You did it. After deliberating for a while, doing your research and acquiring all the supplies needed, you got a dog. Maybe it is a puppy that you researched online for, or a rescue dog that stole your heart. But now they are home. You are over the moon with excitement and just want to spend all your free time with your new furry friend. They are cute, they are cuddly, they are a dream. But wait, they are also not sleeping through the night, or maybe they peed on your favorite rug, or they can’t be left alone, ever. You realize that you never thought about the one question every dog owner should ask themselves before getting a dog: did I budget for training time and when should I start?
If we think about training as setting you and your dog up for success, then the sooner one starts doing it, the better. When you start a new job, there is always a training period, people show you where your place of work is, how to operate the machinery, where the break room is, where the bathroom is, etc. The idea being that the quicker you feel integrated in your work space, the easier it will be for you to become part of the team and adjust to the expectations of the group. However, no one presumes you will get everything right on the first day or even the first week. Finding balance between expectations and reality are what great managers do. It helps to apply this mentality when training your dog. Start small and then expand.
When your new dog or pup first arrive, take them for a walk, dogs form packs through traveling together. If you have a very young puppy, have them follow you in the back yard for about 15 minutes and then have a crate ready for them. A crate makes the most sense to a dog in a new environment. You are showing them their spot. Their desk or office if you will. This is where they will sleep, this is their safe spot. Let the dog decompress, your house is a brand new environment, they need to get their bearings before we ask them to understand the rules of our place. Taking your dog from their crate to the yard with a leash will definitely make the most sense to them in the first week or so. You are literally guiding them to where you want them to go potty. The younger the dog, the more you will have to practice this. This is the beginning of “training”, you are showing them around the house, where the bathroom is, where they will eat and sleep. The more methodical you are in setting these rules, the quicker the dog will learn. Repetition, practice, training… create habits. The goal here is for you to show your dog what habits you wish them to practice.
This is the beginning of your job as a dog owner. Protection and direction are our responsibilities when it comes to our dogs. By us starting to direct them as soon as they arrive, it sets our relationship up for success. Obviously we all want to cuddle and play and give our new furry arrival all the freedom in the world, but is that really what is right for them? Dogs are pack animals and learn from their peers, you are now their pack. If you don’t take charge, they will. It is as simple as that. There is no “middle management” in the dog world. Either you are leading or you are following. Be a leader, someone that is ready to set up your dog for success right away.
Either knowing it or not, we are training dogs the moment we start interacting with them. If it is important to you that your new pup doesn’t chew the rug; teach them that. Is it important to you that the new arrival not pee in the guest bedroom? Teach them that. You would like them to eat in a certain spot? Teach them that. I have found that dogs have an infinite ability to do whatever is important to us. We evolved together; they get us. But we need to get them as well. Rules and boundaries are what make a group work. If we all didn’t agree to stop at a red light, it would be chaotic. We were taught that. We respect that. We can all drive because of that.
You are training your dog the moment you meet them. You are training them by showing that you care enough to allow them a spot and time for them to decompress. You are educating them on the rules of the house; when we sleep, when and how we eat, where you go to the bathroom. They will comply, since you are providing them with protection and direction. Dogs are amazing like that, it doesn’t take much to show them what we value, but it does take time and commitment. Start training your dog the moment you meet them. For them, you are already doing it by how you greet them.
