Six Basic Exercises: Raising your puppy to be a True Companion Dog (TCD)
from Dr. Ian Dunbar’s “Good Little Dog Book”
1. Socializing your dog to people (especially kids), other dogs, other animals, and strange noises and surroundings. More on Puppy Training and Socialization
2. Housetraining your dog so it may live indoors instead of outdoors and in your home instead of at a humane society or in a dog kennel. If you expect your puppy dog to live under your roof with your rules, you must first spend the time to teach it the rules.
3. Creating a chew toy habit so your dog is occupied chewing toys, rather than unprofitably destroying furniture, or barking, or digging in the garden. Choose several durable chew toys for your puppy to stimulate constant interest. Choose chew toys with hollow insides in which you can stuff with yummy treats to aid in maintaining interest. More on Puppy Chewing and Biting
4. Teaching settle down and shush so that little quiet moments become an integral part of your dog’s day and are immediately available upon request. Teach Your Puppy How to Settle Down and Shush
5. Teaching your dog to sit on command willingly, promptly and reliably so that amongst many other things, it does not jump on people.
6. Teaching your dog not to pull on leash, so that you and your dog may enjoy many long walks together. This also helps when allowing and encouraging children to walk the dog.
