How Old Should Your Puppy Be To Begin Obedience Training?

If you have a new puppy then you probably picked your new puppy up, brought him home, and may have let him start playing in a little pen in your home.  You may be laughing at the way he rolls around on the padding you got to protect your carpet or floor.  He may be nipping at your fingers.  And you may already be wondering how soon you can start training and how intensive it can be.

Many dog owners begin training their puppies at the wrong time.  They may start too soon, when a puppy’s bladder is too small to potty train or to be able to sit and stay.  Other people may wait too long and they may have a rebellious adolescent dog who likes to tear things up.  Here’s some information to help you know when and how to handle early obedience training.

House training

Dogs learn the basic concepts of canine social life in the first 8 weeks with their mother and littermates.  Without this early period with their mother and littermates they can develop problems with nipping and aggression.  Later, after your puppy comes to live with you, you should spend time socializing your puppy with people and other dogs.

It’s very important that your puppy interact with other dogs and people before he is 20 weeks old for the sake of his mental and social development.  With regard to house training, you should try to have your puppy’s training completed as soon as possible

You can make house training go faster by using crate training as soon as you bring your puppy home.  This will help your puppy understand how to hold their pee longer than a few seconds.

Basic Obedience

You can pursue basic obedience training with your puppy when he reaches 16 weeks (4 months) of age.  You can do this at home or in a class. The training should cover basics such as sit, stay, down, sit stay, down stay and anything else you would like your puppy to know.

If you teach your puppy these commands when he is young, he will learn that you are his pack leader, and he will also learn these lessons thoroughly and remember them all his life.

Future Training

Once your puppy’s basic obedience training is completed, you have a long time to train him to do other things.  For most people and their dogs, the basics are enough.

If you decide you want your puppy to learn new tricks, you should make sure they are old enough to handle any physical stress involved.  A dog should be full grown before they are asked to sprint, jump, or dive.  These activities can cause great stress to a young dog’s body.

Puppy’s are a big responsibility.  They require lots of attention, authority, and time to bond with their owner. If you try to train your puppy too soon you can make them fearful and anxious.  If you wait too long, you can allow your puppy to become overbearing and aggressive.

Bring your puppy home at the right age, train him at the right age, and be consistent with training as he gets older.  Your first few weeks together can be frustrating but the extra work you put in will pay off.