Episode #205 What To Do With Your Puppy After a Training Session

Unlock the secrets to transforming your puppy's boundless energy into productive engagement! Wondering how to keep your pup entertained and happy long after training sessions? This episode is your go-to guide for a balanced routine that includes interactive toys, puzzle games, and playful socialization. Discover innovative ways to challenge your puppy's mind and body while enhancing their social skills through well-planned playdates. Whether you're tackling unwanted behaviors or simply aiming to foster a stronger bond, you'll learn how to turn everyday activities into exciting adventures for your dog.

Chapters

• 0:00 Activities for Engaging Puppies After Training
• 6:31 Balanced Puppy Engagement and Bonding

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

On today's episode, we are talking about what to do after a training session. We've talked a lot about what to do during that training session, but what happens when you're done? Young puppies have very short attention spans, so we have to keep those training sessions short, which means you have the rest of the day. What do you do? So let's talk about it today. Thanks for joining me on the podcast. Welcome to the Puppy Training Podcast.

Speaker 1: 0:25

I'm Amy Jensen, founder of Baxter Bella, the online puppy school. Here. We are all about helping you create the best possible experience raising a puppy, from training tips to practical tricks, all aimed at fostering a happy, well-behaved dog who truly feels like part of the family. So if you are ready to enjoy the journey and strengthen the bond with your dog, let's get started. Hey you guys, how are you today? I hope you are having a fabulous week. I'm assuming, if you're listening to this podcast, that you either have a dog or you're about to get a dog and you're looking for some tips. So thanks for checking out our podcast. I hope you enjoy it and find something useful here. We have hundreds of episodes and I've made a roadmap for you. So if you feel a little lost or you're just starting out with us. Head over to my website, baxterandbellacom, click on podcast and there'll be a roadmap there for you that will get you started. So today we are talking about what do you do with the rest of the time after you've finished a training session?

Speaker 1: 1:28

Now, we all know that training is an essential part of ensuring that our dogs grow into well-behaved and happy canines, right? But after that training session, it's equally important to provide appropriate outlets for their energy and mental stimulation. It can keep them entertained and prevent boredom, which, again, boredom leads to problems. So we don't want that Now. Puppies, especially during their formative months, are full of curiosity and energy and without proper engagement, they are going to do dog things, which, in our terms, happens to be undesirable behaviors like chewing, barking or even destructive things in our homes, and we don't want that. So we need structure and we need some management. We'll talk about that today.

Speaker 1: 2:10

I want to give you some effective ways to keep your puppy entertained after a training session, but also teach you how to teach them to entertain themselves and manage themselves, because that is really ideal, right? So, number one, let's just talk basics. Let's talk interactive toys and puzzle games. I love using puzzles to feed my dog, and you know you're going to feed your dog using training as well. So they're going to get some of their kibble through the training session, but after the session's over, put the rest of it in a puzzle toy. Let that puppy knock that toy around, move it around the floor, paw at it, nose at it and figure out how to get that food out of that interactive toy or puzzle. So those are an excellent way to keep your dog's mind engaged and they are having fun and they're doing good things. They're having fun with appropriate items in your house.

Speaker 1: 3:02

Toys that challenge a puppy to problem solve or think critically are especially beneficial. So a puzzle feeder where they have to move a piece to get the food or they have to kind of bump the toy around in order for the food to fall out. That can really help puppies redirect their energy into a productive activity. Now these toys provide mental stimulation, and mental exercise is as good and as necessary as physical exercise. So we can help our puppies develop patience. They learn things like focus, and these are skills that they can use in future training sessions.

Speaker 1: 3:38

Next let's talk physical exercise and play. Puppies need both mental and physical exercise to thrive and it's really important to balance both. After a training session, if I've been working on a stay or a go to bed some behavior where my dog has to hold still a lot it's going to be important to follow that up with some physical exercise. So maybe a short walk, maybe a play session in the yard, maybe a game of fetch something that burns off leftover energy. I like to take my dogs out in the backyard and do some recall training. You can actually make that recall training into a game which does both it does the training and some of the physical exercise. So it depends on your puppy's attention span and where they're at mentally. If they're tired, simply just let them play. But if they maybe have a little more focus left in them, turn that recall into a game and do both at the same time. So playing games with your puppy not only provides entertainment, it's fun for them, it's fun for you, but it also allows them to burn off that excess energy that might otherwise lead to restless or again undesirable behavior around our home.

