How to Teach Your Puppy Indoor Etiquette
Indoor etiquette becomes essential as you move your puppy out of the crate and into the mainstream activities of your life. Puppies adapt to new experiences more thoroughly when they’re young, so the sooner you introduce your puppy to your home, the faster she’ll mature.
Giving your puppy full freedom of your house before she’s trained is a big mistake! Unless you want your puppy to view your home as one big playground, prepare a spot for her in each room and decorate it with toys and a special dog bed. Lead your puppy on a leash throughout your home and settle her on her dog bed if you’re planning to be in the room for any length of time.
Getting started with leading
Leading involves guiding your puppy around the house on a leash. The following steps get you started immediately with leading to teach your puppy proper leash manners and to prevent pulling:
Make sure you’re using the right training collar.
If you don’t know what collar is the right one for your pooch, ask your veterinarian. Until your puppy is 16 weeks, use a regular buckle collar, head collar, or no-pull harness.
Hold the leash or secure it to your waist like a belt.
Put the knot of the secured leash at your left or right hip depending on which side you want your puppy. Use the same side every time and make sure you tell your friends and family which side you clip your pup to because she can become confused without that consistency.
Take her to a hallway or cleared room. Walk straight ahead.
The moment she walks ahead of you, call her name and turn in the other direction. Praise her, even if you feel a tug.
Continue to turn away from her until she pays attention to her name and stops trying to race ahead.
Remember, you’re teaching your puppy to follow you, so if there’s a conflict of interest (she wants to go left when you’re going right), always go your way and encourage her to follow.
As you lead your puppy around, start using your foundation directions.
See the upcoming section “Teaching basic commands while leading.” Encourage everyone around your puppy to use the directions, too.
Dealing with resistance while walking
Following are two approaches you can use to discourage your puppy's resistance while walking:
Kneel forward. If you have a more delicate breed or a timid puppy, kneel down in front of your puppy (facing forward) when she puts on the brakes. Tap the floor, play with a favorite toy, or shake a cup of treats and encourage her to follow you. When she does, praise her warmly. Then go to the end of the leash again and repeat yourself.
Keep trucking. If you have an otherwise confident dog who (you suspect) is just trying to control the direction or rhythm of the walk, don’t turn around. Skip, hop, and praise the air in front of you and walk a little faster: Your puppy will resist initially but will then run to catch up. When she catches up, praise her happily and continue.
Teaching basic commands while leading
Here are some foundation directions to get you started:
“[Name], Follow”: Give this direction whenever you start walking or change direction. As you turn, hold your head high and don’t look at your puppy until she turns with you.
To practice, grab a treat cup, place your dog on-lead, and shake the cup as you walk around, encouraging her to follow by saying “[Name], Follow!” Then pick up the lead and walk around with the cup. Stop every 10 feet or so and give the dog a treat.
“Sit”: Use this direction whenever you offer your dog something positive, such as food, praise, a toy, or a pat. Say the direction only once, helping her into position if she doesn’t respond. You should say “Sit” only once because puppies understand sounds, not words, which means that “Sit, sit, sit” sounds much different from “Sit.”
“Wait” and “Okay”: Each time you cross a threshold or heavily trafficked area, direct her to “Wait” and bring her behind you with her lead. She may get excited, so wait until she settles down before you direct “Okay.” Make sure your feet cross the threshold first. Leaders must always lead.
“Excuse me”: Use this direction whenever your puppy crosses in front of or behind you. Also use it if your dog presses against you or blocks your path. As you say “Excuse me,” gently push your puppy out of your way with your foot or knee (hands are perceived as interactive).
“Settle”: Use this direction to teach your dog to lie quietly in a new environment.
As you lead your puppy around, you may need to sit down to talk on the phone or work on the computer. If you let your puppy free, she may create havoc to get your attention. To discourage this behavior, sit down and leave just enough slack in the leash for your puppy to lie comfortably near your feet. Offer her a chew toy and instruct her to "Settle."
Credit: Illustration by Barbara Frake
Teach your puppy to settle down with a toy when you’re busy with things.
Dogs Glossary
A-B-C assessment
Checking a dog’s airway, breathing, and circulation.
Dogs Glossary
animal shelter
1. An animal control agency run by local government to protect people from animals, take in strays, and manage animal issues and problems within the community. 2. A privately run shelter managed by individuals who want to protect, advocate for, and find homes for animals.
Dogs Glossary
BARF diet
A method of feeding dogs as closely as possible what they would eat in the wild: raw flesh and bones, along with vegetable matter from the stomachs of their prey. The acronym stands for either Bones and Raw Food or Biologically Appropriate Raw Food.
