New Puppy Training Questions (we don’t have all the answers!)

You’ve probably heard the old adage, “Children don’t come with owner’s manuals. “ This is often spoken by parents who are doing their very best but not seeing the “results” they were hoping for as their children grow and develop.  When it comes to children, this is true. What about our puppies, as they grow into adult dogs—how  much is nature, and how much is early nurture?

The great thing is, when it comes to puppies, there are “owner’s manuals” out there. We have a plethora of resources at our disposable as responsible dog owners who want to have responsive and well-behaved pets. Early training contributes to a the development of pets who interact well with their family and others, and are able to enjoy their best life now. 

Unfortunately, there are, perhaps, too many resources to choose from. As is also said, “You can’t believe everything you hear on the Internet!” Some of the advice you glean from well-meaning people isn’t going to produce the results you hope for. How do you choose?

Here at Carrier Family Doodles, we put our all into our home-raised puppies, giving them the very best start in life that we are able. We do early ENS and sound therapy and provide early exposure to a variety of environments and people, with lots of positive socialization. But, to be honest, we have a pretty low bar when it comes to dog training with our adult dogs. With so many dogs in our busy household, it is difficult to offer the amount of one-on-one time and practice that quality training requires. We are pretty happy if our dogs come when called, sit, and (for the most part) don’t jump on people for attention. (Counter surfing seems to be a constant battle with  our larger dogs, so we’ve gone the route of just never leaving food on the counter. They have us well-trained!)

All that to say, we’re probably not the best people to offer puppy training advice. However, we have done enough research on training and know that not all advice is sound. Some methods work for some people but are not generally recommended. Recommendations often change based on new research and experience. So when we are asked for advice on puppy training, we typically just point to a select few training resources that (thus far) we have confidence in recommending.

McCann Dog Training YouTube videos (www.youtube.com/@McCannDogs) are well worth the watch. They offer topical teachings in 10-20 minute increments, which is perfect for getting a handle on particular problem behaviors and having something helpful to implement when you’re done. Likewise, Zak George (www.youtube.com/@zakgeorge) is a solid resource that can give you lots of great ideas when it comes to puppy training.

If you’re more of a traditional book-reader, Cesar Millan and Zak George are recommended authors whose books might give you a broader perspective on the topic of puppy training, and provide you with a step-by-step method of achieving your training goals.

A resource that we have personally used, and highly recommend, is the Baxter & Bella “online puppy school.” This lifetime-membership Website offers articles, videos, and even real-time advice from training professionals. It is a systematic format that helps you know what to do, when, and how, from even before you bring a new puppy home! And when you hit the inevitable bumps in the road, target videos and articles are available to help you navigate those particular problem areas.