Speaker 1: 4:40

Engaging in fun games that promotes bonding between you and your dog is a great way to keep them entertained while strengthening your relationship and relationship we talk a lot about that here at Baxter and Bella. It's super important. So tug of war, for example, can be a satisfying game for a puppy as long as it's played with rules and boundaries, and we teach you those rules and boundaries in our program. But we want to always ensure that any physical play is appropriate for the puppy's age, breed and their physical capabilities. So don't overdo it. We don't want, you know, these young puppies who are growing and still have underdeveloped joints, to overdo it. I like the backyard play because my puppy gets to dictate the play. They get to decide when they want to rest, they get to decide when they want to move. And again, the game's Keep it fun because we want it to be fun, we want again that relationship to be built. We want your puppy to enjoy working with you. We want you to be a treat to them, not a threat, all right.

Speaker 1: 5:35

Number three is socialization opportunities. So a great outlet to make happen at least several times a week if possible, is to develop a little play date for your puppy. So if you can find another puppy in your neighborhood that's about the same age, the same size and similar energy levels, that can be a good friend for your puppy. They love to play doggy style, so they like to play has dogs play with their mouths. They like to bump into each other and wrestle and topple and all of those things. But it's important again that we match them up with a dog that's well suited for them. You might find that you'll get a play session put together and your dog and their dog don't really get along. Maybe they don't have the same play styles and maybe it's a mismatch. That's okay and pretty normal. So just be watching, you know. Keep your eyes and ears open for a neighbor that has a dog. Then you might want to get them together. See how it goes and eventually it has a dog. Then you might want to get them together. See how it goes and eventually you'll find a good friend for your puppy.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Now that's not the only option for socialization. So taking your puppy out on a field trip can be wonderful now, before they're fully vaccinated, we simply carry our dogs, so I'll put them in a front-facing backpack and off we go to lowe's or home depot or some dog friendly store. Always ask before you enter with your puppy if it's okay that you bring your puppy in. But you'll start to learn in your area where the places are that are dog friendly, and that's a great outing for your dog. It gives again mental exercise to them as they see the world and experience the sights, sounds, smells of a different place. So, uh, all good options. We have an entire games and activities page on our website for you. If you need ideas. We have field trips for you and places to go and little things to check off as you're out and about. Once your puppy is fully vaccinated, of course, they can walk on the ground and that's a whole new experience for them. So socialization is something that continues in early puppyhood on up through adulthood.

Speaker 1: 7:25

We always want to be socializing our dogs Again, introducing our puppy to new environments or other dogs. It's important to always supervise and make sure that the interactions are positive. We want to limit overwhelming or frightening experiences which can hinder our puppy's socialization and may even cause some fear or aggression later on. So keep things positive. If your puppy seems fearful about something, you just say let's go, and we turn and walk the other way and remove them from the area unless they want to go check it out. We never, ever, force our puppies to check something out.

Speaker 1: 7:52

Up next is chewing, giving our dogs plenty of opportunities to chew. Chewing is a natural behavior for puppies, especially as they go through teething stages, and they are going through teething stages from the moment they come home to you on up through about six to seven months. So providing safe, appropriate chew toys after a training session can keep your puppy entertained and again, they're entertaining themselves at this point with that chew. So that's nice for you and it can satisfy their instinctual need to chew. So giving them something appropriate to chew on, especially those that are flavored or have different textures, it can keep a puppy engaged for a pretty long period of time. Moreover, chewing can also be a stress-relieving activity. So if you've just had a training session and your puppy's maybe had to work really hard mentally or physically, you can chew and they just need a break. This can be a stress relieving activity. So giving them something to just sink their teeth in to and gnaw on.

