You probably want to spend every moment with your puppy, but that can give you problems if you ever hope to leave your puppy home alone. Dogs are intensely social, and your puppy has spent his life so far in the constant company of his mom and littermates.
Even the smartest, best-trained dog can have accidents, especially when getting used to a new home. It is important to give your dog the benefit of the doubt and treat your new dog like a puppy for the first weeks, at least where house-training is concerned.
Puppies become house-trained at different speeds, depending on size and anatomy, and on
how diligently you stick to the house-training routine. Allow anywhere from a few weeks to
several months for your puppy to be fully house-trained.
The definition of heel is for your dog to be at your left side, walking parallel to you with no more than six inches between you. The right side of your dog’s head is lined up with your left leg.
Teaching your dog to love his head halter makes your walks much more enjoyable for you and your dog. It’s well worth a little work at the outset to avoid having your dog stop many times during a walk to paw at his halter.
Teaching your puppy to enjoy being handled is essential to a happy, safe, and convenient life with her now and as she grows.
Teaching your dog to go to his bed (or crate) is relatively easy and very useful. Not only can you
direct your dog to go lie down in situations when it’s nice to have him out from underfoot, for example during mealtimes or when visitors are at the door, but your dog will learn to settle at times when he might otherwise get over-excited.
Resource guarding behavior is a demonstration of possessiveness around any thing or place the dog considers valuable and is afraid to lose: toys, food, bones, sleeping spots, garbage, even the TV remote control.
