Puppy Training Tips

How To Train a Puppy

You should start training your puppy or dog at an early age and from the very moment you take ownership. Positive reinforcement methods work the best - you reward your dog with praise, petting and a food item such as a biscuit or doggie chocolate drop.

Classical Conditioning A Dog

As your dog ages it will also learn through classical conditioning e.g. Lucy starts getting excited whenever I reach for my jacket, trainers or her leash because she recognises these items and associates them with going for a walk. She also associates her bowl with getting fed and will sit rigidly to attention, even if I just pick it up to wash it!








Whilst my four legged companion sat beside me I wrote a book which tells the story of The Drummer Boy. This novel is about the ghost of a Gordon Highlander Drummer Boy from the Battle of Waterloo who haunts a modern day army nurse.


Chapters take place in modern day Aberdeen, at the Noose & Monkey bar and restaurant as well as His Majesty’s Theatre and Garthdee. Other scenes take place at Tidworth and during the Napoleonic War.


Read the first three chapters for free on most devices.


















Flat Coated Retrievers Book






Flat-Coated Retriever (Comprehensive Owner's Guide) is a detailed flat coated retrievers book, published by Kennel Club Books, which will prove useful to any owner. Chapters include the history of the Flat Coat dog, advice on choosing a puppy, health care and training tips.

Buy Now.







If you would like to add your text, image, product, service, website or photo to this flat-coats page then please .






One way to use positive reinforcement during puppy training is with a dog clicker. There is a picture and more information of this great training aid at Pet Planet.




100 Ways to Train the Perfect Dog is a stage by stage guide to training your puppy or dog. Each training session is fully explained and fully illustrated with some lovely photos of dogs enjoying the various aspects of dog training. The authors have an extensive understanding of dog behaviour and write in an easy to understand way as they guide the reader through various training tips such as housetraining, teaching a dog to take treats from your hand, retrieving objects, carrying objects, allowing children to stroke, heel walking, sit and stay and even skateboarding!
More Information.

Teaching Your Dog With Praise And Love

Please never be tempted to smack or hit your dog with any objects - it could cause internal damage to your dog and will only teach it to be afraid of you. A dog loves attention - use this to your advantage and give it regular training and praise. For example to toilet train your puppy or dog take it to the area of garden it should use as its toileting area. Wait with it to use the toilet and say a key word you want it to learn such as "toilet" "do toilet" and when it does do the toilet praise the dog and give it a food treat. Keep repeating this and the dog will soon learn from the repetition of the words and actions and the food rewards. A puppy may still soil indoors - do not punish it but quietly clean it up and persevere - toilet training can take up to three months. The best time to toilet train your puppy is after meals and at bedtime. A puppy or dog will also get restless, start sniffing around in circles or go to the door when it needs to go to the toilet - always respond to these signs and allow it access to its toileting area.

Dog Toilet Training

Another way of dog toilet training if your dog or puppy is persistently marking his or her territory or still urinating around the house is to use the paper dog toilet training. The next time your dog or older puppy urinates inside the house on a moppable floor such as vinyl or wooden flooring get an old towel or cloth and soak up all the urine. Now rub this onto some newspaper (sorry if this sounds disgusting!) and keep this. It is now marked with your dog's or own puppy's scent. Now place this urine soaked paper onto the interior floor near to the outside area where you want to teach your dog or puppy to toilet. After each indoor accident move the newspaper nearer to the outside door until you should be out of the door and placing the newspaper in the garden. This toilet training tip for your dog can work equally well when toilet training an older dog in a new home. Success is shown when your dog or puppy sits patiently at the door with his or her full bladder waiting to go out to the toilet.

The Dog Poop Disposal page gives advice on how to get rid of your dog poo safely and hygienically.




If your dog is younger then you should combine this dog toilet training with walking your dog in an area where many other dogs urinate. Your dog or puppy should soon associate these smells with the correct place to go to the toilet.

Teaching Commands

Commands, such as "sit", "lie down", "stay" "leave" "bed" etc, needs to be taught as early as possible. Start with the sit command - this is a natural position for a dog to adopt and will be easily mastered. You may need to apply gentle pressure over the dog's hindquarters to encourage them to adopt the position, remembering to say the command and offer praise and a food treat. A good time to teach the sit command is at mealtimes, rewarding the dog by placing their food bowl down.




This can be repeated with other commands such as stay. Place the puppy/dog in its bed and say the command stay, remembering to say the command and offer praise and a food treat if it stays. If not place the puppy/dog back in and repeat until successful.



Learn to train your dog to come back when you use a whistle.


Tips on keeping your garden and dog in harmony.


Dog and puppy toy advice.


Advice on stopping your dog eating faeces.


Puppy training can even get you into the Guinness World Records as owner Heidi Demi found out when her four year old Terrier cross called Gustl was listed for the record most clothes retrieved from a washing line by a dog. Thirteen items were retrieved in one minute and clever Gustl obeys over 50 commands from owner Heidi from Germany.






Free UK Delivery on Pet Portraits from photographs at Karla's Creative Capers who did the portrait on the left from a photo of my Lucy. The portraits are ready to hang on the wall and are of a high quality canvas. For full details see www.karlascreativecapers.co.uk