Bringing home a puppy or a new dog can be a stressful situation, especially for first time owners. How do you prepare your home for the pup?
Here’s a checklist of training equipment you may consider having for your home and pup:
- A crate – one with dividers, large enough for when the puppy reaches adulthood
- It is best to start crate training your puppy right away. Why?
- For: House breaking, timeouts, vet visits, etc…
- Important: Make the crate an enjoyable and safe place for you puppy
- It is best to start crate training your puppy right away. Why?
- A 6 ft. leash – depending on whether your puppy will be a large/medium/small breed
- Be sure to get an appropriate thickness leash that is safe and comfortable for both you and your pup
- To be used for Loose Leash Walking, Recalls, and is in general a good length for most training
- A Collar/harness – again, depending on breed size
- A martingale collar for medium to large breeds and/or a front clip harness
- Front clip harness can be used (recommended) for all breeds
- Martingales may be needed to complement the harness (Prevent slipping off shoulder)
- A flat buckle collar for small breeds and a front clip/back clip harness
- Important: Teach your puppy to walk on a leash without tension
- A martingale collar for medium to large breeds and/or a front clip harness
- A longer leash (10 ft., 30 ft., etc…) To work on recall training with all breeds
Remember: Take your training equipment into consideration when training your puppy or dog. If the equipment isn’t working out, look into changing it to something different. (ie. From a flat buckle collar to a martingale collar/or from a martingale to a front clip harness)
Maybe it isn’t the equipment: take a step back with the training and start off with something simple like Sit-Stay and set your dog up for success!
