Do Not Use The Recall Word (Come Here) To Call Your Puppy To Discipline Him

Your puppy is outside digging in your flower bed. You yell “Come Here” and your puppy doesn’t come so you march over to him, smack his bottom, and say “Stupid dog. I said COME HERE!”. Your puppy is no dummy. He is now thinking that “Come Here” means he is in trouble and will be punished.

Now he is outside playing and it is dinner time. You tell him to “Come Here” and he runs away. So you go get him and drag him inside so he can eat his food. You’re thinking Dumb Dog and say sternly “Why don’t you COME when I say COME HERE?”. Your puppy thinks “Hummm, my memory is right. ‘Come Here’ means I’m in Trouble and am going to be Punished. I had better run away from my angry owner.”

This is how crate training works: your puppy is in the crate at all times unless she’s eating, outside with you going to the toilet, or being played with (active supervision.)

You’ll need to be consistent, or else it won’t work: you can’t let your puppy wander off through the house unless you’re focusing your complete attention on her. If you allow her access to the house before she’s thoroughly house trained, you’re basically encouraging her to relieve herself inside - and remember, each time she does this, it’ll be easier for her to do it again (and again… and again…).

Sample schedule of a morning’s crate training

7am: Wake up. Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
7.25: Breakfast time.
7.45: Back outside for another toilet break (accompanied by you, of course.)
7.50 - 8.45: Play-time! Puppy is out of the crate being actively played with, cuddled, etc.
8.45: Outside for another toilet break.
8.50 - 11: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap
11 am: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
11.05 - 12.30: Playtime! Puppy is out of the crate being played with and petted.
12:30: Lunch time.
12.45: Puppy comes outside with you for a toilet break.
1 - 3.30: Puppy goes back in the crate for a nap.

… and so on throughout the day.

Crate training usually takes one to two months (depending on the breed of your dog and how much time you spend on the training process.) As the puppy grows older, you can begin to reduce the amount of time spent in the crate - but beware of doing this too soon!

Puppies respond to two things - affection and food (treats). Actually there are more than just these two but most result in a nervous and fearful puppy, such as happens by using a loud, mean voice. My first choice would be to use affection as a reward in training your puppy. That way you don’t have to carry a pocketful of treats with you at all times.

Some dogs just learn faster with treats as their reward but if you are patient you will find that most puppies will want to learn from you if they know it pleases you. You show that it pleases you with affection. Pet your puppy, say “Good Boy (or Girl)”, but don’t turn it into a play session. During training sessions the goal is to teach your puppy a behavior, not to play.

Using treats or using affection is your choice, but always be patient and calm. During training no harsh tones or loud commands are allowed. A firm voice is fine so that your puppy learns that you mean business just as long as you control it. And above all, do not get frustrated. After all, a puppy is just a baby dog that happens to learn a whole lot faster than a baby human :)