How do i train my four month old puppy?

Question
I've been reading a lot about puppy training and majority of them said that the first few weeks are when the puppies should start being trained. Is four moths still part of that? I'm new to training puppies so i really don't know how to train my pup. She is very smart but can you help me in teaching her commands on how to sit, stand, lie down and roll over? Well, things like those. Thank you! :)

Answer
You can train a puppy or dog of any age, Kristine, but if you are able to start early, then there's no reason to put it off! By 5 months of age, my oldest dog (she's 5 now) had already passed a basic obedience course and was well on her way to passing an advanced course, complete with off-leash work!

You want to start off using no physical corrections, and teaching the dog what the commands mean, by using treats and praise. I don't even use a leash during the teaching/learning phase! Of course, if you're outside, you will need to use a leash simply to keep the dog from running off, but you do not use the leash for any other purpose, such as pulling the dog into position, or popping the leash in the form of a correction.

I'm only going to give a brief explanation of how to teach each command. If you need help, you can write me back or consult a local trainer to help you.

'Sit' is probably the easiest command to begin with. If you're feeding two meals a day, then you can use one of these meals as your treats, and keep the dog from gaining excess weight because he won't be eating more than he normally would. I use a cloth nail apron from Lowe's or Home Depot as my treat bag, because they're cheap, easy to toss in the wash when they get dirty, and work just as well as expensive treat bags from the pet store.

To teach sit, get a small handful of her food (at least 5 pieces), and hold 1 piece of kibble between your finger and thumb, and show it to the puppy. Keep the rest in your fist, because you will need them in a second. Hold on tight and don't let her take the piece of food from you! She will lick and nibble and try her best! Then, slowly lift your hand up, so that you are holding the piece of food above her head, *just* above her nose and barely out of reach, and then move your hand back towards her rump. The arcing motion should make her fall naturally into a sit, and  right before her behind touches the floor, you should say the command, and then praise her and let her have a few pieces of food as she's sitting. Then, give her a 'release command' and toss the remaining few treats a foot or so away, so that she has to get up to go get them. A release command can be any word or couple of words that you use to signal that the exercise is over and she is allowed to get up. If, when you bring your hand with the food up and towards her rump, she backs up, or jumps up to try and get the food, do not say anything to her (and don't let her get the food!!!). Bring your hand, with the food, back around in front of her and try again. Remember to say 'sit' just before her rear end touches the floor, and to praise her warmly and happily when she's in the sitting position, as you let her nibble the few pieces of food. Then say "free," "okay," "all done," "finished," or whatever release command you've chosen to use, and toss the remaining few pieces of kibble in your hand a foot or so away so that she has to get up to get them. Repeat several times, and she should begin to anticipate what you are going to do, and immediately sit as soon as you let her sniff the food in your hand! If she does this, again, say 'sit' just before her rear end touches the ground, and then praise praise praise and let her have the rest of her food and end that training session. Eventually, you should be able to say 'sit' before you let her smell the food in your hand, and she will sit. Then you can gradually begin to phase out the food by only giving it every once in a while, but continuing the verbal praise. Then, you can introduce leash corrections for disobedience.

To teach her to lie down, you need to teach her to sit first, because it's easier to get a puppy or dog to lie down from a sitting position. When she's in the sitting position, let her smell the food in your hand, just as when you were training her to sit, and move your hand straight down to the floor, and slightly forward, to draw her body into a lying down position. Just before her elbows touch the floor (as long as her rear end doesn't come up!), say your down command, and praise her when her elbows touch the floor (again, as long as her butt doesn't come up), and let her nibble on the pieces of food in your hand as you praise her, before saying your release command and tossing a few treats a foot or so away so she has to get up to get them.

I would teach these two commands before teaching her to stand, and I would again start from the sitting position. Make sure she understands both sit and lie down completely before you try to teach stand, because if she doesn't, she may become confused.

From a sitting position, let her smell the food in your hand as before, then move your hand straight away from her nose, keeping it perpendicular to the floor. As you begin to move your hand, say 'stand up,' or whatever command you're going to use, and praise her when she does, letting her nibble the food in your hand and then saying your release command and tossing a few kibbles a foot or so away so she has to move to go and get them.


I've never taught roll over, because I've never really had any use for it, but here's how I would approach it if I did: Start with the dog in a lying position. Let her smell the hand with the food, as before, and then move it in a circular motion, going in the direction that her rear legs are facing, so it's easier for her to just roll on over as her head follows the treat. Say 'roll over' as she begins to do it, and don't forget to praise!