Dogs Glossary
blow out
A twice-yearly shedding of a dog’s undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
blue slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
breeder
A person who raises, sells, and often shows dogs of a specific breed. Reputable breeders screen parent dogs in an effort to produce healthy dogs that conform to breed standards.
Dogs Glossary
castrate
The removal of a male dog’s testicles to render him infertile.
Dogs Glossary
clicker
A small hand-held device that makes a sharp cracking sound when pressed. Paired with a food reward, an effective dog-training tool.
Dogs Glossary
cohesive bandage
A stretchy wrap that clings to itself used to cover and secure gauze bandages without tape.
Dogs Glossary
come into season
The advent of a female dog’s term of fertility.
Dogs Glossary
dead ring
The stationary ring on a training collar that pulls on the collar, not the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
double coat
Two layers of fur — a top coat of stiff guard hairs and an undercoat that serves as insulation.
Dogs Glossary
dropped ears
The term for hanging or drooping dog ears.
Dogs Glossary
Elizabethan collar
A wide, cone-shaped plastic or cardboard collar that prevents a dog from being able to scratch her head. Used to prevent further injury or hasten healing.
Dogs Glossary
euthanize; put to sleep
To kill an animal to relieve suffering.
Dogs Glossary
fall
Hair that extends over a dog’s eyes.
Dogs Glossary
feathering
Long hair that runs from armpit to paw on the backs of a dog’s legs.
Dogs Glossary
free-feeding
Keeping a constant supply of dog food available so that the dog can decide when and how much to eat. It works best in single-dog households where there’s no competition for food.
Dogs Glossary
heartworms
Parasites that live in dogs’ hearts and cause heart failure. They’re transferred through mosquito bites.
Dogs Glossary
heat
The period when a female dog is fertile.
Dogs Glossary
heel
A command and position in which a dog walks at your left side staying with you as you change direction or pace.
Dogs Glossary
hip dysplasia
A painful malformation of a dog’s hip socket. Some breeds are genetically predisposed to the condition.
Dogs Glossary
hot spot
A localized area of skin infection. It’s usually round, red, and warm to the touch.
Dogs Glossary
live ring
The floating ring of a training collar. Attach a leash to this ring for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
neuter
A general term to describe either spaying or castrating a dog to render it infertile. Neutering and castrating are often used interchangeably.
Dogs Glossary
pantaloons
The tufts of hair on the backs of a long-haired dogs legs that make him look like he’s wearing bloomers.
Dogs Glossary
pedigree
A diagram of a dog’s ancestors for three or more generations that lists the registered names of the dogs and the titles they earned.
Dogs Glossary
pinch collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
praise
A verbal reward for a dog , such as an enthusiastic “good dog!”
Dogs Glossary
prong collar
A training collar with interlocking prongs that pinch a dog’s neck when tugged on. Some veterinarians recommend them above all other collars for training purposes.
Dogs Glossary
pulse
Normal dog pulse is between 70 and 120 beats per minute. The pulse of a puppy ranges from 120 to 160 beats per minute.
Dogs Glossary
puppy mill
A place that supplies puppies to pet stores, usually without screening for possible genetic defects or properly socializing the puppies.
Dogs Glossary
registration certificate
The paper certifying a dog’s registration with an accredited organization.
Dogs Glossary
registration slip
An application to register a purebred puppy.
Dogs Glossary
release word
A word that lets a dog know that she is free to move.
Dogs Glossary
rescue group
A network of animal lovers who rescue and find new homes for their favorite breeds or animals.
Dogs Glossary
reward
To give a dog a treat for a correct response while he’s still in the desired position.
Dogs Glossary
ruff
The long, thick fur around a dog’s chest, shoulders, and neck.
Dogs Glossary
separation anxiety
A condition in which your dog becomes anxious and stressed when you leave him.
Dogs Glossary
shed
A twice-yearly process of casting off the undercoat in a double-coated dog.
Dogs Glossary
single coat
A single layer of hairs that comprises a dog’s fur.
Dogs Glossary
spay
To remove of both the uterus and the ovaries of a dog to render her infertile.
Dogs Glossary
stripping
Plucking the dead hairs from a dog’s coat.
Dogs Glossary
titer tests
Tests that check a dog’s immunity levels to determine exactly which vaccinations are needed.
Dogs Glossary
top coat
The top layer of a double-coated dog composed of stiff guard hairs that tend to be naturally water-repellant. The top coat protects the dog’s skin and undercoat.
Dogs Glossary
training collar
A collar that enables you to guide your dog and to check her as necessary — a brief, sharp tug tightens the collar around the dog’s neck.
Dogs Glossary
treat cup
A plastic container filled with small treats or dog food. Shake it and give treats from it as a reward as you train a dog.
Dogs Glossary
undercoat
Fleecy or downy fur shorter than the top layer of a double-coated dog. The undercoat serves as insulation.
