1. No jumping up on people
2. No getting on the furniture
3. No soiling in the house
4. No chewing on people objects, furniture, clothing, shoes, etc.
5. No barking after I say “quiet”
6. Come when called
7. No biting people
8. Lay down when I say so
9. Sit when I say so
10. Leave things alone when I say so
11. Stay where I’ve put you when I say so

All these rules have to be taught, but are easily learned. They’re all useful and some of them could save your dog’s life. We’ll cover most of them in our class. But teaching them is your responsibility.

Dog Rules

1. The big dog makes the rules (that’s you). As ‘sheriff’ you control:

• Where your dog goes and when (control of movements)
• What objects your dog gets or not (control of possessions)
• When and if your dog gets to eat (control of groceries)

2. If a dog breaks a rule, the reaction from the ‘big dog’ is immediate and appropriate
3. Once it’s over, it’s over (dogs don’t hold grudges)

Do I Get A Six Shooter?

We know that dogs need and expect us to set the rules and enforce them, but how are we going to do that? Dogs have their own ways of expressing displeasure, giving warnings and enforcing rules. They can grow, snarl, bare teeth, bite, or knock someone over and pin them to the ground. I don’t know about you, but none of these work for me.

Correction Tool Kit

I need a different set of tools and for puppies we need some gentle tools because they’re young and small. So here’s your correction tool kit:

• Verbal noise or noise maker like a shake can
• Removing the puppy from wherever he shouldn’t be, or take away what he shouldn’t have
• Timeout

This short but very effective list includes one sound warning, and two physical ‘corrections’. The sound warning can be any sudden sound noise, even the clap of your hands. If used with an unpleasant facial expression and verbal disapproval, it’s a good enough correction for some sensitive puppies.

To remove your puppy from someplace he shouldn’t be, just pick him up and move him. To take something he has, if he won’t willingly give it up, gently squeeze his lips against his back teeth, and generally they’ll open their mouths to relieve the pressure on their lips and you can get whatever the puppy has when he opens up. For information on Timeout click here(Link Timeout article).

Happy Trails

Ideally, you’ll use training and restrictions to keep your puppy out of trouble in the first place. But puppies are puppies, so you can use these techniques when your puppy does something he shouldn’t. By acting as your puppy’s sheriff, you’ll be giving him a lifetime of security.

Links to Helpful General Knowledge Articles:

• Dog Talk
• Play Time For Dogs
• Training Rules
• Dog Toys Are For Training

Links to Puppy Class 101 articles:

• Welcome to Puppy Class
• Puppy Brain
• Vision The Dog Language
• Easy as 1, 2, 3
• Who’s the Big Dog?
• Watching Your Every Move
• Doggie Math 1+1=1
• Time Out For Puppies