When these shy puppies grow up they can become extremely needy and look towards their owners for reinforcement in almost every situation they come across.  And unfortunately, while this need to “run to mommy or daddy” every time she gets scared, your dog may start to initiate aggression if she is not getting the soothing attention needed. This could be labeled as aggression induced by fear.

Ironically enough, if you constantly caress and soothe your puppy when she demonstrates extreme shyness and becomes frightened, you are only reinforcing the behavior. I realize that it’s hard to imagine ignoring your shy and scared puppy when she needs you, but if you would like to change her behavior and help the dog become a bold and social animal, you are going to have to quit letting her know that it is “okay” to be afraid.

Helping Your Shy Puppy Change

If your dog is showing signs of fear and timidness early on, then you will have to be patient when desiring to help her adjust. You must coax the dog along to realizing that you will not be her protector anymore. Behaviors that she is used to doing when getting scared will need to be stopped, such as barking while hiding behind your legs when startled, darting away whenever seeing a normal part of the outside, like a person walking or a bush swaying by the wind, etc.

Here are some tips that you can use to help your puppy become less shy:

1. Explain to your family and friends to ignore your puppy’s fear-induced barking or crying whenever they approach.  Up to this point your dog has acted out of fear whenever someone approaches and when these people naturally stop the approach, your dog has learned that this behavior works in her favor. However, from now on your dog will start to understand that fear-induced barking will not work anymore so long as your friends and family respect your training wishes.

2. Whenever you are expecting guests to arrive at the house, be sure to keep your puppy secured by a lead. Take her with you as you approach the guests if you can allow the dog to be with you all times. The difference from now on is that when she starts crying, barking, or hiding behind your legs, you will now act in a confident matter and without petting or soothing her. This will help your dog become more brave while teaching her that her old behavior will not work anymore.

The purpose of the puppy training pads is to help your dog understand that there is a place to get relief when the option of going outdoors is not present. The pads are made of absorbent materials that make them ideal for both pet urine and solid waste. The absorbent nature of the pads helps to protect carpets from both stains and odors that can work their way into the pad underneath. In the event of hardwood floors, the pads help to prevent any permanent discoloring of sections of the floor that can result.

Once a pad has been used, it is easy to simply place the pad into the garbage can. Most of the puppy training pads on the market today are fully bio-degradable, so they pose no problem for the environment. The used pads can be discarded into land fills and pose far less of a problem than even the disposable diapers used for babies.

Easily obtained at online pet stores, as well as local retail outlets, puppy pads are both an economical and cost effective means of providing for your pet during those hours when no one is home to let the puppy out. The end result is that you do not have a mess to clean up, the carpet and padding does not have to be replaced due to pet odors, and your pet does not feel the shame of doing something that disappoints you. For all these reasons, the use of pads is an excellent option.

1. The first item on your checklist should be to immediately cease playing all puppy games that include roughhousing. I realize that part of the fun of having a new puppy is playing games like tug-of-war and wrestling, but unfortunately, if you’re faced with an animal that is still not over his mouthing period, you must sacrifice these types of activities. By playing these games, you are giving him the notion that he is allowed to roughhouse with you at any time he wants. And dogs to do this mostly through nipping and biting.

2. While it’s okay to allow some nipping from very young puppies, when your dog is older than 15 weeks, all forms of nipping should be totally discouraged. It doesn’t matter if it’s just a little nibble on your hand that seems to be harmless, give your dog a direct command to stop doing that and pull your arm away quickly.

3. If need be, apply a type of “shock method” to get him to stop biting. Keep in mind that I am not referring to anything that is harmful to your dog. A spray bottle of water fits the bill perfectly. Anything that you can quickly spritz at his body or head when he nibbles is enough to deter him from wanting to bite ever again. Most of the time, this technique is all a pet owner will need in order to eradicate their dog’s mouthing issue.

