ralph, who completed my Puppy Power Programme

A lot of dog behaviour later on in life, is based on how a dog feels. Aggression is primarily caused by fear of something: dogs, people, loud noises, being touched, going to the vet or the groomer, or maybe walking by traffic. When dogs avoid, growl, snap, cower or even bite, they are usually really worried about whatever it is they are facing.

Lunging and barking on the lead is hugely problematic for owners; it can limit where you walk, when you walk, and even if you walk , but this behaviour is often because a dog is fearful. Your dog may have developed a bit of a reputation locally, even though they are just the sweetest dog most of the time, that nobody else gets to see. But they are trapped on lead, and their only option is to scream and shout at the scary thing, to make it go away.

Imagine feeling like that every day. 

Of course, nobody wants their puppy to pee on the carpet, chew up their shoes, or raid the bin; often it feels that telling puppy ‘NO’ in a stern voice (or worse), will sort it - it won’t. It’s much better to set things up so you are ‘puppy proofed’ for a while, this will avoid your puppy walking straight into ‘trouble’ - ripe for a telling off for something they have absolutely no idea is ‘wrong’ in our eyes. 

Imagine leaving a baby to their own devices and then shouting at them when they get hold of your Jimmy Choo shoes and shove one in their mouth to help with their teething pain. ’NO, you naughty baby, that’s not a toy’ as you grab it off them and leave them cowering, it just doesn’t happen. It’s why we have cots and playpens - ways to set them up so they don’t wander into a situation we don’t want, or one that could be dangerous.

Young puppies are making rapid decisions about what they feel is safe or dangerous in the world, and they can hang on to these decisions for a really long time!

As a priority, we need to teach them that they can trust us, they are safe in our home and there's no need to worry. But we then also need to teach them very early on, that the noisy, busy, often crazy world outside is safe too. The traffic, the people, the animals, the vets, the groomers, the shops, the noises that quite frankly blend into the background for us - but not for them. This has to be done in a considered way; get it wrong and you can so easily create a fear. Avoid the outside world altogether at a young age and you will create fear of the unknown.

Phew - there’s a huge amount to consider during those first few months, so seek professional help from an ethical, kind dog trainer - a Puppy Specialist, if possible! 

A 121 programme with a trainer is a great way to learn about all the things you need to consider, way before you even think about a puppy training class. If you can find a well-run puppy social for puppies up to around 18 weeks only, this will be of great benefit too.

Remember, ease off on what your puppy is doing and focus on how they are feeling. There is plenty of time to teach them to sit and wait and to come back to you. If you only worry about what they are doing, you may be missing their signs of feeling unsafe, and rather than getting them out of a situation or helping them feel better, you may be too focused on barking orders at them (excuse the pun!)