As a new pet owner, you’re super excited about the joys of owning a Doberman puppy. There’s nothing cuter than a little dog with puppy breath and a huge sense of curiosity. But, puppies can be frustrating and tiring to deal with. They like to chew things, make messes in the house, and wake you up at all hours during the night. To tackle the challenges of adding a new puppy to your family, early training is a must.
Dobermans are known for their intelligence, high-energy, obedience, and alertness. But no matter the breed, training a puppy is no easy feat! Training should start the moment your puppy enters the home if you want your puppy to grow up to be a good canine citizen.
Here are four simple steps on how to train your Doberman puppy:
- Embrace a Routine
- Crate Training
- Potty Training
- Obedience Training
To make training your puppy a little easier, here are the four steps explained in detail, including useful tips, tricks, and training items.
How to Train a Doberman Puppy in 4 Steps
1. Embrace a Routine
Doberman puppies work well when they have a set routine to follow. By having a routine, your puppy will understand when it’s time to eat, sleep, play, and go to the bathroom. In your home, place your puppy’s food and water dishes in a location that’s easy to access. Most people prefer to feed their dog in the kitchen where water and food messes can be cleaned up with ease. Once you’ve introduced the puppy to this location, don’t change it. Make eating easier and less messy for your puppy with a PETMAKER Non Skid Pet Bowl Tray. This tray keeps your puppy’s bowls from moving and makes clean up a breeze.
Keeping your puppy’s bed and toys in an accessible location is also important. Familiarity is key when teaching your dog the ins and outs of your home. Keep toys in a bin, such as the DII Bone Dry Pet Toy and Accessory Storage Bin. This storage bin is also an ideal place to keep your dog’s leash as well as blankets and any other puppy-related items.
2. Crate Training
For some owners, the idea of putting their dog in a crate seems cruel and unfair. But, studies have shown that crate training is beneficial in that it makes housetraining much easier and prevents destructive habits like chewing or getting into other shenanigans. A crate will become your puppy’s den – a safe place to sleep, rest, and play.
To begin crate training your Doberman puppy, you’ll, of course, need a crate. MidWest iCrate sells both single and double door options as well as a variety of sizes. Though just a puppy now, the crate you buy should be big enough for your dog’s adult size. For now, you’ll use a divider to give your puppy just enough space to stand, turn around, and lie down. Giving your puppy too much space leaves extra room for going to the bathroom in the crate.
3. Potty Training
There’s nothing more frustrating than having to clean up after a puppy that has pooped in your home. Potty training and housebreaking are essential if you want to keep your sanity! Following a routine and embracing crate training both help with training your puppy. For most puppies, potty training can take up to 6 months. Potty training your puppy requires a lot of patience and consistency. While you may get angry at your Doberman for going to the bathroom indoors, positive reinforcement is best.
To start with housebreaking your puppy, stick to a regular feeding schedule. Give your puppy 20 minutes to eat and then take away the food between meals. Take your puppy outside 30 minutes after a meal and use a command such as “out” or “potty”. You’ll also want to take your Doberman outside after waking up from a nap and first thing in the morning.
Once outside, take your puppy to the same spot each time. The scent will be enough to prompt the pup to go. Once your puppy does its business, reward the dog with a treat and give plenty of praise. Zuke’s Mini Naturals Dog Treats are small in size but tasty enough to let your dog know it has done a good thing.
If your puppy has an accident inside your home, clap or make a loud noise to interrupt the dog. This should give you enough time to take your Doberman outside so that the pup can finish its business. After, reward the dog with a treat. After enough practice, your puppy will understand that it needs to use the bathroom outside.
4. Obedience Training
Obedience training is fun for both you and your pup. You can teach your Doberman simple commands at home with practice, tasty training treats, and a NewNewStar Pet Training Clicker. A clicker is a reinforcement tool that helps to promote good behavior. If you tell your dog to sit, click, and then give a treat, your pup will pay attention to the click.
Common obedience commands to teach your Doberman include:
- Sit
- Stay
- Come
- Down
- Leave It
When teaching obedience commands, placement is key. For example, when teaching your dog to sit you’ll want to hold the treat close to your dog’s nose and slowly move your hand up. As your puppy follows the treat, it will naturally go into a sitting position. Once sitting, say “sit,” click, give a treat, and give praise.
Final Thoughts
For successful obedience training, practice makes perfect. Train your puppy for no longer than 30 minutes; otherwise, the dog is more likely to lose interest and focus. After your puppy masters these skills, you can move onto more advanced commands.
If you have other dogs at home, that aren’t Doberman dogs and also need training, make sure to check out our other pet training articles.
Featured Image By: nagets, Shutterstock
