Written by Melissa Bussey Silverman, CDBC, CPDT-KA

Puppies are bundles of energy, and they can get into all kinds of shenanigans! The best way to keep your pup out of trouble is to give him things to do. Physical exercise is important, of course, but so is mental exercise. The more you engage your dog’s mind, the more tired he will be and less likely to pace around the house looking for something to get into. This is especially important if you own a high-energy dog or puppy.

Mental enrichment can come in many forms, from training to exploring to play. Teaching tricks and practicing obedience behaviors can be fun and engaging for both of you. Keep it fun, use treats or toys your dog enjoys as rewards, and unleash your creativity! In addition, learning behaviors such as “stay” and “leave it” require self-control, which can tire out young dogs.

Walks and other activities can be very enriching. Did you know that long “sniffy” walks, where the dog sniffs to his heart’s content, will likely chill your dog out more than a longer walk or a jog? Walks in new places and hikes in the woods on a long line are quite stimulating with new sights, smells, sounds, textures, etc. It’s also more interesting for the human! Other activities might include dog sports such as agility or nose work or supervised dog play with friends.

Another way to increase your dog’s enrichment is to utilize food toys — both for meals and during the day to decrease boredom. Puzzles are wonderful mental exercises! The Kong is a popular food toy that can be stuffed with kibble, canned food, peanut butter, etc. (you can even freeze it to increase difficulty). Other toys are designed for dry kibble or treats, and the dog rolls or bounces the toy to get the food out.

Much of your dog’s food should come from training, a food-dispensing toy, or game (like tossing his kibble all around the backyard or living room so that he has to sniff out each piece) to help tire him out mentally. You can make interactive food toys at home by filling a bottle or container with kibble or treats. But, these should only be given with supervision. Ideas include water and 2-liter bottles, plastic or cardboard milk cartons, cardboard boxes, empty paper towel tubes, etc. Just clean up the cardboard afterward!

Dogs need to chew, and they like novelty, so frequently add new chewies and new toys to their toy baskets. Rotate available toys to keep them interesting. You can also play games like fetch, tug, and hide-and-seek or even make up your own games.

Finally, remember that puppies and young dogs need to sleep — a lot! If your pup has been active for two or more hours and is becoming a handful, he may need to go to his crate for a nap. Put him in there with a stuffed Kong to chew on until he falls asleep. The more outlets your pup gets, both physical and mental, the happier he will be. And the happier YOU will be!

About the Author

Melissa “Mel” Bussey Silverman, CDBC, CPDT-KA Mel is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and Certified Professional Dog Trainer who started Training Tracks in 1998. She has traveled the country studying with the world’s best dog trainers. She runs our Board and Train Program and also specializes in working with fear and dog aggression.

Written by Hannah Garbett

With new puppies come visions of a partner for neighborhood walks, a new playmate for the kids, and a loyal companion to lay at our feet. It can be disappointing and frustrating to realize that puppies aren’t born knowing how to be a well-mannered part of the family. With time and patience, you can help your puppy understand the rules that come with living in a human world.

Having reasonable expectations can go a long way toward helping puppy parents survive the adventure of raising an adolescent dog. Remember that puppies grow up fast! Before you know it, your bouncing baby puppy will be a full-grown best friend.

Puppies and Kids, a Perfect Match?

Kids and puppies seem like a match made in heaven. Often, though, kids and puppies don’t mesh until the puppy is much older. Running and playing kids can look like human squeaky toys to bitey puppies. Kids can be disappointed to learn they can’t play with the puppy every time they want to because puppies need time to sleep and decompress, too. Create clear expectations by setting up specific puppy downtime areas using gates or exercise pens to give everyone some much-needed personal space.

Cuddle Buddy or Baby Shark?

Puppies are so cute! They look like they would make excellent snuggle buddies. Unfortunately, when you want to snuggle, your puppy may be more interested in using your hand as a chew toy. Puppy biting is a totally normal and natural behavior, but that doesn’t make it less painful. With patience and training, puppies can be taught that a hand near them is a cue for calm interactions and learn to direct their biting to more appropriate outlets. This process takes time and lots of management; having realistic expectations can help everyone survive the “baby shark” stage.

Canine Companion or Couch Connoisseur?

Puppies are so small; how much damage could they actually do? Many new puppy parents are surprised when their puppy routinely chooses to chew on furniture and human possessions instead of the plethora of puppy toys scattered around the house. Puppies have a biological need to chew and are indiscriminate when exercising this need. Set them up for success by using gates, exercise pens, and crates to create puppy-proofed areas of your home. Rotating chew toys and using food-stuffed puzzle toys helps create more interest in appropriate chew items and will help you survive puppy teething without too much property damage.

