teaching puppy the NO command

Question
I was wondering whats the best way to teach my puppy the No command?
Do I say it loudly? Do I look her in the eyes? I have read so many different
ways.
Also I was reading one of you other articles and so that you said something
about not getting your puppy before they are 8 weeks old. What happens if
you do I was told by my breeder to come get our puppy at 6 weeks old. I am
going to have problems with her know I am worried.
Thanks in advance.
-Annie-

Answer
Generally, puppies need to stay with their littermates until at least 8 weeks of age so that they can learn how to properly interact with each other and other dogs. It is during the time between 6 and 10 weeks that they start figuring out dominance and submission among each other, as well as bite inhibition (learning how hard is TOO hard to bite when playing). If you separate a puppy from his/her littermates before this time period, then they are often more difficult to socialize, unless you can arrange for them to play with other (vaccinated!!!) dogs after you bring the puppy home to live with you. If you already have another dog, then there's nothing to worry about, as long as your other dog will get along with the new puppy.

Why did your breeder say to pick up your puppy at 6 weeks? Just curious.


The best way of teaching the word "NO" is to have the puppy associate it with something negative, such as a squirt from a water bottle, a quick jerk of the leash, the loud sound from a penny can (which I don't really like because I believe it can cause the puppy to become fearful of sudden loud noises later on), etc. You don't have to yell it, and you probably shouldn't look her in the eyes, because that could result in submissive peeing.