Let’s talk about the importance of TRAINING your pet early!

Early puppy training is the most effective way to help your puppy develop into a loving, obedient and well-rounded dog, and here’s why.  It’s much easier to teach a puppy how you want them to behave before they’ve developed their own patterns and habits and become set in their ways.  Teach your puppy what’s expected of them early.  This way, you won’t have to completely undo bad behaviors and reteach them later in life.  Puppies go through a peak learning period from about 5 - 16 weeks of age, these few weeks to months of your puppy’s life is a critical learning period, in which they are most receptive to training techniques and new experiences.  It’s important to solidify good behaviors during this imprinting period so they become innate.
 
A happy puppy is a well-trained puppy.  Each of these training commands performs a specific function and will help with your puppy’s daily routine.  Whether it is taking your dog to the park, the vet, for a walk or even to other people houses. A well-behaved puppy experiences less stress, interacts better with others and forms a stronger bond with you.

7 Commands every puppy should know:

1. Come: The most important command that your dog needs to learn and obey is to get your puppies attention and call them to return to you. 
   
   
2. Sit: Training your puppy to sit on command is a vital part of training.
   
   
3. Down: When your puppy lies down with his belly to the ground, it puts them in a submissive position and helps you gain control.
   
   
4. Stay: A well trained puppy should remain where his or her owner commands.
   
   
5. Heel: It is important that any puppy learn to walk beside its owner on a loose lead, neither pulling ahead or lagging behind.
   
   
6. NO: The word NO is one word all puppies must learn.
   
   
7. Off: Tells your puppy to stay down and not jump up on you or someone else.  It also keeps your puppy off the furniture.

Now you can love your new puppy and want only the best for them, but sometimes we go too far and become overindulgent with them, blurring the lines of your relationship.  Being a good pack leader means being consistent, calm, and assertive and clear.  There are many techniques and ways to be a good pack leader please do the research and apply those techniques to your daily routine. This will strengthen your bond and make training easier.  When a puppy continually disobeys or exhibits behavioral issues, dealing with them can be a constant source of stress for both you and them.  Making sure your puppy is properly trained is the responsibility of every owner - not just for your puppies’ welfare, but for your own peace of mind as well. 
 
So, start training right away, work on commands often, be consistent and make it fun!
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