Training a puppy is one of the most important things you will do for your new friend. It will take time and patience, but it will be worth it in the end. The biggest thing you’ll have to deal with is your pup peeing and pooping on the floor, but that’s to be expected. Other major problems are biting, chewing, and setting limits. I’m going to give you some simple things to remember to help things go smoothly.

When educating a puppy, you must be patient. You and your new pup won’t get anywhere fast if you lose your cool. You can expect to come home to urinate and poop on the floor for a while. Once you bring your pup home, you should probably stop by your local pet store and purchase what I call pee pads. Those are thin, absorbent pads that are made for housebreaking a puppy. Some of them have shipping that entices your pup to wear them. When your pup uses the pad, give him a treat and praise him. This is important: never rub your dog’s nose in his waste, that only teaches him to stay away from you. When you get home and see urine or poop on the floor, calmly clean it up. You have a 5 second window of opportunity to correct your pup. That means that after hours of being there the waste, the puppy has already forgotten it. If you punish a puppy for something he doesn’t remember, he won’t understand why he’s being punished. Always praise when training a puppy. Never punish your dog for doing what he does naturally. Like I said, it will take time, just stick with it! It’s also a good idea to keep your dog on a hard-surface floor while you’re gone. It is easier to clean a tile floor than a carpet.

Biting is easy to stop when training a puppy. By biting I mean biting and biting. When puppies play with each other, they do so naturally. If you ever see them play you will see that they always go for the cheeks and the ears, that is what they do and that is how they play. When you are playing with your puppy and he starts biting and nibbling, stop playing with him immediately. Don’t say anything, just get up and walk away. After a while, your pup will learn what he’s doing that makes playtime end and stop doing it. If for some reason your pup continues to bite and nip for a few months, you can take a spray bottle filled with water and spray him with it. It works on cats and dogs. Pluck the dog and it will stop biting for a while, it doesn’t cause any pain.

Chewing is a problem when training a puppy. Chewing is when your pup wants to play all day and there is no one to play with. A puppy will usually find something to play with, like a shoe or a pillow. Note what I said about peeing and pooping, after about 5 seconds or so your dog won’t remember what he has done. Dogs are in the heart and the now, not the past and the future. The only way to correct this destructive behavior is to catch it in the act. Don’t come home to ripped pillows everywhere and try to punish your dog, it won’t do anything. The best way to correct something like this is to spray the pup with the water bottle and remove the object that he is chewing on.

Educating a puppy is not difficult. With the right tools and the right mindset, you can do anything. Keep the simple steps and tips that I have written in your mind. Always correct at the right time and never lose your cool. You’re on a long road and a big dog is on the way!