Central California Breeders

8  Gideon Wheatens

Training Your Puppy

     The best way to start your relationship and training of your new puppy is to talk to him/her!  Your puppy will learn to desire your physical contact and the warm assurance of your voice.  Wheatens are generally very good listeners and will depend on the tone of your voice to understand whether you are pleased or not, so keep talking.  Make sure you start with simple words and phrases, repeating the words using the same tone.  You will be surprised at the speed your puppy will begin to understand words and phrases.

    Consistency is the key.  Teach your puppy what you expect by always praising him/her for good behavior.  Discipline must be accomplished gently using constant vocal encouragement.  Never punish the puppy unless he/she bites.  Even a little bite requires a pop under the chin, and a stern" No!"  Don't hurt the puppy, the purpose is to surprise him/her.  Make sure that you punish your puppy immediately after bad behavior.  Never punish your puppy for past poor behavior as he/she will be confused. The most important words are stay (which should be used with a hand signal) and come .

     For "stay" the hand signal is an open palm, directly pointed toward the puppy's face.  Make sure you draw the word out keeping a reassuring tone.  Teach him/her this command at the door, then when he starts responding better, use the command when the door is slightly open.  Also tell (and show with the hand signal) your puppy to "stay" when you get out of the car.  A simple "OK" will let your puppy know that the "stay" is over. "Come" is best taught using a 12 foot length rope tied to the puppy's collar.  Let him/her walk away from you then first call out his/her name and then "come" in an enticing tone while pulling him/her toward you.  Give your puppy lots of praise and a little treat when he/she returns to you.  Doing it this way will make "come" a happy word.  Never make the mistake of using "come" when you mean to punish or start running after him/her calling "come".  Running after him/her in this manner could make him/her think "come" means you want to chase him/her.   

      Just like a pre-school child, when your puppy is found doing something that you don't like, quickly redirect him/her with another activity.  Keep plenty of toys, chew toys and puppy biscuits around.  Rotating the toys or introducing new toys over time is also a good idea.  This way your puppy doesn't get bored with the same toys.  However, he/she may develop a love for one particular toy, so don't take the favorite away unless he/she begins to lose interest.   Our Katie has always enjoyed squeaky toys, knotted ropes, pigs ears, and when she was a pup she liked rubber toys that had a spot your could stuff peanut butter or cheese inside.  Biscuit balls and "Kong" stuffers can keep a puppy busy for a long while.  Remember, however, too many snacks will spoil his/her dinner.

House Training

     Your puppy should begin his/her house training while still with the breeder.  We begin training our puppies around 5-6 weeks.  Using the knowledge that all dogs are den animals and want to keep their bed clean, a simple routine will cut down on mistakes and give you the opportunity to give your puppy praise when he/she performs the right behavior.  We begin taking the puppies to our dog yard as soon as they are finished eating and first thing in the morning (around 6:00 a.m.)  A cloth saturated with puppy urine and placed in the spot you have chosen for the "potty" will give him/her the idea.

   A good routine in the morning is to remove your puppy from his/her crate and immediately take him/her outside.  Tell your puppy to go "potty", later when your puppy has been successful, you can tell him/her to go "pea" or "poop", but keep it simple at first.  Bring your puppy in the house for breakfast, after he/she is finished eating take him/her out again.  When your puppy does his/her business, let him/her play a bit before coming in for a nap in his/her crate.

     Expect some accidents for awhile.  Puppies don't fully develop muscle control until 4-6 months.  As your puppy gets better at house training give him/her more freedom.  The months you spend on this early training will pay off big in the years to come.  There is nothing more annoying than an adult dog that has accidents in the house.

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