Rockwall Doodles Puppy Training
Day 1 - Kennel Game
INSTRUCTIONS
- Kennel Games – toss a kibble in, say kennel, (bed, place whatever you call it)
- When they come out, toss another kibble in, say kennel repeat repeat.
- Place the kennel in a central place. A night kennel and day kennel is a great idea. Place new toys in the kennel with the door open. Or better yet, show your puppy the kennel and toss each toy in to show it what a great place the kennel is! When it brings the toy out, toss another in.
- Store them in the kennel with the door open. You can also feed a meal in the kennel.
What and how you do things in the next 24-48 hours will set the tone on who the boss is.
You need to be the leader!
KENNEL – Work on kennel time naps.
Learning the household. Where we eat, sleep and play.
(Show them their toys, over and over in the kennel)
- Potty training ON LEASH!
- Utilize the kennels
- Consistency is key! Follow them like a hawk!
- A tired puppy is a happy puppy.
- Encourage with Yes-yes-yes (Avoid saying No, redirect)
- Do not let them bite you!
- Pop a toy in their mouth.
- Do not let them jump!
- Using a harness and leash you can better control this.
Establish a routine
- Wake from the kennel.
- Out to potty
- Breakfast
- Out to potty
- Playtime
- Out to potty
- Nap in kennel
- Out to potty
- Playtime
- Out to potty
I think you get the idea!
Tips
- Setting an alarm on your phone during the day helps tremendously!
- I would not wake them at night to potty.
- Wait until they wake. Some pups sleep 4 hours, some less and some more.
- When you take them out of the kennel, carry them outside to go potty. Have harness/leash ready and learn to quickly put it on while carrying them to the door.
- Puppies sleep in kennels!
- Keeping the home quiet for 3-4 days is the best.
- Be sure to put the puppy in the kennel for a nap and leave the house. They need to know that you can be out of sight. Some pups will settle faster in the kennel if they can see you.
Day 2 - Puppy, Puppy, Puppy
INSTRUCTIONS
Call – Puppy puppy puppy in an excited voice – reward with a treat when they come to you. (Cheerios, small pieces of cheese, baby puffs etc)
Reinforce all of day one routine.
Remember- 1-3 minute training times. Short and sweet. You can do several a day! Typical for me one on one session 8-10
(10 sessions @ 2minutes is only 20 minutes of your day, life changing to your pup!)
Have your puppy sit before feeding. Work with them on eating calmly. You can sit and feed kibble one piece at a time. Great bonding and training. Sit, get a piece of kibble. Sit, get a piece of kibble. In the days to come you can work on ‘down’ and get a kibble.
Nap in the kennel several times a day!
Consistency!!
Let me know how you are doing! Are you struggling with anything?
Leave the house while your pup is in the kennel.
Daily Training
- Kennel Game
- Puppy, Puppy, Puppy
Day 3 - Name Game
INSTRUCTIONS
- Say pups name, when they look at you give them a piece of kibble.
- Repeat repeat repeat.
- Make sure they are sitting and not jumping.
- Keep going! Keep working on kennel training and potty training etc.
- Play the NAME GAME with their lunch.
I’m here to answer questions.
Daily Training
- Kennel Game
- Puppy, Puppy, Puppy
- Name Game
Day 4 - Sit On The Dog
INSTRUCTIONS
“Sit on the dog” is deceptively easy: place your dog on his leash, then sit on it, allowing him just enough length to lie quietly at your feet with a little bit of tension on the leash. (If you have a large or particularly active dog, you may want to wrap the leash around one leg after you’ve sat on it.) And then ignore your dog for 30 minutes. That’s it.
Be sure to “sit on the dog” when you are working on something else:
watching television, reading the newspaper, working on the computer. You must do the exercise for a minimum 30 minutes, at least once, and preferably twice a day. It is helpful to have each family member practice the “sit on the dog” exercise.
If your dog does anything for attention, you are to ignore him.
If he climbs up on you, chews the leash, mouths your hand, or anything else that is inappropriate, grab the leash next to the collar and put steady, gentle downward pressure on the leash – no talking or touching the dog allowed! Continue to provide this pressure until he settles again, and continue with the “sit on the dog” exercise.
The 30 minutes begins AFTER your dog settles down.
This means the first few times you do the exercise, it may last as long as 45 minutes or an hour – some dogs have lasted even longer than that. Take heart – your dog will soon learn to settle very quickly.
Do this at least once (preferably twice) a day
You should “sit on the dog” at least once, preferably twice a day, and make sure everyone in the family takes a turn. It may take a little while, but you will find that your dog will settle quietly at your feet, and learn that when he wants your attention, sometimes he will just have to wait.
The “sit on the dog” exercise often feels like you are “not doing anything” with your dog, and people are sometimes tempted to not do it. To skip this exercise is to deny your dog the gift of self-confidence, self-control, and “doggy zen.”
