Bringing a new puppy home is an exciting yet challenging journey. This guide chronicles the experiences of one family in successfully house-training their puppy, Barley, and offers insights into her diet and the creation of homemade training treats. While every dog is unique, the methods and tips shared here can provide valuable guidance for new puppy owners.
Early Days with Barley
The initial weeks with Barley presented typical puppy challenges. The first night was marked by her whining in the crate, a common sign of separation anxiety from her littermates. To provide comfort, one of the owners slept on a mattress next to the crate for the first week, ensuring Barley knew she wasn’t alone. This proximity helped her settle, especially after needing to go outside during the night. It’s important to remember that puppies under 10 weeks old can only hold their bowels for about two hours at a time. By the third week, Barley was sleeping through the night, a significant milestone.
House Training Success
Crate training is a cornerstone of successful house-training. The crate should be just large enough for the puppy to turn around and lie down, preventing them from designating one area for sleeping and another for elimination. Establishing a consistent schedule and clear boundaries is crucial during the critical 8 to 16-week period for obedience and discipline.
The family found the books The Art of Raising a Puppy and How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete to be invaluable resources. They implemented a regimented schedule for Barley, incorporating frequent potty breaks, meals, playtime, and training sessions. This structure, adapted from the monks’ recommendations, included:
- Morning (7:00 AM): Potty break, breakfast, water, play session, walk, return to crate.
- Mid-morning (10:30 AM): Water, walk, play/training session, return to crate.
- Lunchtime (12:30 PM): Lunch, water, walk, play/training session, return to crate.
- Afternoon (2:30 PM): Water, walk, return to crate.
- Evening (5:30 PM): Dinner, water, walk, supervised time while dinner is prepared.
- Late Evening (7:30 PM): Last water offer, play session, walk, supervised time.
- Before Bed (10:30 PM): Walk, return to crate for sleep.
Key strategies that aided Barley’s house training included:
- Leash Familiarity: Keeping Barley on a leash indoors (unless in her crate) helped her become accustomed to it and made it easier to quickly take her outside when needed.
- Bell Training: Hanging a bell on the doorknob and having Barley ring it before going outside trained her to signal her needs. This proved highly effective, with Barley eventually learning to nudge the bell herself.
- Positive Reinforcement: Using a consistent verbal cue, such as “go poop!”, during elimination and offering praise afterward helped her associate the command with the action.
- Scent Association: Leaving a small amount of puppy droppings in the designated elimination area initially helped Barley associate the scent with the act of going potty outside.
- Time Tracking: Vigilantly monitoring the time between eliminations and acting quickly if she showed signs of needing to go was essential.
- Interrupting Accidents: If an accident occurred indoors, a sharp “no!” was used to interrupt her, followed immediately by taking her outside to finish. It’s crucial never to discipline a puppy after the fact, as they won’t understand the reason for the punishment.
- Ignoring Crate Whining: Unless there was a genuine need to go outside, whining or barking in the crate was largely ignored to prevent reinforcing the behavior.
Puppy Diet and Feeding Habits
When selecting puppy food, the priority was a “protein-first” ingredient, such as chicken or lamb, with fewer grains. Barley was fed Nutro’s large breed puppy formula. For the first few weeks, mashed boiled carrots or plain pureed pumpkin were mixed into her kibble with warm water to aid the transition and facilitate bathroom breaks. Plain, full-fat yogurt was also given daily for a healthy coat and to support gut bacteria.
Feeding times were utilized as training opportunities:
- “Sit” and “Stay” Commands: Barley was required to sit and stay before meals, reinforcing these commands.
- Managing Pushiness: Any attempts by Barley to jump or bark for food were met with a firm “no” and a sit command.
- Preventing Food Aggression: While eating, she was petted to accustom her to people touching her food, a crucial step for households with children. If she growled, the behavior was addressed.
- Bowl Management: Halfway through her meal, the bowl was briefly removed and the “stay” command re-implemented, teaching her patience and preventing food possessiveness.
Barley’s house rules included always allowing humans to pass through doorways first and sitting before entering or leaving the house. She was also taught to maintain eye contact before receiving a meal, helping her understand human expressions and cues.
Homemade Puppy Training Treats
Store-bought dog treats can be expensive and their ingredients are often questionable. Making homemade treats offers a cost-effective and healthier alternative. The following recipe for Pumpkin Peanut Butter Puppy Training Treats, adapted from Use Real Butter, is simple and uses just four ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup pumpkin purée (canned or fresh)
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and mix until well combined. Adjust consistency with a little water if too dry, or a bit more flour if too wet.
- Knead the dough on a clean surface and roll it thinly (1/8-1/4 inch thick).
- Cut into small squares or shapes.
- Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 25-30 minutes, or until crunchy. Baking time may vary based on size and thickness.
- Allow treats to cool completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
These small, crunchy treats are perfect for training and Barley’s favorite.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Can I make the dough ahead? Yes, the dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Allow it to come to room temperature before rolling and cutting.
- Can I use all-purpose flour? While possible, whole wheat flour provides more nutrients and fiber.
- Can these be made soft? For a longer shelf life, it’s important to bake the treats until hard and crunchy.
This comprehensive approach to puppy training, combined with a healthy diet and homemade treats, sets the foundation for a well-behaved and happy canine companion.
