DISCIPLINE AND LOVE

As the puppy’s owner and master you will want to raise that pup to
be the very best that it can be. This can only happen if the pup
RESPECTS you. Respect does not mean that the dog trembles
when you walk into a room. That’s fear. Respect is a deep
admiration for who you are and what you represent in your pup’s
life. When your dog respects you, he looks straight into your eyes
and awaits your next command. He is willing to work or play,
comfort and console when you need him. This type of respect
comes from the early stages of handling him in the areas of love
and discipline.

They must go hand in hand through the early stages of puppy
ownership. It is important to note that too much discipline and
strictness without love will create a fearful dog and perhaps even a
fear biter. On the other hand, too much unearned adoration and
praise from you will cause your pup to grow up thinking only of
himself as king of the house, very selfish and self-centered. This
can happen all too easy if the balance is not maintained. Discipline
is not smacking your pup for something he has done. It means
correcting him in a method as close to nature as possible so that
he understands clearly the errors he’s making. Then bounce back
with love and forgiveness once the pup shows signs of submission
and sorrow due to not pleasing you. Forget the transgression and
carry on.

ACCURATE CORRECTIONS

Various corrections have already been described in the other topics
you have already read. Also, all the obedience corrective methods
are explained in the obedience section of this publication. However
the most important thing to remember about any correction is that
you are direct, assertive, clear and quick to respond. Even seconds
in hesitation to correct will give your pup time to become creative.
This is why timing is so important. Your pup will actually start
to believe that you know when he’s going to do something wrong.
When this starts to happen, your pup will begin to think out his
actions before doing them, appearing to us as understanding
right from wrong.

EARLY OBEDIENCE TRAINING


The methods and exercises you’re learning in this puppy manual
are designed to teach your puppy to respond to your commands,
love, discipline and praise because he respects you, not because
he’s afraid of you or because he thinks he will get goodies if he
pleases you. Do not use food as a reward for an obedience
command, rather use it as a friendship tool especially in an abused
puppy. Obedience training builds a bond between you and your
puppy if mutual respect on both parties is established at an early
age. With young puppies, attention span is very short, therefore,
repetition of an exercise is more important than the length of time
he holds the position.


Once you start obedience training, your puppy may try temper
tantrums to control you and the situation. These come in several
forms ranging from the puppy crying out at the top of his lungs in
protest to your command, to biting the leash, to laying flat on the
floor, refusing to move. These are all temper tantrums and have to
be dealt with as they happen. When they attack their own leash,
give a quick pop on the lead and collar with a stern growly “NO”.
If the pup lays out flat, give a “Let’s Go” command and use the
body language of thumping your thigh or clapping your hands to
get the pup up and moving.

Your puppy is very capable of learning several obedience
commands at a very early age. The earlier you start to structure
their minds the better it is. Don’t think that waiting until the pup
gets older and not as hyper is going to make the job easier. Waiting
allows the pup to decide for itself right from wrong, which usually
means that a pup is totally out of control by the time it reaches 6
months old. The exercises your pup will learn are all meaningful.
There is a logical purpose for every command.

BITING OR NIPPING

Almost all puppies want to bite, chew or nip at their owners hands
while they re being handled. This would be a normal behavior if
still with his litter mates because this is part of the process of
determining the pack leader within the litter. It is now up to you as
the puppy’s new master to become the pack leader in his eyes. This
will not happen by accident. You must begin at a very early age to
establish the order of the pack within your own household. When
your puppy growls at you or grabs your hands or fingers,
immediately give him a scruff of the neck correction and a very
stern growling command, “NO”. The scruff of neck correction is
taking the back of the pups neck in your hand, give a stern shake
and suspend the puppy 1 or 2 inches off his front feet for a few
seconds, then gently easing him back to 4 feet on to the floor.

Calmly praise him as the nasty behavior subsides. This method
imitates what the mother would do to her puppy to settle a bratty
behavior. Her reward would be to lick the puppy’s face sweetly as
the behavior settled. Do not allow anyone to play aggressively in a
Roughhouse manner. This only reinforces aggressive behavior
towards people. Also, blowing in a pup s face will produce a
snappy biter. Instead, teach the pup to play with toys such as balls,
rawhide toys and other puppy articles.

