Taking care of your farm dog: Part 2

There are many different opinions when it comes to training puppies. Some people say only start at six months, while others say eight months. Well, they are wrong

-  Jarred Hodgson.

Your puppy should have started training when it was with its breeder. If you adopted a puppy from a shelter, you need to start training it as soon as possible. I’ve been trying to convince local shelters to let me train puppies while they are waiting for a new home, but for some reason they are resistant.

A little side note: if you are the owner or a worker at a dog shelter near the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands and would like me to come and train the dogs and puppies, I’ll do it for free! Please give me a shout. We all want the best for these dogs, and having them trained would most definitely make them more adoptable.

Back to the topic. I am a firm believer in starting training as soon as you get a puppy. Simple, basic obedience can be started right away.

Here are my seven ways to prevent a disaster when getting a new puppy.

START TRAINING AS SOON AS YOU GET THE PUPPY

Teach your puppy basic obedience from an early age. I’m not saying that as soon as you arrive home from collecting your puppy, you need to start boot camp and become a drill sergeant. Give the puppy a day or two to settle in at your home and then ease into training, starting with basic commands such as ‘sit’, ‘down’, ‘stay’, and ‘wait [for food]’. Even consider enrolling your pup in a local puppy training class. It is well worth the effort to train your pup as much as you can now, as this will create a good bond with your dog and make your days around the farm much more enjoyable if you have a well-trained animal.

SET STANDARDS AND KEEP THEM