Consistency!
Written by Pam on December 2, 2014
Outdoor House Training:
Along with teaching your KokoBo puppy his name and how to ‘come’ when called, another important lesson is to house train your puppy. All the pups in this litter know the difference of newspaper vs the hard wood floor so the transition in your home should be relatively easy. As I have explained keep your puppy in a small area near to the door that leads outside and where you want him to eliminate. Once the pup starts to wake and move around in its kennel, let him out and bring him to the spot outside the house that is ‘his spot’ to go. You can also continue to train on the newspaper and then bring the soiled newspaper outside to that spot and they will find the scent and go on command.
Consistent Feedings:
You must be consistent with the puppy’s food and water and time of feeding. By feeding your puppy the same time each day, you can train his digestive system to become more…predictable. As you probably know already, within 5 minutes of feeding him, he will need to eliminate.
Consistent Supervision:
With all new toys that you give your puppy, please – please supervise them – some toys are more rugged than others, but I know first-hand how some toys are designed for puppies – but lab pups are truly a breed of their very own and will change the look of any toy quite quickly!
When you puppy wakes in the morning or from a nap, he will immediately need to go to the same place and eliminate – after he plays with the kids and/or drinks some water, outside he goes again to eliminate in that ‘spot’ going through the same door.
Consistent “Safe Place”:
Be sure to teach your puppy that his crate/kennel is a fun-safe place for him to spend time and sleep. By taking the pup to the kennel and sitting with him with the door open will allow him to explore the inside. If you have a small morsel tasty treat, throw the treat into the kennel and say “in” – he will leap for joy in retrieving the treat and actually will learn to love his kennel – treat or no treat. Our homegrown Sage loves her kennel. She can hear the word ‘in’ anywhere in the house and she runs – full speed ahead to her kennel and sits there with the door open until we go and get her :*)
Consistent Parameters:
During the house training when you puppy is out of its kennel, he should not be allowed to wander around the house unless you are there to watch his every move. When you leave the house, he should always be in his kennel or confined to a room that has a linoleum floor or one that can be easily cleaned. Remember though, the puppy should not be confined to its kennel for long periods of time. We want them to love their kennel, not despise it! Also remember that the puppy’s bowel and bladder control are not yet fully developed. A rule of thumb is to add one to his age in months (for a maximum of 8 hours) to equal the number of hours he can be confined comfortably. For example, a 2 month old puppy should not be confined for more than three hours.
Consistent Praise/Encouragement
Always – Always praise – even if the pup performed the command partially – they love the praise – the stroke on the head – and the feeling that we give them of making us proud! Always be cheerful in your praise of “good boy” or “good girl”. If the puppy does not perform the command correctly try hard and not say anything – No No No does not mean anything to them – but they are getting a response from you and that they interpret as a good thing. I guarantee praise goes along way – you will soon be amazed as how they are willing to please you –anytime, anywhere! Love and Enjoy them! Pam