Top-4 Training Tips from Casey’s Legacy, Inc.

Here’s a rundown of our top-four training tips for when you’re bringing a new dog home for the first time, whether it be a rescue dog or a puppy:

  1. Use a kennel. If there is one thing we would recommend all new owners and adopters make use of for adapting a dog to a new home, it would be a properly sized kennel. Introducing a dog or puppy to a new environment can be very stressful for our canine friends. A kennel provides a safe place for the dog to adjust at a pace they can be more comfortable with. It provides a safe place for them to settle into their new home and allows them to relax when things seem overwhelming.

  2. Establish structure. Giving your new dog a predictable schedule will help them to adjust and let them know what to expect. Do your best to feed them at the same time of the day. Also, exercise and train them on a similar schedule as well. Just like humans, dogs like to know what to expect. This doesn’t mean we can’t be flexible, it’s just helpful in their early adjustment to a new home.

  3. Make them earn their food. Teaching a dog to sit and then using that to enforce impulse control at eating time can pay dividends. When it’s time to feed your dog, show him the bowl and make him sit until you put it on the ground for him to eat. If he gets up from his sit prior to you releasing him, lift the bowl back up and make him sit again. Once he understands that he must sit until you release him for his reward (eating), you will be on the correct path to control his impulses.

  4. Start conditioning basic markers. It has been said that dogs live in a 1-second world, so let’s start out communicating with them in a way they can understand. Dogs don’t talk, and don’t typically focus on humans’ voices right away. Conditioning verbal commands usually comes with some sort of movement or input that a dog can understand. The verbal command (just a sound to them), becomes conditioned through repetition. When a dog does something we like, let them know by saying “good” (or something similar, but whatever you choose - be consistent) immediately following the behavior you want to reward. Similarly, if a dogs does something you don’t want, mark it with something like “nope” (again, whatever you choose as long as you are consistent with it). This will help you start some basic lines of communication with your new family member.