Setting Ground Rules & Routine : Part 2

Consistency and routine are key to setting up your puppy for a life of obedience, good behavior, and success. Wildly varying responses to behavior or changes in routine will only delay, hamper and maybe even prevent your puppy from learning all he needs to, to become a functioning member of your household.
We will look at just what you need to do to help your puppy feel safe in his or her routine.
Everyone on the Same Page
Another important aspect of consistency and ground rules for your puppy is making sure that everyone in the household treats him or her the same, and applies the same corrective behaviors and encouragements.
If everyone treats your puppy differently, he will automatically defer to the person who lets him get away with the most bad behavior. Everyone should be on the same page in terms of puppy training, and even if there will be one primary trainer, everyone else needs to reinforce and not detract from what the puppy is learning.
Decide before the puppy arrives home what he is allowed to do and what he is not allowed to do. Can he go on any furniture? Are certain rooms off limits? Can he play-wrestle with the kids, or is this not allowed? Decide this beforehand so your puppy is not confused. It is harder to un-learn a behavior once he has been allowed to do it in an environment. If the rules are the same from the get-go, he has a much better chance of learning good puppy behavior in your home.
Choose commands that everyone can use with the puppy, even if everyone is not using a clicker for training. Some simple ones are a swift, sharp, loud “No,” for bad behavior, and “Yes” or “Good” for good behavior. Just keep them consistent.
In the next posts, we will discuss the training philosophy of positive reinforcement, in which you will learn to gain the trust of your puppy.
Key Takeaways From Setting Ground Rules & Routine : Part 1 & 2

• Everyone in the home needs to be on the same page with training the puppy
• Some simple commands to use and implement across all family members are “no” and “good”
• Give your puppy a safe space he can call his own for his bed. You can also use a crate
• Put your puppy’s food and water bowls in one place
• Distract your puppy while eating and reward for calm behavior so he does not become food-aggressive
• Try to keep a regular routine for your puppy for his eating schedule, and wake/sleep cycle.

More Key Takeways :

• A well-trained puppy needs boundaries and to understand his place in the world and your home
• The most important thing for training your new puppy is consistency and routine
• Raising a puppy can be like raising a kid: They will test their boundaries
• Be patient. It is normal to frustrated when training a new puppy
• Clicker training is the most precise way to train your puppy
• Use dog-safe, healthy, small treats to reward your puppy for good behavior