How To Train Your Dragon (Puppy-Edition)

“Happiness is a warm puppy.” -Charles Shultz

Puppies are fur balls of pure, unbridled joy… and we love that about them, but it doesn’t come without its challenges.

Zoomies. Jumping. Chewing. Unwarranted displays of passion. These are things dog-owners are all too familiar with.

We know that with proper training and patience, they’ll learn all the “house rules”. But proper training isn’t always easy (and neither is keeping your patience).

Working with a new pup is especially challenging when they have high-energy or are dealing with past trauma. A BIG reason why we first developed our Calming Bites was to address these issues. 

A single dose of our Calming Bites is enough to settle your pup down and help them focus enough to be trained.

It’s important to know how puppies respond to additive and subtractive training techniques. Use “reinforcements” to encourage good behavior and “punishments” to deter bad behavior.

Additive Reinforcement: Adding something your dog enjoys.

1. Giving your dog a treat for listening.

Subtractive Reinforcement: Removing something your dog dislikes.

ex: Releasing tension on the leash when your dog walks with you instead of against you.

Additive Punishment: Adding something your dog dislikes.

ex: Using “disappointed” tones of voice (low volume, low pitch).

**We cannot overstate enough that Additive Punishments such as yelling or spanking are not an effective form of discipline and will teach your pup to see you as a source of fear and pain.**

Subtractive Punishment: Removing something your dog enjoys.

ex: Taking away their toys or refusing to give them a treat.

Adding a new puppy to “The Pack” is a fun and exciting experience for everyone.  High-energy and high-anxiety pups may require more patience, but with time, they’ll learn the ropes.

You just need the right techniques (and the right treats). Order your pup’s new favorite training bites here.