Often puppies will resort to biting or mouthing during a playtime.
This is not to be tolerated as it too becomes part of the play. The
scruff of neck correction works well on most puppies, although
very persistent pups may need a slightly stronger type of
discipline. Using your fingertips, apply slight pressure to the top of
the muzzle with a strong growl NO. This again is a mothers

correction, therefore communicating clearly to the pup the error of
his behavior. Some high-energy pups respond very well to a high
pitched OUCH sound. Its the shocking sound of the squeal type of
voice that makes the pup take notice. They initially learn these
sounds with their liter mates and mother and what they mean.
Biting, mouthing and nipping all take time to stop completely. This
is a learning process your pup needs to work through and it will
take repetitions before he catches on. One of the above methods
may work or you may have to apply all of them. It depends on
your pup and his response. Be patient but remember, persistence
removes resistance.

If you were really fortunate, you picked up your puppy at an age of
10 weeks old directly from the mother’s home or kennel. And, if
the pups mother was a good mother like most, she would have
taught the pup that pressing hard with it’s teeth hurts. Usually, this
kind of puppy, will mouth your hands gently in play knowing
through it’s liter mates that mouthing hard hurts. Now if you have
a puppy that you purchased at a pet store and it’s 6 weeks old,
chances are that the puppy may have been 4 weeks old once it left
it’s mother so your job is a little more important because you have
to replace some of those “mother nature” instincts normally taught
to a puppy...naturally. We try to emphasis on this mother nature
method everywhere we can throughout this publication. Even if
your puppy arrived at your home over 10 weeks old this only
means that your training job will be a little easier.

HOUSE BREAKING

It is a good idea to find out if possible , exactly what the puppy’s
environment was before you brought him home. This will tell you
what the puppy was accustomed to messing on in the early stages
of life. (i.e. was it a newspaper litter box style, sawdust or shavings
as in a barn or pet store, cement floor as in a kennel run, or maybe
a grass bottom playpen.) This information will help to determine
what will immediately work for your puppy. The most common
method of housebreaking is paper training. When using this
method, you will need to spread papers, a couple layers thick in
a certain area of the puppies most used room in the house. Also,
you will need to spread some newspapers in the area of the yard
where you want the puppy to make his bathroom. (of course
weather permitting) Weight these down with rocks or bricks in the
beginning stages.

Try to not allow the puppy to have access to the whole house as
this is just too much territory for him to be able to handle in the
early stages. This only reinforces long-term housebreaking.
Gradually over the first 4 months, after you have brought him into
your home, can you start allowing him access to other areas
unsupervised. When you catch the puppy in the act, but missing
the papers, gather him up in your arms, scold him with a growling
BAD PUPPY, OUTDOORS, and take him outside to the
designated bathroom area. Do this quickly. Move quickly so your
body language give the right message to the puppy as a sense of
urgency. Set him down on the ground and repeat in a command
voice “Hurry up!” “Hurry up!” You could use other words rather
than hurry up, words of your personal choice, but hurry up sounds
better than “pee pee”. Especially if your in a public place.

When the puppy has done it’s duty, and only then, start to praise.
“Good boy/girl!”, Outdoors -this is spoken in a praising tone. Even
if the puppy has finished inside the house, praise him anyway. You
are relaying to the pup that messing in the house is bad, messing
outside is good. If your puppy doesn’t t do anything after 5
minutes, pick him back up and bring him back inside with you.
Supervised housebreaking with proper correction and praise will
be much more effective then if puppy is left outside alone after
an in-house accident has occurred. With puppy out of sight, clean
up the mess with paper towels to remove the access and then
deodorize the area with an a neutralizer cleaner available at most
veterinary clinics or pet stores. If the puppy is present during the
cleanup, he will sense your hostility again and become confused.
The positive reinforcement with praise outside could be lost.