Leash Walks — Tortoise or Hare?

Puppy parents often have visions of long relaxing walks or fast and focused runs with their new furry exercise partner. However, the socialization and exercise needs of puppies are quite different from adult dogs. Don’t expect to cover a lot of ground on your puppy walks; slow and steady is best for puppy socialization. Puppies need positive experiences with the outside world, and sometimes this means just sitting and watching all there is to see! Most puppies learn quickly to follow their owners on leash with positive reinforcement, but they still need time to sniff and explore to learn about the world around them. Lastly, all puppies like to pick things up with their mouths, so it’s important to come prepared with treats and practice lots of “trades” to avoid frustration.

About Hannah Garbett

Hannah is an Associate Certified Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) as well as a Fear Free Certified Dog Trainer. Hannah owns and operates The Proper Puppy, which helps owners live easier, happier lives with their canine family members.

Written by Ashley Johnson, KPA-CTP

Most puppies struggle with puppy biting at some point, and while biting is a natural and normal behavior, those little puppy teeth hurt! Calmly and consistently directing puppies to appropriate toys and chews is the most efficient way to curb biting once it begins. However, you can minimize biting overall by meeting their needs and by using smart management to keep them out of trouble while they mature. Follow along with this puppy biting checklist to reduce biting from the get-go.

Physical Exercise

Dogs need a mix of high-stimulation and low-stimulation exercise. High-stimulation exercise like fetch, chase, and play wears their bodies out but can make some puppies overexcited and bitey. Low-stimulation exercises like sniffing walks and hikes fatigue puppies and may result in an extra calm pup. Watch your puppy and check with your vet to know what’s right for your dog.

Mental Exercise

Mental exercise (enrichment) is any activity that helps replace behaviors that dogs would do when left to their own devices. It’s a way to satisfy your pup’s instinctual needs. Common examples include training, sniffing unique smells, searching for treats, gnawing on chews, licking wet food out of a toy, and shredding boxes or toys. Choose safe enrichment for your pup, and they will feel satisfied and ready to relax.

Hungry or Teething

While most dogs are physically ready for two meals a day relatively young, many puppies need a midday snack or chew to keep from getting “hangry.” If your puppy is extra bitey in the afternoon, divide their daily food into three meals instead of two. Puppies can also continue teething after their puppy teeth fall out and their adult teeth come in. Make sure puppies under 1 year old have plenty of yummy or cold chews for teething.

Over-Tired or Over-Aroused

Puppies who fall fast asleep after a big biting episode were likely over-tired and lacked the ability to play nicely. Additionally, when play escalates and becomes too exciting, many dogs will become over-aroused and lose the ability to keep their mouth to themselves. In both cases, help them settle down and rest with some home management. Management options include leashing or tethering away from the family or separating them with a playpen or crate. Be sure to provide them with some enrichment if they aren’t going to fall asleep right away.

Defensive Biting

Occasionally, what we think of as play biting is actually defensive biting where the puppy is trying to get us to stop something. They may want us to stop petting them, stop playing in an uncomfortable way, or stop approaching their prized possession. To reduce these episodes, pay attention to early signs of discomfort like turning away from you or freezing their body. Because this type of biting can get worse without assistance, be sure to contact a certified professional trainer for a training plan. If you work through this checklist and your puppy is still biting, use your home management to keep them out of trouble, and contact your trainer for more personalized help. This information can be found at www.WhatAGreatDog.com/puppy-biting. Remember, while puppy biting is temporary, your relationship with your puppy is lifelong. Enjoy your puppy’s unique personality and watch them learn and mature!

About Ashley Johnson, KPA-CTP

Ashley is the Head Trainer for the Pet Manners program at What A Great Dog! Training Centers. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Painting and Drawing from the University of North Texas and is a Karen Pryor Academy Certified Training Partner. She enjoys teaching people and training with her Border Collie Bee.

Written by: Marty Becker, DVM, and Mikkel Becker, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, KPA CTP, CDBC, CTC

When a new puppy joins your family, you have a great opportunity to ensure she’ll grow up to be a confident, healthy dog. Central to that goal is helping her understand where she can and can’t go to the bathroom. Here are our tried-and-true tips for raising a perfectly house-trained dog.

First, learn to read your puppy’s body language. Pawing at you, standing at the top of the stairs or in front of the door, barking, sniffling, pacing, circling, and whining are all the canine equivalent of crossing your legs and desperately asking Siri where the next rest area is. Those signals are your cue to scoop her up (or clip on her leash) and get her to the designated potty area fast!

