My Sidekick and Me: Puppy Training

By Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC

It is a common question of new puppy guardians, “When is the best time to begin training my new puppy?” My answer is always, “the day you bring your puppy home.”

I am not talking about training your puppy to sit, lay down, stay or walk on a leash – although, it is also a great time to begin teaching your puppy that awesome things happen because of doing those behaviors. There are many more important life lessons to focus on when you first bring your puppy home. 

From the moment your new puppy is in your possession, you have an important role in helping your puppy to feel safe, connected and fulfilled. That is the very foundation of everything else that your puppy will learn in his life. 

Realize that all interactions your puppy has with his world and with you are teaching your puppy how to feel about that experience, an association, and what works or doesn’t work to get needs and wants met. 

You have a unique opportunity to begin from that first day, giving huge value to the behaviors you want to see more while managing your puppy carefully to prevent practice (and building a reinforcement history) of the behaviors you do not want to see. And remember, a puppy will sleep a lot, but in those waking hours, he will need to eat, potty, chew, play, and other natural behaviors.  If you are not proactive in helping your puppy to get those needs met in ways that suit your lifestyle, your puppy will have no problem coming up with his own choices!

Yes, it is a lot of work. I get it. 

Here are some of my early training goals from when I got my dog, Dawson:

That people are fun; paying attention to me gets him good outcomes; that a crate is a place to relax and feel safe; that settling and enjoying his own company is good; that cars take him to good places; that he can relax while being groomed; that unfamiliar sights and sounds are nothing to worry about.

As it turned out, when Dawson approached adolescence, he showed signs of generalized anxiety and so much of my energy was also spent supporting him the best that I could.  He has been on anti-anxiety medication ever since. (You can read his story if you visit my website at http://www.SoMuchPETential.com and search for Dawson.)

There were a lot of lessons I packed into my buddy’s first year. 

I am forever grateful that I dedicated that time to teach him all of those things. Yes, there are continually new lessons to teach; after all, life is not static. Our experiences are continually impacting our learning history. BUT, that early focus has made a huge difference! 

Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, FFCP, FDM, CPBC, with So Much PETential was voted 2024 Cincinnati’s Best Community Choice Award winner in pet training. She is a certified dog trainer, a certified Family Dog Mediator, and the first trainer in Hamilton County to earn Fear Free certification. She is also a licensed Family Paws Parent Educator. She is committed to using and teaching the most positive, science-based approaches to changing behavior. For more information, visit SoMuchPETential.com.  

By-Line:  Lisa Desatnik, CPDT-KA, CPBC, is a certified dog trainer and certified dog bite prevention educator with So Much PETential. She is committed to using and teaching the most positive and humane strategies for preventing and solving dog and puppy behavior issues. Learn more about her at www.SoMuchPETential.com.