Helpful Hints to make the task easier

1. When your puppy wakes up from a nap, even a 5-minute
snooze, almost every time he will have to relieve himself. Gather
him up in your arms and take him outside to his spot. Repeat the
word OUTSIDE to him as your on route to the spot. Place him on
the newspapers or prepared area and wait. He may move onto a
grassy area near the papers. That’s super, that’s the goal.
Encourage him with the key phrase that you want to use every time
as “Hurry up”. Whatever term you use, just be consistent. Do not
praise with Good boy/girl until the pup is completely finished, then
lay on the praise and continue on your way. Use this procedure
after a playtime, meal, nap, confinement or first thing in the
morning and last thing at night. Keeping a pair of slip on shoes by
the door will make an emergency exit more effective for you and
the pup.

2. Keep your puppy on a feeding and watering schedule. The best
method for puppies 6 weeks to 4 months is to feed 3 times a day if
possible. Early morning, late noon, and again in early evening.
Allow him access to water during feeding times but restrict the
amount so he does not intake too much and become stuffed or
bloated. This could lead to a serious intestinal situation, requiring
veterinary help. What he leaves in his food bowl, pick it up and
place it out of his reach. About 1/2 bowl of water could be left with
the pup for drinking between meals. His body will adjust to a
feeding schedule very quickly, therefore making housebreaking
very predictable. Simply realize that the puppy will have to relieve
himself within 5 minutes after he eats so be prepared to make the
trip outside to his spot. Be consistent with the scheduling and the
task of housebreaking will be much quicker. If you need to change
the puppy’s food type, it is very important that you do it gradually
slowly adding the new type to the old, small amounts at a time.
Your pup could become ill if the change is made too quickly.
3. Crate training or room confinement of your pup while you can t
be there will greatly help your goal of housebreaking. At first you
may feel this is a mean gesture on your part but it actually can be
the opposite for your puppy. He actually regards the crate as a den
or his private territory. Two to 3 hours at a time is a long enough
time span. Once accustomed to it, puppies will often retreat to their
special den for a nap time even when you are at home. Do not feed
or water the pup in his crate, however, do leave several small toys
in there for entertainment and companionship. Most puppies will
not eliminate in their sleeping quarters so they learn to hold on
until they are taken out side. If a crate is not in your budget, use a
small room like a laundry room, washroom or barricaded off den
or kitchen. A whole house is just to much for puppy to respect in
the early stages.

4. When your puppy does get into a mess or does an undesirable
behavior, no matter how cute he is in the situation, DO NOT
LAUGH AT HIM. This will encourage him to do it again because
he may interpret it as a positive attention getting action. Discipline
the puppy first then afterwards when you are sure the puppy has an
understanding that what ever happened wasn’t a good thing, you
can gently and slowly give soft pats and gentle hugs. As if to say,
“I still love you but don’t do it again”. Don’t get real excited and
have too happy a face or the puppy may not get the feelings of
your true emotions. Remember your puppy is reading body
language as well as the tone of your voice and even perhaps the
few words he is starting to catch on to. They do learn quick and
what you wish to accomplish here is a level of understanding and
respect on the learning puppy’s part.
5. If your puppy is frantically struggling with you, perhaps he
needs a break from the play or training, so a trip outside to his spot
is in order.

NEGATIVE ENERGY BURN OFF

These are definitely not fun for you but your puppy will have a real
ball. This type of energy burst happens when you have not
removed the stored up reserves before leaving the puppy alone.
Your puppy becomes very creative in his method of energy
release. Even in a confined area like a laundry room or a kitchen,
he will find all kinds of things to amuse himself. Things like
chewing on baseboard or doorframes, lifting up or shredding the
cushion floor, clawing window frames or tearing curtains down.

Do you see the picture? Not a pretty one at all. Probably for this
reason, many puppies are given up, sold or placed in humane
shelters for behavior that is really not their fault. Just simple lack
of knowledge on the owners part can destroy many good pups. Can
you imagine what giving free-roam to a whole house would do to a
puppy energy burn off time. Pretty great party for the puppy but
beyond comprehension for the owner. (How could our beloved
FEEFEE do this assault to the couch when we love her and trust
her with the whole house to live in.) POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE.
It’s really up to the owners to provide the proper direction for the
puppy.