4. Last but not least, use firm and disciplinary commands when needed. This goes for puppies of all ages. There is nothing wrong with immediately giving a loud and firm “No Bite!” command if you feel a sudden nibble at your hand. However, there are two things to keep in mind here: Do not yell so loud that it scares your puppy, and second, avoid staring at your puppy’s eyes for a long period of time because he will interpret this as a confrontation.

There are levels of training in a puppy training school that are similar to school levels of learning. The youngest level is puppy kindergarten, which includes puppies from 8 weeks to 5 1/2 months. This level can last as long as 6 weeks and is worth about US$ 100. There is the novice level for 6-month old puppies that has received minimum or no training and costs about US$ 20 per session. After a successful completion of the Novice level, the puppies will advance to the Intermediate level and after this level, the puppies will go to the Advanced level. Both the Intermediate and Advanced level each costs about US$ 15.

Aside from the training, a puppy training school also helps keep your puppy safe from rabies infection. The school will
ensure that all food and water to be taken by the puppies are safe from infection. All puppies are regularly monitored and ensured to take regular anti-rabies injections.

In puppy training schools, dog behavior experts are employed to assess each puppy’s behavior. These behavior experts will observe a number of reactions that a puppy may manifest in various conditions such as; the puppy’s way of showing anger, the puppy’s behavior when misbehaving, the tendencies of a dog for obsessive-compulsive behavior when anxious, or when a dog does not like the dog food. Each assessment will provide an insight into the puppy’s personality traits and what behavior must be changed or improved.

Puppies will experience an all-around learning as well as protection from illnesses. At the end of each module, owners will be proud to learn that their puppies has a new trick, its manners have been improved and that it is no longer shy of people, children and other puppies.

If you have just brought your pup home therefore, buckle up and get ready to save your upholstery and carpets by means of a simple method we call Housebreaking.

Now, here’s what housebreaking is all about. We humans tend to visit the loo when we feel like we must relieve ourselves, in one way or the other (thank god for that!). However, our pooches don’t have mother potty training them at the age of 1, telling them to take a crap at some fixed time on a shiny blue potty, and hence they tend to treat everything like a big ol’ lavatory. And that would be ok if we were dogs perhaps but most average human beings tend not to like that sort of thing.

So what we have to do is potty train our doggies ourselves. And this training, to cut a long story short, is what we call ‘housebreaking’. Now, facts first. Remember,

• No pup is able to keep himself from peeing or …well…relieving himself in some other form, till about 12 weeks of age. Your attempts at training your dog therefore must begin before this.

• Most puppies need to engage in bathroom related activities approximately 6-7 times a day

• Every time your dog seems to be following its tail rather slowly, and doing giddy rounds around a non-descriptive area put your shoes on to take it out cause it’s getting ready to relieve itself

• Take your dog out every time it has a meal because food immediately puts pressure on its colon and bladder. The first lesson in housebreaking, ‘communicate with your dog’. Make sure you let your dog know that you don’t like him peeing all over the drawing room loud and clear. No there isn’t any need to use violence; just a loud “NO’ should do the trick. For best results catch him in the act so that he has no problem in associating the rebuke with the exact action. Keep a keen eye on your pooch.

As soon as he looks like he could do with a visit to the good old lavatory take him out. Once he relieves himself at the right place pat him to show how much you appreciate the fact that he didn’t pee all over your favorite rug. Give him a biscuit, and an appreciative nod and he’ll know. See, dogs are like politicians, always eager to please.

They will do anything to get cuddled and patted by their masters, thus it’s always easy to make them do things as per your requirements. You want him to pee outside? Show him how happy you are when he does so and he’ll do it always, you want him to crap every morning? Give him a friendly pat and he’ll bound off to be at it everyday.

For your part make sure you know your dog’s habits, build your routine round his, try and find out what his usual urinating or defecating times are, is it after dinner? Before going to bed? Or right in the morning? Take him out accordingly. Proper communication will ensure your pooch’s proper health and your peace, and of course a clean bedroom rug.

