Considerations for Training puppies

Training puppies is an exciting, but complex process. Given how intelligent and impressionable dogs are, the importance of giving due consideration to their training when young cannot be overstated. Well-considered puppy training sets a dog up for success throughout its life, and something all owners should prioritise.

The first three to four months of a puppy’s life are a critical period. During this short window, they are capable of learning more than they will throughout the rest of their lives and begin to understand how to be a dog. They learn how to socialise and play from spending time with their mother and litter-mates, and accept the stimuli they are exposed to in this period as being normal and nothing to fear. Environmental training is key at this point, and puppies should be exposed to as many different settings and stimuli as possible. Older dogs who are not properly conditioned as puppies are often fearful and anxious, and simply unable to overcome their worries when faced with new stimuli.

Training puppies also instils good habits for later life, and is particularly useful in laying the foundation for additional work such as protection or retrieving. An obedient puppy can be trained to undertake any number of different tasks, and work put into their first few months can pay off for years. Basic obedience can also act as an emotional anchor, and an easy way of calming an anxious or stressed obedient dog is giving it basic commands they have formed positive associations with such as the sit and rewarding when they are performed.

As well as specialising in protection dogs, we also offer dedicated puppy training courses. These can either be modular, or consolidated and residential. To find out more, please DM us on any of our social media accounts or email info@protectiondogs.co.uk.