ENERGY BURN OFF

Most all puppies have big bursts of energy at one time of the day
or another. These energy burn off times can be a positive or
negative experience. Lets analyze the positive first. If an energy
burn off comes up when you are at home with your pup, it can
provide you with an excellent opportunity to structure some really
fun and educational use of a playtime. The results of this type of
session are easy training, fun learning plus the added bonus of a
tired out pup at the end of it all. A tired pup is a quieter and less
destructive pet in the house. For this reason, I recommend working
owners or busy families, to try at all costs to have an energy burn
off session with the puppy before leaving for the day. Even 5 to 10
minutes will make a tremendous difference.

Then place your puppy in the most puppy-proof room or spot
available in your home. A garage is OK if it has been completely
puppy proofed and the temperature is reasonable for your
particular breed. Provide lots of chewy things, and an old blanket
or towel. (OLD so that when you come home and find it shredded
you can laugh as you sweep it into the garbage and replace it with
another old one.) Remember, what you give him in that restricted
area is his, so don t leave anything you are too attached too.

Playing a radio also helps soothe the puppy and give him a feeling
of not being left alone. Someone really should try to exercise the
puppy at least every 4 hours if possible. In some situations this is
impossible, but don t feel guilty. Your pup will adjust to whatever
lifestyle you provide for it. Perfection is not what is important to
your pup. Your mutual love and his respect for you are what really
count. Now you actually have to have respect for your puppy as
well but, don’t forget you are the master, not the puppy. Like your
children, you love them and respect their space but you still are the
parent. And, to be sure, kids should love and respect their parents.
At least that is the ideal situation. Ordinary walks are good for
your pup but these are not energy burn off where the pup rips and
tears around at full speed, being himself, a silly, clumsy, typical
puppy.

How to use these toys as Teaching Tools

Try to keep in mind during your interactive playtimes with the pup,
that every action, word or command carried out can become a
valuable part of the pup’s schooling and education. For example,
simply tossing a toy for the pup actually has the potential to teach
your puppy to retrieve on command, recall or return to you
on command, sit on return to you and give up the article without a
struggle or fight. All of these situations are basic, meaning that the
pup will use these commands over and over again all through its
life. The earlier you start to focus the pup on these commands, the
easier you and puppy will slide through the puppy months.

Breaking Down The Segments Of The Retrieving Exercise

1.
Have a flat leather or nylon collar on your pup for this type of
session. You also need a 30 to 40 foot energy burn off rope,
(if playing outdoors) and attached to his collar (See energy
burn off in topic #5). This is crucial to insure a safe playtime
and accurate training session s well.

2.
Next, get the puppy excited over the toy or article. Toss it out
a couple of feet from where you are to warm the puppy up.
Command to the puppy “Take It”, (while it is still moving),
using a fun and energetic voice. As soon as he takes the
article, turn and start running from him so that he has to run
to catch you. Start off by making these catch-up distances
quite short, about 10 to 20 feet. As he’s closing in on you,
turn and face him, calling out his name and the command
“COME“. Coach him with lots of “GOOD PUPPY“ praise.
3. When he’s almost to you, bend down to his level with open
arms. Remember, if the pup gets too silly or out of control at any
time, the long line is there to reinforce your commands. Should he
refuse to come to you, simply reel him in like a fish line and praise
heavily with voice and hands when he gets to you.
4. Once within arms reach, command “SIT“ to the pup. If he’s
facing you, lean forward over him while he’s still in the we are
having fun frame of mind. If he still resists, just apply a bit of
pressure on the indent spots near his hips. (Feel along the pups
backbone and just before the hip bones you will feel 2 indent areas.
Place your thumb in one and your middle finger in the other, on the
opposite side. These I refer to as the indent spots). Do not press
straight down or firmly. Your puppies bones are growing and you
don’t want to put unnecessary pressure that could perhaps
contribute to future problems. Rather then pressing, guide the
puppies rear end back and down in a 45-degree manner towards
the floor, into a sit position.
5. Once in a “SIT“ position, command “GIVE“ to the puppy. Now
most puppies want to hang on to the article and start the tug-ofwar
process. If this happens just pry his mouth open, using your

thumb and middle finger over the top of the muzzle. Push his own
lip in-between the jaws and guaranteed, your pup will gladly spit
out the article. This method eliminates the possibility of the pup
putting tremendous bite pressure on one of your fingers while
teaching him the command “GIVE“.

