The Modern Bark | Dog Training Tips

Puppy teething begins with the first eruption of milk teeth When Do Puppies Start and Stop Teething Depending on your puppy’s breed, teething will begin somewhere between 12 and 14 weeks, and the small, sharp milk teeth will begin to be pushed out by the larger adult teeth. The teething phase typically lasts 3 months, and puppies should be finished with the process by eight months of age. Large dog breeds tend to start and complete teething faster than smaller breeds.    With this developmental stage comes a new set of challenges. This is the puppy equivalent to the “terrible twos” -staircase balusters, window sills, house plants, leashes, table and chair legs, shoes and socks, all are fair game to the teething puppy, that does not yet know its boundaries. If she can get her mouth around it, it’s going to be fun to destroy! Puppy Teething Signs and Symptoms Red inflamed and swollen gums. Bulging gums where new teeth are about to erupt. Small amounts of bl

When Should You Start Teaching Your Puppy Obedience Commands? Wait Until Eight Weeks or Older to Bring Your Puppy Home Some of the most important lessons your puppy will learn are taught to them by their litter mates during their seventh week of life.  They are learning important social skills, including bite inhibition, dominance and submission as well as social rank. Litter mates will quickly let each other know when they are taking things too far or playing too roughly. Soft tempered puppies learn coping skills for dealing with dominant dogs. This can be a life saving skill for a puppy entering a home with an established, dominant dog already in residence. Only after they are 8 weeks old, are ready to leave the den and begin a new journey of bonding and learning the manners that will make them your indispensible, faithful companions. Your First Day Home With Your Puppy Prior to bringing your puppy home, your breeder will probably have already begun teaching them some ba

Pure bred dogs offer puppy seekers the opportunity to match their family’s needs with the traits and temperament characteristics of the dog that may best suit their home environment.  Each dog breed was bred to perform a specific set of tasks. For that reason, each breed’s body structure, instincts and temperament have been molded over generations, in many instances centuries, through selective breeding, to develop the breed’s type.   While there are no guarantees on temperaments, pure bred dogs offer prospective owners a good idea of what their puppy will grow up to look like, what is energy level is likely to be, as well as its inherent instincts, tendencies and general personality characteristics. Where To Find Your Dog Breed and Leads on Breeders If you are still choosing between several dog breeds or have already set your sights on a particular breed, a good starting place is a dog show.  Most AKC breeds will be represented there, and in many instances breeders will

Once puppy teething starts, it seems as though some object must constantly be in the puppy’s mouth. And if it’s not, your window sill, stair risers, or your shoes and socks will make equally delicious teething objects.  Save yourself some heartbreak and expense by starting your puppy off right with these durable and safe teething toys.  At all costs, avoid cute puppy toys that look like objects you don’t want chewed up; rubber squeaky shoes and cell phones are toys that teach your puppy to destroy valuable objects. Keep in mind that many of these toys are made for small, soft deciduous puppy teeth.  Some of these chew toys are not appropriate for a heavy chewer’s adult teeth. Watch for wear patterns on them, and remove or discard toys if look like they are getting worn to a point where they are likely to break or rupture. Note: We recently updated this article with the latest natural chew toy that is making in-the-know puppy owner's puppies content the world over.

America's favorite dog breed for twenty years running, is also one of America's toughest power chewers.  These five toys have been tested for durability, interest and safety.  Several of these toys float, making them ideal for retrieval training, as well as all round chew toys. Your Labrador Retriever puppy is guaranteed to love these toys for a long time to come! The GoughNuts Stick is Guaranteed for Life The GoughNuts Guaranteed Indestructible Dog Chew Toys Designed with maximum safety in mind, the GoughNuts Dog Toys are made from premium rubber that is not as plastic tasting as some of the competitor's toys.  The Original Toy comes in green with a red center. Their slogan is, "Green means Go! Red means Stop!" If your dog reaches the red center, it is time to take it away from him and send it in for a replacement.  You pay shipping and a small handling fee for the replacement. Here Black means Go, and Red means Stop! Lab owners rave about the d