Training

The puppies haven't even left for their new homes yet, but it's time to start thinking about looking for a training class. Classes at good training facilities fill up quickly and it is important to enroll pups in a class by the time they are around 12 weeks old. A Puppy class should have a strong focus on socializing pups with other puppies and people, but will also cover basic obedience skills (sit, down, stay, leash walking) and provide pointers to help deal with behavioral issues (jumping, barking, digging).

A good place to search for a good trainer in your area is to visit the Association of Pet Dog Trainers website and use their "trainer search" feature. I couldn't get the search function to work this morning, but my business partner Jen Keene is an APDT member and should be among the trainers listed for the Beaverton area.

To get you enthused about training your pup, here is an excellent website on clicker training with some puppy-related articles. Clicker training is a super fun way to train your pup. You can teach and reinforce cued behaviors (like sit or down) and reinforce behavioral responses (like confidence or self control) with the clicker. The pups will be getting "clicked" when they get their meals for the remaining time before they come home, so they should be "conditioned" to the sound of the clicker when they go to their new homes.