You can opt to enroll your puppy in John’s Natural Dog Training Company for dog obedience training. It advertises a unique approach in training puppies. It does not use fear, pain or food in training the puppies. This results in a more genuine relationship between the master and the dog. Aside from puppy training, the website offers various puppy accessories such as collars and dog food. Puppy owners are also in for a treat because the training company also offers courses for prospective dog trainers.

In San Diego, California, there are Canine Learning Centers such as K9 Learning that ensures the right puppy development for puppies that are 9 to 16 weeks old. The center will teach your puppy the following: puppy socialization, puppy play, novelty, and handling and grooming. After graduation, your puppy will be well-rounded of tricks and will exhibit good manners. This is the reputation of puppy training in San Diego, California.

Dog behavior specialists, such as the Correct-A-Pet, are also available for employment in San Diego, California. These specialists will analyze and categorize the behavior of puppies such that the owner will be able to maintain a good relationship with his puppy. Once they are able to identify rooms for improvement on the puppy, they can start training the puppy.

Another option for you is to enroll your puppy to be a certified Search and Rescue (SAR) dog. Search and Rescue is a very important component of a law enforcement activity. Since dogs have an acute sense of smell, they can be used to trace survivors during natural calamities or accidents. SAR Dogs are even used to track down escaped convicts and criminals. The Southwest Search Dogs or SWSD in San Diego, California will train your puppy to grow as a certified SAR. The SWSD is a K-9 Search and Rescue group who volunteers with the San Diego Police department. It has been certified for area search, water, cadaver and basic urban disaster.

Puppies are notorious for stealing anything that they can get their mouths on and then run away with it. At first this little habit is cute and very comical. However, after a while it needs to be seriously addressed because as the puppy matures into an adult dog, he will think that he is allowed to eat anything in the house, including your expensive shoes and nice furniture.

There are several ways to handle a puppy that is stealing your cloths and other items from around the house. One way to get your puppy to drop something from his mouth immediately is to simply walk out of the room and shut the door behind you. For example, let’s say you are in your room and your dog grabs a sock from the corner closet and runs around the room avoiding you at all costs. This is just a game to him, nothing more. So what you need to do is quickly have him lose interest in the game by just leaving the room with the door closed. In less than 10 seconds your puppy will drop the sock and start crying for your presence.

Another way to distract your puppy from stealing clothes and other small items is to distract him by running to the door and shaking your keys so that he understands that you are going to take him outside (dogs quickly associate the jingle of keys to someone leaving the house).

Now take the dog into the yard or the sidewalk for just a few minutes. If you do this enough, eventually your puppy will be able to stop playing his little thief game anytime you shake your keys. It’s all about distraction and training your puppy’s mind to associate something else of importance whenever he attempts to break the rules.

Last but not least, as I always recommend for most common behavioral problems with dogs, get yourself a small water bottle that you can use to squirt your puppy. Of course you do not want to torture your dog by squirting them in the eye or anything like that, but a little spritz of water can go a long way when trying to get your dog to stop whatever behavioral problem he keeps getting into.

Whenever you see your puppy grabbing something and running around the house with it, give them a quick squirt and a firm “no” command. He will be so surprised and shocked that he will quickly drop anything from his mouth while learning that this is one rule he cannot break.

One great advantage to training a new pet when you live in the city is that there are plenty of parks. This means it is fairly easy to find outdoor places to utilize as you teach your puppy new tricks, as well as help the puppy learn basic commands. The sunshine and fresh air will do both you and your pet a lot of good during these fun sessions of puppy training San Francisco style.

Of course, living in an apartment in the city means that you do not have the option of taking your pet out without making some preparations. Walks involve assembling the necessary equipment, such as a leash and a scooper. While a back yard can make it easier for quick teaching sessions with your new puppy, this is just not often part of the puppy training experience in San Francisco. Still, it is important to remember that the parks and common areas are not that far away.

