Puppies! They are so cute and fun and cuddly -- and naughty. Even my Paws With A Cause pup Rae has her moments.
At just four months old, she has a lot of excitement about the world.
"We just can't confine them and coop them up and not expect them to get a little loud -- they're gonna get a little crazy," said Mike Hanna. He is the head trainer for Paws With A Cause. He says there are a few things you need if you've got a new puppy, "It starts with patience, it starts with some expectations, 'how I want you to behave in my house.'"
Hanna adds it starts with getting inside the mind of a dog, "They don't understand not doing something, they understand doing something."
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Hanna has some basic training tips that can help any dog owner. "Play and exercise is immensely important to the dog," he says. "You absolutely get a more well-behaved dog if they have an appropriate amount of exercise on a regular interval.
"If you have high expectations for a dog's behavior in your home, you're going to have to put in the time to get those behaviors."
It takes a lot of repetition. Everyday, every time your with your puppy.
Rae needs to learn not to jump. It's something a lot of puppies need to learn, so here's the best way to accomplish that.
Don't give attention when he/she jumps. Just turn your back and walk away if necessary.
Hanna says you can use that same strategy if you don't want them on your furniture. "People think that there's some magic to this, but first of all when they make that mistake you just get them off," he explains. You do that over and over, every time they attempt to get on the furniture.
Hanna says basic commands are the foundation to a well-behaved dog -- along with the ability to anticipate their behavior. "It's being proactive and being able to intervene beforehand," he says.
Reward your pup for good behavior. Hanna says it re-enforces what you'd like them to do, "Verbal praise, physical praise, maybe a dog treat."
Lastly, this is probably Hanna best training advice, "Whatever your time frame was that you thought the dog will understand this and behave how I want -- double it."
And of course, make sure they get lots of love. That's the easy part.
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