It teaches your dog how to calm himself down by choice, it teaches him to defer to you when you are not able to pay attention to him, and it teaches him that yes, he is fully capable of relaxing quietly, something puppies can have a hard time learning.
“Sit on the dog” is an excellent exercise for achieving the overall leadership role you should have with your dog. (Do not let them chew on leash)
This is a wonderful tool. Please make the time to do it, it will pay off for life!
If you only do ONE exercise with your dog, it’s this one. Not sit. Not stay. Not even come.
This exercise will do more to create a bond and build a relationship of trust with your dog than any other.
In order to help your dog learn that you will not be available to entertain him at all times, and to teach him that he is expected to calm down and be well-behaved during those moments, we will introduce the long down, or “sit on the dog” exercise.
Day 5 - Trade
INSTRUCTIONS
TRADE – Spend time trading when they are playing. Say ‘TRADE’ and give them a treat as you take a toy out of their mouth. Over and over.
By now you should have a little routine going.
4 off the floor socializing. (Simply means they do not touch the ground)
Car rides and carry them whenever you are in places where unknown dogs have been!
Nothing is free, make them earn treats.
- Sit
- Down
- Paw
No dog parks or doggie daycare until FULLY VACCINATED!
Daily Training
- Kennel Game
- Puppy, Puppy, Puppy
- Name Game
- Sit on the dog
- Trade
Day 6 - Leave It
INSTRUCTIONS
Using an item that you are not going to give them, but it’s a safe item in case they do get it. Let’s say a cracker.
Have a high value treat (cheese, ham, treat)
- Place the leave it item in front of you, when pup starts towards it say ‘leave it’
- You can place your hand over the item if you have to.
- Reward when pup doesn’t approach.
- This is a very important command.
- Practice practice practice.
Every day you should be working on this until you know your pup will stop in its tracks!
You start this with the pup in front of you and you are sitting on the ground until it listens 100% of the time with the item sitting (without your hand over it)
Then on your knees and you practice until it does it 100% of the time.
Then with you standing and it complies 100% of the time. This may take weeks to get to the level you want but it will come in handy forever! I use this command with my adult dogs across the room. Think about dropping an ibuprofen – deadly to dogs – or a dropped piece of food – chicken drumsticks are deadly
It also will come in handy when you are walking your dog (after being vaccinated), so you have a lot of time to practice this!!
Day 7 - The "Treat" Game
Puppies are notorious for picking up everything and anything. Acknowledging that while dogs explore the world through their mouth and nose, this can also be dangerous when they start gulping items or get a hold of something poisonous. Let’s teach our puppy a fun game that could save their life!
INSTRUCTIONS
Week 1: Once a day
If possible, wait for your pup to be interested in something else. Walk up to them and put the tasty treat at their nose and say, “treat”. Make it a good treat. Tiny lunch meat, bacon. Give the pup the treat and praise. That’s it!
Week 2: Once a day
Start calling “treat” and have the puppy come to you! No barriers involved. Be in sight. When the puppy comes to you, give them the treat and praise! That’s it!
Week 3: Once a day
Call treat and go to the fridge. Barriers and distractions can be at play now. Challenge the pup and wait until they are playing with a toy! Reward with a tasty treat! That’s it!
Week 4: A few times this week (3-4)
Wait for the pup to be really interested in something else (another dog, toy, bone, food, children, etc.). Say ‘Treat’ and Give a high value treat from the fridge and praise them. That’s it!
Why do this?
Now, anytime the puppy has something in their mouth they should not, or that you need to get from them, simply call, “treat” and go to the fridge. They will drop the item when you say treat or when they get to you. Do not put any focus on it!
Put your foot over it and wait for the pup to toddle off. Then pick it up. Do not ever chase a puppy with something in their mouth. You are only adding value to it. Just call “treat” and walk to the fridge. No panic or stress! You have done your work in ensuring you don’t have a resource guarder or gulper in your
***This is one you want to put in your reminders on your phone etc. Every day for 3 weeks. On week 4 you do it 3-4 times.
Daily Training
- Kennel Game – if pup is going in the kennel by itself and will enter when you say kennel. You can stop this exercise daily. Using the word but not the exercise.
- Puppy, Puppy, Puppy – I would practice weekly
- Name Game – once pup knows its name you can stop daily exercise
- Sit on the dog – keep doing this daily
- Trade – keep doing this daily
- Leave It – keep doing it daily. Work on being a bit further away from pup and item you want them to leave.
- The Treat – once a day for 3 weeks. Week 4, only 3 or 4 times.
Our Commitment To You
At Rockwall Doodles we believe it’s important to let you be a part of this amazing experience from start to finish instead of simply buying a puppy.
We pride ourselves in keeping you informed and letting you enjoy life behind the scenes at Rockwall Doodles.