There are plenty of professional training services in and around the Bay area. This means that if you simply do not have time to train your new pet, enrolling your pet in an obedience school is an option. In fact, busy people often choose this route for puppy training San Francisco style. The solution is quick, effective, and often just what is needed. A wide range of schools, some of them specializing in the training of specific breeds, can be found online and in the business section of Bay Area telephone books. Spending a little time investigating a few of the schools, and looking at the programs they offer, will allow you to choose just the right obedience training for the new member of your household.

When teaching always keep in mind that dogs react best to encouraging backing– shouting at your dog and beating him will not get done the job, in its place use rewards such as goodies and your appreciation – this will make the job much more enjoyable for both of you!

There is a general “process” to teaching, no matter what you want the dog to do.

They solution is to get the dog to carry out the act and at that precise instant give the instruction for the act, then commend the dog and reward him with a goody. After a while, he will get the message and connect the act with the instruction. Given below some ways you can make use of to teach your dog with the most fundamental instruction – Sit.

1. The first thing you have to do is to get your puppy or dog to connect the action of sitting with the instruction. To do this, merely spend time with your dog and when he sits give the “sit” instruction.

2. Going down to your dog’s height will let you to give his reward (goodies) faster so take hold of a handful of bite sized goodies and got down on the floor.

3. Take the goody up above the dog’s head. He will smell the food and go behind it with his nose. This act will compel him to sit – or backup, but apparently we are hopeful for the sitting act.

4. The solution to the teaching is to give the reward at the precise instant the dog sits, but you have got to also give the instruction at that instant as well so that he links instruction with act. Hence when your dog sits, you should say “sit”, following it up by right away giving him the goody.

5. Shower praise on your dog – demonstrate delight in your voice; this will actually make him act in response.

6. Go over three to five times at each sitting but no more than that. Training should be enjoyable and not an uninteresting odd job, so do not go over the top with it in one sitting. You might have more than a few sittings all through the day. When you use up the time to teach your dog, you get much more than just a dog that does a number of antics. He is keen to do things with you. He grasps to pay attention when you say his name.

He gets accustomed to being with you and doing things on your command. Through fine training your stance as a person in charge is made stronger. You ought to arrange to use up a couple of minutes every day on working his “tricks”.

This sort of recurring reinforcement will help him to keep in mind and in addition generate the bond between you and him.

A new puppy is a joyous addition to any home. Who can resist that cute little bundle of lovable furry fun? It would be great if puppies were potty trained and came into our homes without any mess or bother? OK, reality check here.

Just ask any dog owner what the hardest task at hand is, and most will agree, potty training your puppy dog is high on the list of unpleasant tasks. Actually, potty training is a simple task, requiring merely a little patience and diligence.

First, be mindful of puppies as infant dogs, not children. Dogs are creatures of Habitual Re-enforcement. Start early with the basics, and you will have a well trained and obedient friend for many years.

A sure fire method of potty training your puppy dog, at least in the opinion of a close friend kennel and breeder friend of mine, is to simply catch the puppy in the act of relieving itself. Immediately approach the little guy, pick him up gently but firmly, and tell him “No No” with a firm clear voice. Carry your puppy immediately outside, preferably to a pre designated area, and set him down on his haunches, holding him firmly for a few moments. If he still needs to relieve himself, keep him in that spot and pat and praise him when he’s finished. OK! Not so hard, eh?

Guess what, he will do it again. So, make a game out of it, get the kids involved and when he starts to go, repeat the routine, acting immediately and firmly.

Puppy dogs tend to be the center of attention at first, especially with kids, so there is usually someone at hand to scold the puppy in a gentle manner and immediately remove him to the designated site.

This method is a quick and effective method in potty training any puppy, who, with the right amount of attention and praise, will be potty trained in no time at all!

It’s important to catch the puppy in the act. Coming home and finding the mess a couple of hours later and then getting upset and scolding the puppy will only make your job harder and confuse the puppy. What then, you may wonder? Well, a method that has worked for me is to carry the puppy to the offending deposit, gently but firmly placing his nose into the substance and saying firmly “No No or Bad Bad”, you get the drift, and immediately carrying puppy out to the site. This method is not the favored method, but it is effective if done properly.