oh hey there

it’s been a while since i’ve blogged last. the holidays were super busy, and i really enjoyed spending time with my friends and family. i honestly cannot believe it’s almost 2018. 2017 went by way too fast – probably the fastest year yet for me.

this week’s blog post is going to be a little different! i’m going to be sharing my tips and tricks for training and raising a puppy! kylo is about 1.5 years old now, so i feel like i’m not a pro, but def have some experience and tips i think would be helpful. here are tips for training your puppy!

a know it’s pretty common for people to get puppies as gifts for christmas, so if you’re feeling a little lost, i hope this helps!

of course i have to add a disclaimer that – no, i am not a professional and no, this will not work for every puppy. just like humans, all puppies are different. it’s all about adjusting and finding which way works best for you and your companion.

if you have any tips for me, leave them in the comments below! kylo may be over a year old now, but he’s still learning every single day.

tips for raising and training your puppy

potty training

i know there are a TON of different ways to train your puppy to go to the bathroom outside, but the one i found most successful and easy was crate training. with crate training, we left kylo in his crate while we were gone. it’s said that puppies (most) will not go to the bathroom in their crate where they sleep.

this really helped because when we would come home, we would take him outside (of course) to go to the bathroom. so he’s learning that he cannot go to the bathroom in his crate and that outside is the proper place to go.

dogs aren’t like humans, they don’t communicate fully with language. they learn a lot by environment! so, by taking your puppy outside to the bathroom each time you come home, he’s learning what to do in each environment (ie. your home and outside).

we did NOT use puppy pads! as i said before, they learn by their environment. i thought that by using puppy pads inside the apartment, he would think it’s ok to occasionally go to the bathroom inside, which i obv didn’t want. i know that for a lot of people, puppy pads were very useful and successful, but i just didn’t think it was right for us.

positive reenforcement

this may seem like common sense to most, but i think it’s super important! when your dog does something wrong, of course it’s our instinct to punish and tell them what they did wrong. BUT even more importantly we should be rewarding the behavior they do correct. each time your puppy does something good (big or small) reward them with a little treat and praise. puppies really respond to praise and being told they are good with a little treat (duh). so it’s important to really focus on that.

i know it can be super easy to stay focused on punishment when they do something wrong, but i think it’s more important to recognize all that they are doing right. if that makes sense!

socializing your puppy

i cannot stress enough how important it is to socialize your puppy. even if you don’t plan on taking them to dog parks often, it’s good for them to get a lot of exposure to other dogs and humans at an early age. the more exposure they have young, the less of a problem other dogs and humans will be for them!

kylo has anxiety, so we made sure we took him on many many many walks when he was younger and also introduced him to as many people as we could. he’s come such a long way! with his anxiety, he is still pretty scared of a lot of people, but i can’t believe how far he’s come.

don’t stop socializing them! at least for the first 6 months or so. reward them each time they are a good puppy and play well and meet new people. this way, they will learn that other dogs and humans are GOOD and positive!

tricks and treats

i know a lot of people think that teaching your dog tricks can be sort of ridiculous BUT i think it’s so so so important. teaching your dog tricks such as sit and lay down, teach him obedience! he needs to know who is in charge and when to act appropriately. when it’s super hectic or kylo won’t settle down, making him sit and relax for a treat is the best thing EVER lol trust me, i know what it’s like to deal with a hyper puppy.

i know dogs are “animals” but they should still be well behaved. there’s a time and place for their craziness! plus, it’s the cutest thing in the WORLD when we ask kylo for a “kissie” or have him shake our hand with his paw. ugh, i love it.

BREATHE

last but not least – PATIENCE. kylo is 1.5 years old but like i said, he’s still learning. it took weeks (if not months) before he was potty trained and it takes even longer for other elements. dogs have their bad days and mood swings, just like we do! i can’t tell you how many times i would get so frustrated with kylo (and even cry) but in the end, they are worth every ounce of stress. kylo is truly my best friend and i can’t believe there was a day when he wasn’t following me around the house or waking me up with kisses in the morning.

 

below are a few photos from our weekend home for christmas! kylo had a little play date and it was the cutest! my brother has a few pups and brought them over to run around and play. little ferguson (the small black puppy) was wayyyy intimidated but he tried to play with the big boys!

ferguson basically just stood by my feet and watched the other two play – it was priceless

kylo acting tough

aaaand brody chasing after him, hahah

i spy a little ferguson in the background watching them play tug-o-war!

kylo being bossy of course and trying to get them to pay attention to him and play

lol ferguson barked at kylo and gave him a little scare!

 

there you have it! i hope you enjoyed these tips for training your puppy. let me know your tips and if you have a dog too. i’m always so interest in what other dogs people have 🙂 i just love dogs so muuuuch! lol

 

 

xo,

 

courtney raf