Speaker 1: 8:43

So ideas for you would be rubber toys like Kongs West. Paw Topples are another good option. I like those because they have a bigger opening. It's easier to stuff food down inside and it's easier also for your dogs to get the food out of those Edible chews such as bully sticks or natural hides can be good options as well. You can always ask your veterinarian what they recommend for your puppy, as they will be able to give you the medical advice for that. However, it's important also to ensure that our chew toys are safe. I always recommend supervising your puppy whenever you give them something new to chew on, so you learn what kind of chewer they are, and we want to make sure that they're appropriate for your puppy's age and size. I'm avoiding toys that can break into small swallowable parts or ones that are too hard for young teeth to handle. Again, your veterinarian can advise you if you have any questions in that regard. All right, now here's a super important one, and this is one I want you to take away at the end of this podcast.

Speaker 1: 9:35

So relaxation time and bonding. Sometimes we over exercise the dog or we think, oh, they're getting so energetic, they have so much energy, they probably need more exercise, and in fact, it's just the opposite they probably need more downtime. So not all post-training activities need to involve intense play or physical exertion or mental exertion right After a training session. It could be really valuable to spend some quiet time with your puppy, allowing them to relax and recharge. This could involve some gentle petting. We could do some puppy massage while they're lying on the floor to give them some calm companionship. It's excellent bonding activity so we can relax and cuddle with them. We can help our puppy just settle down and ensure that they're not overstimulated after a busy session. Now you can be directly involved, as I just mentioned, or this is also a great time for them to spend time on their own.

Speaker 1: 10:30

So puppies need nap time. Puppies need a lot of sleep while they are young and growing. Make sure your puppy gets plenty of rest by providing them with a quiet place to rest and sleep. Oftentimes this means putting them in a crate or an exercise pen, somewhere separate from the chaos that's happening in the home. We really want to allow them to get into a deep, uninterrupted sleep. So if during the day, you notice your puppy is getting overly bitey mouthy or somewhat uncooperative, they are most likely tired and they need sleep. Some mistake this, for again, my puppy needs exercise, when in fact it's the opposite. Our puppies need sleep, and when I say puppy, I mean the whole first year of life. Really, even into that adolescent phase, they still need downtime. They're not as likely to settle themselves as they enter adolescence. They're going to need some help from you possibly. So giving them that structured routine throughout the day where they know, oh, I'm in my crate from nine to 11 while Amy's at the gym, or I'm in my crate from one to three while she's working, et cetera, can help them just settle and relax.

Speaker 1: 11:30

Keeping a puppy entertained after a training session can seem challenging, but it doesn't have to be. Provide them with a mix of physical exercise, mental stimulation, socialization and that important downtime helps maintain a balanced and well-adjusted dog. So remember to offer toys that challenge their intellect. We want to engage in play that's fun and reinforces any learned behaviors that we've taught them to do. Like that recall practice, and we want to allow them to socialize with other dogs. I promise you, if you can find a dog that your dog likes to play with, they will love it and you'll just have a fun time watching them as well, because they're like ah, finally, I get to play like a dog, whereas with us we don't love it when they put teeth on us, right, and they're good at playing with us in appropriate ways, but sometimes that dog to dog play is just super fun for them. So we want to balance both the active and the relaxing. Please don't forget about those naps. They're really, really important, and you'll need a break from training too. So allowing your dog to entertain themselves and take naps in safe areas like crates or pens, that gives you the ability to get things done that you need to without worrying about what your puppy is doing. So balance the day and you'll both be happier, you guys.

Speaker 1: 12:36

Thanks for listening. Have a great week, happy training. Thanks for tuning in to the puppy training podcast. I hope today's tips help you feel more confident and excited about raising your dog. Remember, with a little patience and consistency, you can create a loving bond and a well-behaved pup who's a joy to have in your family. If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave a review and share it with fellow puppy parents. For more resources, visit Baxter and Bella online. Until next time, happy training.