6. On the release of the article, instantly give tons of “verbal and
hands on praise”. Repeat the process a few more times gradually
adding a bit more distance for the recall each time.
7. Depending on the breed that you have will determine the
number of repetitions you need to do in a session. (i.e. a border
collie can go on endlessly, where as a laid back personality may
only tolerate 2 or 3 reps at one time.) The most important thing to
remember is to keep this playtime fun for both you and your
puppy. Stop when either of you have had enough so that neither
party sours on the activities. There is nothing wrong with teaching
the puppy the “ENOUGH” command. This is another verbal,
growl type of command that your pup is familiar with as he has
heard it from his mother at very early stage. When she had
“ENOUGH“ of the puppy silliness, she would growl in a
disciplinary tone that basically told the puppy to back off and
entertain itself for a while. Hence the reason for the growling tone.
Now a good tug of war game is lots of fun for your puppy,
However there is a right and wrong way to play the game. You can
play tug of war type games with your puppy, if the article is a
doggy type article. Not the towel off the kitchen stove. You see,
you must win at the game and the trick to success is to force the
pup to release the article to you with the “GIVE“ command,
then toss it away and allow him to retrieve the article himself. If
you were to give in and release the article to the pup in the heat of
the game, then you are teaching him that he is stronger than you,
both physically and mentally.

This is a terrible foundation to start the training process from. He
would already disrespect you as a strong leader in his eyes. If you
choose to play this game, ensure your winning then return the
article to the pup for his use and amusement. Otherwise, avoid the
game altogether.

Proper and Appropriate Toys

You will find it very handy and convenient to have a toy box or
basket in each room that the pup spends the majority of it’s time in.

(i.e. Living room, family room, kitchen, bedroom, or the room
where the pup sleeps.) One of these entertainment boxes may not
be needed in all rooms, but certainly the most frequently used
rooms do. Four or five articles in each basket is a good plan. The
puppy needs a variety of textures and sizes to vent out different
areas of canine instinct. For example, soft , plush type toys
simulate small mammals to your puppy. Remove the toys eyes &
noses for safety. If the pup was still with it’s mother instead of
with you, she would be teaching it how to stalk, hunt and even
perhaps ingest small mammals to survive. Those instincts are still
active even though we humans provide them with an expensive,
balanced diet. Therefore by allowing them to have access to furry,
little stuffed toys it enables them to vent this natural instinct.
You may see your puppy stalk or sneak up on this type of toy, then
pounce on it, play with it by tossing it around the floor or through
the air then pounce on it again. They can spend several minutes on
this procedure at one time and literally be having a ball. They will
mouth the object and may even shred it pretending to eat it. If this
happens, remove the article and give him another. Certain breeds
of dogs will exhibit this behavior much more than others, so
experiment a bit with your individual puppy. Most puppies tend to
go through several of these stuffed toys during the teething months
so I suggest picking up several from garage sales, yard sales or
second hand locations to keep the costs down.

Rawhides are a good pacifier until the puppy starts eating them
like candy sticks. When the puppy is under 6 months he probably
will use them up slowly, but once the adult teeth come in, cut back
on the amount you’re allowing him, as this could lead to digestive
problems. Rubber toys in various shapes are available on the
market as well. These come in all shapes and sizes and make super
entertainers. Of course, no toy box is complete without a ball of
some sort in it.


Tennis balls, the orange ball hockey balls, soccer balls, footballs
and big soft baseballs seem to be favorites to the medium to large
size sized breeds. For the smaller breeds, squash balls and tennis
balls seem to be their favorites. Certain breeds like border collies,
labrador and golden retrievers, etc. seem to enjoy Frisbees as toys.
This is not necessarily a favorite of all pups. Without access to the
items mentioned above, your puppy will find his own toys amongst
the families belongings. This could include slippers, mats, shoes,
cushions, couches, chair legs, cushion flooring, woodwork, etc.

We have all heard the horror stories of people coming home to find
that “FIDO” ate through their living room sofa. Why?? Because he
had free access to it, plus a reserve of energy that needed to be
burnt off and no toys were left out for him to devour while mom
and dad were at work.