I’ve had several requests from friends to post a blog about dog training, since this is something that I do lots of. So, I’m branching out from my usual straight-up product review to give some of my own advice. I’m only going to cover the two most essential training processes in this article, but I’ll give you some great resources that cover everything else:

RESOURCES:
Sit Stay Fetch
Dove Cresswell’s Dog Training Online
Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan – The Complete First Season
Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

SUPPLIES:
Economy Puppy Pads 100 Count Pack (100 for $12.99 – this is by far the cheapest I’ve found them.)
OdoBan Odor Eliminator – Concentrate – Makes up to 32 Gallons! (the best cleaner I’ve found – it’s concentrated, so water it down in a spray bottle, and you can use it on any surface, including your fabric furniture.
Mini Naturals – 1 pound – Peanut Butter Flavored (keep a bunch of these in your pocket when training, walking, or going outside – makes it really easy to reinforce good behavior on a moment’s notice)

INTRO: THE BOTTOM LINE:
The most important thing to remember when training your dog is that you must establish dominance. Dogs operate in packs, and each pack has an Alpha dog. All the other dogs answer to this dog, and this is what you need to be to your dog. If your dog sees you as his Alpha, he will want to do whatever he can to make you happy. You just have to let him know what you want!

HOUSEBREAKING:
Dogs are all about routine. You MUST be consistent in your potty routine. You can’t explain the plan in advance to your puppy – you have to get your puppy to do the right thing, and then praise him for it so he’ll want to do it again.

1. Establish a command, just like you have for “sit” and “stay.” I use “hurry, hurry” because it’s not embarrassing to say in public.

2. Think like a puppy. The number one mistake that people make in housebreaking their dogs is yelling at or punishing a dog after the fact for urinating or defecating in the house. Dogs don’t understand punishment the way we do, so this is rarely constructive.

3. Stay one step ahead of your dog. Because dogs don’t really understand punishment, training is much more effective if you can reinforce good behavior rather than correcting bad behavior. In order to do this, take your dog out much more frequently than you think he should need to go to avoid accidents. Every two hours is a good rule, but some dogs go more or less, so find a pattern.

4. NEVER (this is a hard one!) leave your puppy unattended. If you catch him sniffing, you can take him outside so he has a success, which you can then reward, helping him form good habits. If you leave him alone, you won’t see him sniffing, which will probably result in an accident. Each accident sets you back in training, so stay on top of it.

5. Make sure you have a set routine. I like to take my puppy out every two hours, or whenever he wakes up. I have a fenced in yard he likes to play in, so I take him out on his leash first. When he goes, he immediately gets a treat (I keep them in my pocket), then he gets to play off-leash.

WALKING:
Walking is one of the best things you can do to bond with your dog, as well as to establish dominance. It’s important to remember not to lose your temper with your dog, no matter how frustrated you get. Remember that dogs want to please you, so if he’s doing the wrong thing, it’s probably because he doesn’t understand what you want. If you yell at him or scare him, it won’t improve the situation… it’ll probably just result in a neurotic dog.

1. Teach your dog to heel. This is a tricky one, but dogs REALLY like to know what’s expected of them, so it’s your job to communicate this. Choose which side you want the dog to walk on (left is standard) and STICK TO IT. Also make sure you stay ahead of or beside your dog, but never behind (if you’re behind your dog, he’ll think that he’s leading you rather than the other way around). For a bigger dog, you can hold a treat in front of his face and walk forward. Usually he’ll follow the treat, so you can keep him where you want him. It’s okay if he licks the treat while it’s in your hand, as long as he’s still walking in the right place. Make sure you reward and praise your dog as soon as he does the right thing. You can also use a slight leash “pop” on any dog, as long as he’s walking on a choke collar. This is not a yank, and it should not hurt your dog even a little. It is only enough tension to redirect the dog’s attention. Make sure to hold the leash loosely, but without too much slack. That way, if the dog goes off course, the collar will tighten, and the dog will realize that if he is getting out of line. Whatever you do, DON’T allow your dog to stop and sniff or play while you’re training. There’s time for that later, but for now, you want to keep your structure, and make sure your dog knows that you’re in charge of where you go and what you do.

2. Reward Good Behavior. Once you’ve had a good, vigorous walk, give your dog some “free time,” along with lots of praise. This is his reward for behaving on his walk. It’s obviously best if this free time can happen off-leash, but if this isn’t feasible, just make sure you allow your dog to sniff around and play and have fun before going inside.

3. If you’re having trouble getting your dog to focus or pay attention at the beginning of his walk, it might help to run with him for a few minutes before starting the training process. This will help expel some of his pent-up or nervous energy, and is a good starting point for training anyway, as most dogs will automatically heel if their master is running.

Good luck! Here’s the list of resources again:

RESOURCES:
Sit Stay Fetch
Dove Cresswell’s Dog Training Online
Dog Whisperer With Cesar Millan – The Complete First Season
Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems

SUPPLIES:
Economy Puppy Pads 100 Count Pack (100 for $12.99 – this is by far the cheapest I’ve found them.)
OdoBan Odor Eliminator – Concentrate – Makes up to 32 Gallons! (the best cleaner I’ve found – it’s concentrated, so water it down in a spray bottle, and you can use it on any surface, including your fabric furniture.
Mini Naturals – 1 pound – Peanut Butter Flavored (keep a bunch of these in your pocket when training, walking, or going outside – makes it really easy to reinforce good behavior on a moment’s notice)