Puppy Training: Well-Behaved Cuties vs. Adorable Hellions

Your irresistably cute new puppy is now home with you, and it's time to begin the necessary puppy training. As with any youngster, puppy training takes patience & time, with lots of praise to help it along.

House training a puppy is probably the first thing most people focus on, and with good reason. Once your pup is reliably housebroken, you can concentrate on teaching him other commands without worrying that every time you turn around, he'll be spritzing the floor for you - or worse! Fortunately there are many products that can help pet owners with this aspect of puppy training.

Puppy pads, for instance, are absorbent, leak-proof, and specially scented pads that encourage puppies to use them when they need to eliminate. These pads help to simplify housebreaking, plus they can be moved outdoors to help teach pups to eliminate outside.

If you've never used puppy pads before, you may be wondering how well they work. Most work very well - they absorb liquid quickly, and they hold a lot of it too, thus protection your floors. That's not to say that your puppy will automatically know what to do. You will still need to show them the pads and praise them when they use them. Puppy pads can also be used when you think you'll be gone for an extended time and won't be able to get home to give your puppy his usual bathroom break.

Of course, training isn't just limited to housebreaking - teaching your new four-legged fuzzy pal the appropriate house manners is just as important. Things that come naturally to dogs are also things that humans often don't appreciate (think: rolling in something disgusting, then happily rubbing against a favorite piece of furniture in the house). But dogs need to be taught - in a positive way! - what the rules are.

Puppy training definitely requires patience and commitment. A new puppy is a real joy to have around - lots of work, but lots of love, too! Spending time with your new pet and teaching him the appropriate "doggy manners" is an investment that will pay off with a well-mannered friend for many years to come.

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