Puppies are incredibly smart – they pick up everything they see, hear, smell, taste, and touch. They also store incredible amounts of information about places, people, and behavior. The biggest mistake that owners can make is to just let that information sit there. Use the dog’s early learning capacity by teaching your puppy the good manners that you want him to know for the rest of their life.
One common myth is that dogs weren’t capable of learning until they were at least 6 months old. This old myth has long been disproven, puppies as early as 3 weeks old experience a stage of rapid brain development. That is why Midway Dog Academy believes in training your dog from a puppy. We offer dog training for puppies that will teach them basic manners, important socialization skills with stable pack members, and full obedience training for the real world dog! This way as your puppy grows into adulthood, they’ve have had key skills to become well-balanced dogs. Having a well-balanced dog in means you can bring them to the dog beach, participate in the marathons, and be capable of walking down the street without pulling on a leash.
We are firm believers in being pro-active in any dogs training regardless of their age. Obviously the sooner the better, and better late than never. The reason we believe in being proactive is because you are not being re-active to already developed bad habits or unwanted behaviors. When puppies practice bad habits, practice makes perfect. It’s a common thought that ‘they’ll grow out of it’; which is not the case. Yes, in some cases people may get lucky and their dog stop doing whatever it is that the owner didn’t like or approve of. Unfortunately, it is more common for puppies to continue unwanted behaviors well into adulthood. The reason for this is because they do not know any better if they have never been corrected or stopped from doing such behavior.
Unwanted behaviors should also be addressed. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a confused dog that thinks it’s appropriate to nip, chew household items, jump on people, countersue, etc. By giving your new puppy guideline and boundaries from the beginning, you are showing them the ropes and teaching them what is acceptable and what is not. Just remember that dog’s are all pack animals and in being such, they need that guidance from the leader. Ideally it will be you that is that leader figure for your dog, otherwise you will likely have a dog that will try to fill that role themselves. That is why we strongly encourage dog owners to begin puppy training as soon as possible and get your new dog started down the right track immediately.
Skip bad behavior by training your dog as soon as you bring him home!
