Where to start?

[stephanie.mofield]

Hello everyone! I just got a puppy who is now about 11 weeks old. I’ve read a lot of the info on the site and am super confused as to where to start. I’m on the process of potty training and am waiting for my bells to be delivered that I ordered online. So what do I go onto next? Should I start with the basic commands like sit, come, lay down? Or should I start at the preschool step?

 

Also, at first, he cried all night long in his crate so I put his crate on a chair right next to my bed so he could always see me. That helped A TON! But he wakes up 2-3 times in the night whining so I take him out and he usually pees. How long is this waking up to pee trend gonna last? I’m so exhausted especially since I’ve gotta wake up at 4am for work. Is there a way to train him to sleep longer/hold it longer? I wanna do it the right way for him but am also desperate for sleep. When is a good time to move him out of my room. I feel like I have a newborn baby again. Lol. Thanks so much for the help!

[JMFS]

It kind of is like having a newborn! They listen to reason about as well, too. :D

 

With Momo I took up his water about 2 hours before bed time. By the last potty break of the evening he was pretty much on empty and would sleep through the night. He was 16 weeks when I brought him home, so a little older but not too much more so you should be close to being able to get some regular shut-eye.

 

I'm pretty sure I've seen at least one other post that Adrienne's answered as to what to start with. I'll see if I can find that. Personally I start with come, sit, stay, and leave. They're kind of the staples in our bag of tricks with dogs. I am learning, though, that "drop" is a good one to have. I trained Momo with only "leave" which meant "don't touch that" and "let go of it." However, it's been well explained here why drop is a good idea, plus if they know drop then you're close to teaching them to clean up their own toys! :D

 

Found it, it's a question asking where to start and what order to proceed in: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/forum/showthread.php?46-New-puppy-on-the-way-some-questions

Edited January 5, 2019 by JenniferM.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello Stephanie,

Welcome to the forums! Jennifer provided you with the perfect link (thank you Jennifer!) Things may feel overwhelming at first (lots of things to read through and do), but you'll get through it. You don't have to do all at once. Baby steps.

You can always post here if you need assistance.

Best,

Adrienne