Episodes

How to Calm a Hyper Puppy

May 19, 2023

As a professional dog trainer, I have never been asked to help make a puppy more hyper, but almost every new puppy owner requests some training on how to make their puppy more calm. To achieve the goal of puppy calmness, it’…

It’s Not the Puppy's Fault

May 7, 2023

The goal of raising a puppy is to prevent unwanted behaviors from developing so that you can live harmoniously with your puppy. Most new puppy owners allow most unwanted behavior to develop, even reinforcing the behaviors in…

How to Stop Puppy Barking in the Crate

April 21, 2023

How to Stop Puppy Barking and Crying in Crate It’s important to note that some barking or crying in the crate from your puppy is normal at the beginning. The acclimation period of crate training is about 2 weeks. If, afte…

Why Are So Many Puppies Being Rehomed?

April 11, 2023

This is a great question. In this podcast episode, I will discuss why so many puppies are being rehomed and how to prevent this from happening to your puppy. Why Are So Many Puppies Being Rehomed? Owners don’t have time to r…

Essential Equipment for New Puppies

April 10, 2023

Here is the List of some Essential Equipment for New Puppies. Find the links to these items in this blog post . Dog Bed for relaxation and teaching place Play Toys for enrichment Kong® mental stimulation toys LickiMat® menta…

The Importance of Puppy Socialization

April 3, 2023

Isolating your puppy in the house and yard during their critical socialization period of 4-16 weeks is a big mistake. Lack of puppy socialization during the critical period of their life is the number one reason they develo…

How to Meet Your Puppies Needs

March 29, 2023

Every puppy has different needs. Below are the ingredients, and it’s up to you as the puppies owner to determine the exact recipe. This list is presented in order of importance for creating a happy, healthy, and obedient pup…

Why Your Puppy Needs Mental Stimulation

March 25, 2023

Mental stimulation is often referred to as enrichment and covers a wide variety of activities. They often appear to be fun games or clever ways to feed snacks, but they're really so much more than that! You can read the full…

Puppy Training Series: The Watch Me Command

March 15, 2023

This is a great exercise to build the relationship between the handler and the puppy. We start this in the house with no distractions, then move it outside with distractions so she can get focused back on me when she has rea…

Puppy Training Series: No is Not a Cue

March 12, 2023

I found this post on another dog trainer Olivia Mergl of Mannered Mutts Dog Training on Instagram. Below is her post text. The image that goes with the post will be placed on a blog post here . No is not a cue!! No is not a …

Be Patient With Your Puppy

March 3, 2023

There are two ways to be more patient with your puppy, and I will discuss both in this episode. Patience will go a long way when raising a puppy. Give your puppy time to learn and adapt to your lifestyle. Be patient when t…

Should Your Puppy Sleep in Your Bed?

Feb. 26, 2023

In this episode, I discuss the pros and cons of having your puppy sleep with you in your bed. Remember, that is my opinion, and the opinions of other dog trainers and vets will vary. The Complete Puppy Training Manual is no…

The First Day With Your New Puppy

Feb. 21, 2023

In this episode, I share what I did during my dog Dixie's First Day Home on May 5, 2020. I immediately taught Dixie her name, leash acclimation, and set boundaries in the apartment. Notice my tone, words, and leadership ski…

Leash Training Your Puppy - Part 2

Feb. 19, 2023

I use three types of walks for puppies that I train. Each of these walks is unique and can be combined to achieve multiple goals in one outing. The Training Walk The Enrichment Walk The Potty Break Walk Roughly 40% of your w…

Why Your Puppies Behavior Is Not Improving

Feb. 5, 2023

The top 3 reasons why your puppy's behavior is not improving: You are reinforcing the unwanted behavior. You are trying to "fix" your puppy instead of teaching your puppy. You are not being consistent. Use this FREE chart be…

Leash Training Your Puppy - Part 1

Jan. 29, 2023

In this episode, I discuss one of the chapters of my new book, Leash Training Your Puppy , which will be available by the end of February 2023. To get on my mailing list for updates on the book release date, go to PuppyTrain…

Puppy Behavior Modification

Jan. 4, 2023

Use this FREE chart below to help identify unwanted minor puppy behaviors and teach a replacement behavior. Practice reinforcing the replacement behaviors without reinforcing the unwanted behaviors. Download the chart here h…

How Old is Your Dog in Human Years?

Dec. 7, 2022

I recently received an email from Dr. Leslie Brooks DVM, MPH, and a Vet Advisor for Betterpet. She sent me some information on a new tool that she helped create called The Dog Age Calculator. She went on to say that many pe…

Potty Training and Puppy Vaccines

Nov. 6, 2022

This is a great question that was a comment on one of my YouTube videos. The short answer is "Yes, But Follow These Rules To Stay Safe." Links to supporting articles and Podcasts: PawsGeek.com article: https://www.pawsgeek.…

Top 3 Reasons Why Puppy Potty Training is Failing

Nov. 2, 2022

Our most popular episode has been #3 from January 12, 2021, on How to Potty Train Your Puppy . I continue to receive comments on social media posts and daily emails from local clients of Top Gun Dog Training who are having t…

Using Corrections With Puppy Training

Oct. 23, 2022

In this episode, I am going to discuss important details about using corrections with young puppies. This information is a companion to the past episode #56 on The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training. When to use cor…

The Benefits of Positive Reinforcement Training

Oct. 19, 2022

This episode is from an article written by Taylor Andrews for my website. You can read the entire article here https://topgundogtraining.com/blog/f/the-benefits-of-positive-reinforcement-training Dale's dog training website …

Setting Rules and Boundaries for Your Puppy

Aug. 14, 2022

Everyone in your family, including dogs, has to have rules and boundaries in the house. You should start teaching the puppy rules and boundaries as soon as you bring them home. Giving a puppy too much freedom and the ability…

The First 5 Things to Teach Your New Puppy

July 4, 2022

These 5 things need to begin even before the basic obedience training command such as sit, down, stay, etc. Potty Training - Episode #3 Crate Training - Episode #21 Rules and Boundaries Puppies Name Stopping Play Biting - Ep…