Terrier Puppy Training – Train Your Puppy Today

Choosing a new terrier puppy can be an exciting time in an owner’s life. While terrier puppies may start out small, some breeds can reach over 80 pounds. Traditionally, terriers were bred and bred to hunt and control small animals such as foxes, rabbits, and rats. Larger breeds of terriers were used to hunt badgers. You will find that your terrier will have a very energetic spirit, a loyal heart and a generally larger attitude than his size would suggest.

Choosing your terrier puppy

When choosing a terrier puppy, make sure they are at least 8 weeks old, show no aggressive behavior, and are generally friendly. If you can, have a vet take a quick look to make sure your potential new best friend is in good general health.

Terrier puppy training should begin when you bring your terrier puppy home, assuming your puppy is old enough and has been properly socialized first. If your terrier puppy is not even ten weeks old or has not acclimated properly with small groups of people or other dogs, you should first take some time to make sure he is used to being around other dogs and people. This will prevent any problems with small dog aggression.

puppy training for terriers

When your terrier puppy is the right age, I would recommend some basic house training. Certain breeds of terriers, such as bull terriers, can be especially stubborn when young. I recommend that crate training be used and it really is recommended that you be home as much as possible during home training so that you can begin to establish leader of the pack status and correct deviations quickly. While it may seem time-consuming at first to train your terrier puppy properly, once the proper behaviors are established, you will find that your terrier puppy will stick to the house rules with amazing loyalty. The initial time investment will pay off in the end, trust me.

Once the basics are covered, the next step is to build your terrier puppy’s environment to help establish that you are the undisputed leader of the alpha pack. Instruct your terrier puppy not to chew on toys. If your terrier puppy bites you, you can help correct that behavior by letting out a clear whimper to let him know it hurts. Also, a word about the furnishings. Don’t let your puppy jump on the couch and don’t let him sleep in the same bed with you. The crate should be used as much as possible in the early stages of your puppy’s life. Over time, it will extend the amount of time they can stay there.

When your terrier puppy reaches 3 months of age, it’s time to begin obedience training. Try to master the basics like getting your terrier to sit still, sit, lie down, focus on you, come when called, wait inside doors, and not pull on the leash. The emphasis on obedience training should continue through 6 months of age.

Terriers have an especially good ability to pick up on movement cues from their owners, although with some breeds of terriers, you’ll find that they may not want to follow suit right away. Be patient, over time the melody will change.

Use Terrier Puppy Training to Protect Them

Since terriers are naturally curious creatures, you will find that they will want to get out and learn about the new environments they encounter as much as possible. In the terrier’s early life, teach them not to chase cars, as that behavior is sometimes the first reaction a terrier has when encountering this new moving object. Also instruct him to stop on sidewalks and not to walk away from you in public places. Otherwise, they risk getting hurt by cars crossing the street or getting lost in a crowd of people. Keep the leash in the den while you walk him until you can be sure that he will return when called and not stray too far from you. Trying to chase down a fast terrier can be a very tiring exercise!

While training a terrier may seem like a challenge at first, especially to dog owners who have never owned one before, you’ll find that terriers really are a loyal breed. With proper terrier puppy training, they will begin to follow your commands in line, stay with you when you’re out in public off-leash, and keep your house free of “surprises.” But you need to make sure you set the rules early and be interested in enforcing them in the critical early years.

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