Poodle puppies by florida's best

Before you set foot outdoors with your new pup, plan to start working on your dog's obedience skills at home, indoors. By doing this, you'll avoid a lot of frustration, embarrassing interactions with other dogs and their humans, and establish a strong bond between you and your dog too!

Here is Jen Sotolongo's expert advice on preparing your dog for their first outdoor adventures!

Preparing Your New Dog for the Outdoors

Whether you just added an adult dog or are waiting for the day that your puppy can finally join you on a proper outdoor excursion, there are heaps of ways to prepare your dog for the lifetime of adventures ahead.

If you have a puppy, the more you train, the more fluent your puppy will be when the time comes to hit the road. A bonus is that training is exhausting for dogs, several 15- to 20-minute training sessions daily will tucker your pup right out.

The skills described below will get you off to a great start with your new adventure pal and give your dog a head start if you decide to work with a trainer. This will be hard work, but it's also a ton of fun and worth it for every time you hear someone tell you how well behaved your dog is!

Establishing Boundaries and Creating Routine

We love to treat our dogs like human children. We coddle them, spoil them, and give them privileges with abandon. This doting can, and often does, lead to behavioral issues. This is because dogs are not humans, they're dogs. When humans don't treat their dogs like dogs, then the dogs become confused about who the leader in the relationship is and what the human expects of the dog.

This isn't to say that humans should not be affectionate with their dog however, the affection should be earned and offered at the right time. For example, many dog owners will pet their dog and say "it's OK," in a soothing voice, while their dog is going ballistic at passing dogs. These owners are reinforcing this behavior in their dog, leading the dog to believe this is what is expected of them. When you call your dog and they come to you, that is an appropriate time to give affection and praise.

Each dog reacts differently to privileges. Some maintain wonderful behavior, while others turn into little monsters. If you have the latter on your hands, set some boundaries for at least three weeks and see if you notice a difference. If all goes well and your dog has proven they’ve earned some liberties, you can gradually relax the rules.

What are some boundaries?

• Your dog is not allowed on the furniture.

• You only praise and pet your dog as a reward.

• You calmly greet your dog when you come home as you would a human that you live with.• Your dog is not allowed to sleep in bed with you.

• Food is earned through obedience training.

• Nothing is for free-no ball toss without a command in exchange, no treat or food without earning it.

• No riling up your dog or using high-pitched voices to excite them.

• Give your dog crate time when you are home.

• Don't let your dog tell you when it's mealtime.

• Your dog must respect thresholds (no bolting out the door or jumping out of the car without permission).

Setting these boundaries can be incredibly difficult for humans because we see them as our "fur-babies." They're cute and we want them to feel at home. Here's the thing-—dogs thrive on boundaries and routine. Anxiety is amplified or created by a lack of structure and boundaries, and left to their own accord, dogs will set their own rules and resort to default behaviors like scavenging, peeing or pooping indoors, and chewing, especially when we leave them alone.
Structure shows dogs what is expected of them and alleviates the pressure to decide how to behave. Humans view freedom as humane and as a way to show love however, freedom must be earned. Just like parents don't allow their children to run amok, dogs shouldn't have full reign of the house as they please either. Freedom is an earned responsibility.

Routines and boundaries help confident dogs learn that poor behavior doesn't get them what they want, and help anxious dogs learn to look to their human for guidance. Rules improve the relationship between a dog and their human, which is essential for any outdoor activity.
Implement these boundaries with your new dog and the difference will be incredible. Your dog will begin to respect you, look to you for guidance, and be less reactive—All of which come as a huge step in the overall right direction.

For more great tips, go pick yourself up up this wonderful find of a book: The Essential Guide to Hiking With Dogs​.