Training & settling in
Every dog that leaves us comes with this, plus our phone number for as long as you have them. Most of what people call a "behavior problem" is a dog who hasn't been shown the answer yet — and almost all of it is fixable in a few weeks of five-minute sessions.
The first two weeks — the 3-3-3 rule
- First 3 days — decompression. They may sleep a lot, eat little, or shadow you everywhere. Keep it boring on purpose. No visitors, no dog park, no big outings.
- First 3 weeks — settling. The real personality shows up and routines start to stick. This is when you begin training, not before.
- First 3 months — home. They understand this is theirs. Confidence arrives, and so does the occasional test of the rules. Normal, and it passes.
Whatever happens in week one is not who they are. Judge nothing yet.
Six things worth teaching, in this order
- Their name — they look at you, they get paid. That's the whole exercise, and everything else builds on it.
- Sit — the default polite behavior. Ask for it before food, doors, and greetings.
- Recall — the one that saves a life. Say it once, make it a party every single time.
- Leave it — chicken bones, pill bottles, the thing on the sidewalk. Second most useful cue there is.
- Place / settle — go to a mat and stay. Solves jumping on guests, begging at the table, and the doorbell, all at once.
- Loose-leash walking — the slowest to build. Worth every session.
How training actually works
- Five minutes, three times a day beats an hour on Sunday. Dogs learn in short reps.
- Mark the exact second they get it right — a clicker or a sharp "yes!" — then pay. Timing matters more than the treat.
- Pay well for hard things. Kibble for sit in the kitchen. Real chicken for coming back at the park.
- Set them up to be right. If they can't do it, make it easier until they can. Repetition of success is the whole method.
- Never call them for something they dislike. Don't use recall to end the walk, trim nails, or crate them. Go get them instead. One shortcut here costs months.
- End while they're still winning. Stop a rep early, not a rep late.
If something isn't working
Pulling on leashStop walking the instant the leash goes tight; move again when it softens. Pulling stops the walk. A front-clip harness buys you a calmer month while you teach it.
Jumping on peopleJumping is a greeting, not defiance. Turn away, remove attention, pay the four-on-the-floor moment. Ask guests to do the same — one person who rewards it resets the week.
Counter surfingManagement first: clear the counters. A dog who finds a steak once will check that counter for a year. Teach "place" for cooking time.
Barking at the windowClose the blinds or film the glass. You can't train against a trigger they rehearse fifty times a day — remove the view, then rebuild.
ChewingUsually boredom or teeth, rarely spite. More sniffing walks and a rotation of real chews. Trade, don't chase — chasing makes it a game worth starting.
Time aloneBuild it in minutes, not hours. Leave, come back before they worry, repeat. Food puzzles make your exit the best part of the day. A second dog or a second household solves it outright.
When to bring in a pro
Call us first — it's free and it's included. Beyond that, get help early for resource
guarding, any growl or snap, fear that isn't improving, or dog-to-dog reactivity. Early is cheap and easy;
six months in is neither.
- Look for reward-based trainers with real credentials — CPDT-KA, KPA-CTP, IAABC, or a veterinary behaviorist (DACVB) for anything involving fear or aggression.
- Walk away from anyone who explains your dog with "dominance" or "alpha," or who reaches for a prong or shock collar first. Both suppress the warning without changing the feeling, and a dog who has learned not to growl is a dog who bites without warning.
Health tips and resources
- See a vet in the first week, even if he came with records. Bring everything we gave you.
- Rabies vaccination is required by law in Tennessee. Keep the tag on his collar and the certificate where you can find it.
- Heartworm prevention every month, all year. Mosquitoes here never fully stop, and treatment costs far more than prevention.
- Register his microchip in your name the day he comes home. A chip only works if the phone number on it is yours.
- Some foods are poison to dogs: chocolate, grapes and raisins, onions and garlic, and xylitol (a sweetener in sugar-free gum and some peanut butters).
Think he ate something toxic? Call your vet, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (they may charge a fee). Don't wait for symptoms.