Second, let’s talk about crates. Many people think a crate is a punishment, and we certainly don’t recommend leaving your puppy in it for long periods of time. But if a crate is your puppy’s sleeping area, she’ll instinctively want to keep it clean. And when she’s safely confined in it, you don’t have to worry that she’ll have an accident in the house, which will make it less likely she’ll potty in the house in the future. What’s more, a reasonable amount of time in a crate will help your puppy develop bowel and bladder control.

This brings us to the third tip: stick to a schedule. Puppies need to potty every two to four hours, so it’s crucial you plan accordingly. Events that can trigger a puppy’s need to urinate or defecate include waking up in the morning or from a nap and immediately after eating and drinking.

Excitement and stress can also lead to potty accidents, so letting your puppy play indoors can result in housetraining accidents. You’ll also want to take her out just before bedtime. She should be sleeping through the night by the age of 3 or 4 months, but for younger puppies you’re going to be in for a few weeks of sleep deprivation while you take her out once or twice during the night.

Allow for plentiful potty opportunities around potty-stimulating activities. Provide bathroom breaks within 15 minutes of waking, eating, drinking, or higher excitement activity, including play.

Not all pups will make it through the night, however, as their ability to hold their bladder isn’t fully developed until about 4 to 5 months of age. The general rule of thumb for puppies is that most pups can hold it for the number of months old they are in age, plus one. So a 2-month-old pup can hold it for up to about three hours (though this may be stretched a little during sleeping hours). Depending upon your pup, you may need to set an alarm or cue into puppy noises to take your pup out accordingly and prevent overnight accidents in their sleeping area.

If your pup seems unable to hold it for reasonable lengths of time for her age, consult with your pet’s veterinarian as this may be a sign of an underlying medical issue that requires treatment. Even if all you want to do is sleep, go outside with your puppy every time she has to potty. That’s because you should take every opportunity to praise and reward your puppy with a tiny-sized treat every time she potties in the right place.

Play is another great reward when your pup potties outdoors. Let her have a few minutes of play after doing her duty, and you’ll find she won’t hold back on urinating or defecating because she thinks pottying will trigger going back inside or into the crate. Letting your puppy run loose in your house is not going to end well. She will potty where you can’t see her, which will set up a cycle that can be hard to break. Consider attaching her to you with a leash or use other containment options in puppy-proofed spaces, including closed doors, gates, and inside fencing options. Doing so limits her space and helps her to gradually become accustomed to the home, using her natural instinct to keep her own spaces clean to encourage potty in appropriate spaces only. Such containment options also allow you to always know where she is and what she’s doing, which is important for attending to even subtle cues when she’s feeling the urge to go. Over time, the pup’s space can be opened up little by little to offer increasing freedom as she proves able to go accident free.

Lastly, if your pup tends to potty when saying “hello,” note that she may be displaying an appeasement gesture or feel a little apprehensive about the greeting. Avoid bending or leaning over the dog or reaching over her head. Instead, turn your body slightly to the side, get down more on her level, and pet her in an area she’s more comfortable being touched, like her chest.

Alternatively, you can also channel her energy away from the greeting scenario and into another task, such as turning the “hello” into an opportunity to get her toy or to do a couple of tricks, like asking her to “sit” and “down,” for treat rewards.

What About Adult Dogs?

House training an adult dog is essentially the same as with a puppy. The advantage is she’ll have better bladder and bowel control and won’t need such frequent potty opportunities.

When a previously house-trained adult dog starts having accidents in the home, however, it’s time to head to the veterinarian. Barring major changes in the home, this is usually caused by a medical problem rather than a behavioral one. The cause could be as simple as a urinary tract infection (which is very painful and needs to be treated immediately) or the onset of canine cognitive dysfunction (which can be treated medically).

Punishment has no place in house-training, whatever the age of your dog. You want her to learn that going inside the house is wrong, but she’ll actually learn that people are unsafe and unpredictable. She may become afraid to go potty in front of you, which can lead to increased indoor house soiling. Rubbing your dog’s nose in the mess she made or any other form of punishment won’t work and can make the problem worse. Instead, address the behavior by managing his environment and training better behavior.

Another cause for house soiling in previously housetrained dogs is anxiety. For example, dogs with separation anxiety or noise phobias may start having accidents within the home. In those cases, your veterinarian can work with you to control the problem or refer you to a veterinary behaviorist or certified applied animal behaviorist. Another source of anxiety may be a trigger the dog encounters outside. The sound of distant thunder, fireworks, gunfire, or even traffic can be terrifying to the noise-averse dog. If she’s afraid to leave the house, she will be prone to potty inside where she feels safe.