Puppy Training & Socialization › Gary Maria Professional Dog Training

Dog & Puppy Training Success Stories

Gary Maria — Sun, 11 Jan 2026 23:01:01 +0000

Over the years, I have helped thousands of people and their dogs eliminate unwanted behaviors and become better versions of themselves. Dog training is necessary for dogs to provide them with the structure and mental stimulation they need.

For puppies, it’s essential as young puppies are going through one of the scariest times in their life and a structured puppy management program, teaches puppies how to best adapt to their environment so they develop into healthy and adaptable dogs in their adulthood.

The dog in the sweater completed training to become an emotional support dog.

This dog successfully completed basic obedience training and has now graduated to my advanced off-leash obedience training program.

This very sweet and loving dog went through my basic obedience training program to stop its habit of pulling on the leash.

I worked with this adult dog to eliminate heavy leash pulling and excessive barking in the home due to noise sensitivity level. We focused on creating a postiive reward system so we had a positive way to reward the dog for good behavior, while doing positive enforcement training

This dog had severe anxiety and leash reactivity (aggressive on leash). We focused on changing the focal point for the dog to focus on its owner. Did stress reduction through structured obedience training

Trained this dog to stop pulling and jumping

This dog was a fear biter. We worked on impulse control and leash manners.

The post Dog & Puppy Training Success Stories first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

Gary’s Dog & Puppy Care Basics

Gary Maria — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 06:55:46 +0000

Avoid	Do this instead
Neglecting to socialize puppies. They will become anxious as adult dogs if they do not have the chance to investigate the world when they are still young. However, socializing must be done carefully.	Socialize you puppies carefully. The initial socialization period is from 30 days to 14 weeks of age. It is during this time that social skills are imprinted on puppies and their interaction with dogs and humans needs to be positive.
Correcting puppies under 16 weeks of age with negative feedback. It will stress them instead of teaching them and could take learning ability away due to stress.	We must micro manage puppies and have them earn more freedom through positive behaviors. Owners must have a reward system that the pup understands.
Dragging puppies. If they stop often when on the leash, they are frightened or processing information. Avoid making an adult dog to walk in the same position for a long duration, this could add stress.	Loose leash walking is very important for dogs. When a dog is on a tight leash, it takes their flight instinct away and will cause stress during the walk. All dogs need a basic obedience program for manners and control.
Not allowing your dog to smell. This is how they gather information since their eye sight is much weaker than typical human eyesight.	Sniffing is how dogs process information. By sniffing on walks, they find out who has been there prior, if he/she is safe, etc. At times, allow your dog to smell as long as they want, other times for just a few seconds and other times, keep walking. We can control the smelling, but we must be fair to their natural desires as well.
Leaving your dog alone for long periods of time can cause separation anxiety issues.	Some ideas for how to prevent loneliness: Find a nearby retired person to take the dog to their home during the day while you are working. Share ownership with another person or family who can help keep the dog company during the day. Hire a dog-walker or dog-sitter to visit during the day. Take your dog to doggie day care Seriously consider getting an older dog if you work full-time outside of your home.
Having your dog lose trust in you as the leader by failing to make wise pack leader decisions.	There is no grey area when it comes to the hierarchy of a pack of dogs. Either I am the leader, or you are. People tend to confuse a love relationship with the working pack leadership role. When there is a love relationship, the dog listens fairly well in a quiet and controlled environment. On the other hand, a dog that looks at you as the leader will obey in uncontrolled environments (once trained).
Never pin a puppy or a dog on its back for any reason – this can easily cause trauma and post-traumatic stress syndrome in a dog for its entire life. Don’t repeat commands. Avoid overshadowing behaviors	Remember that you are always training your dog. If you repeat commands, you are training your dog to ignore your first command. If you do not avoid overshadowing behaviors, then your dog will not be trained to respond to the verbal command. Pinning puppies or dogs does not address the root issue, it only creates fear and destroys the leader/follower relationship.
Do not ask your dog to do a behavior if you can’t enforce it within 1.5 seconds.	Dogs live in the “now”. Always give positive feedback within 1.5 seconds or they will not understand what you are trying to teach them. Feedback after 1.5 seconds can create a negative association with that person or particular environment.
Avoid teaching the Down/Stay near the door when guests are arriving. It is unrealistic to expect a non-trained dog to have enough impulse control to be successful. This is testing; not training.	Teach the Down/Stay away from the door first and then bring the dog closer and closer as they build their impulse control skills. Assure that they are successful before they get close to the door.
Avoid teaching Down/Stay and then walking away and calling your dog to you. This weakens the stay behavior because dogs learn through repetition. After walking away the dog will be anticipating your next command, which is the recall.	Instead of calling the dog to you, strengthen the dog’s behavior by returning before you release the “stay”. This will help your dog to not anticipate your releasing from a distance. Once the dog is well trained, then you can practice calling your dog to you from a stay position at a distance.

The post Gary’s Dog & Puppy Care Basics first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

Why dogs and puppies need training

Gary Maria — Tue, 09 Jul 2019 23:03:35 +0000

Every dog, regardless of size or age, deserves, craves, and benefits from dog training. Embrace this opportunity to create a bond that is based on understanding and clear communication.

In my experience, the most effective approach to dog training is consistent and personalized training sessions.

Structured dog training encompassing behavior modification, obedience training, effective communication, and socialization sets the foundation for a harmonious dog-owner relationship. These practices promote a positive adjustment to their surroundings for puppies and dogs of all ages.

To achieve a well-rounded dog training or puppy training experience, we focus on:

1. Encouraging positive behaviors

2. Instilling confidence

3. Fostering social skills

4. Creating safe space for a dog or puppy to learn and grow in

This guided training journey ensures that your puppy thrives in their new environment, setting the stage for a fulfilling companionship.

The post Why dogs and puppies need training first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

What can I do about my puppy’s submissive peeing?

Gary Maria — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 12:14:10 +0000

Unless it is genetics, submissive peeing is normally caused by the puppy being over-stimulated. A good example is, I walk through the door from work or shopping and I am already feeling guilty I had to leave such a young and cute puppy alone for such a long period of time. With all the guilt rushing I greet my puppy with lots of love, hugs, kisses, and animated tone of voice. This makes my puppy very excited and stimulated. A young puppy just cannot control its bladder because the bladder is a muscle and with young puppies there is not much muscle control. To control submissive peeing, do not make it an event when you get home. Do not use an animated tone of voice. Instead stay very calm. If the puppy is in the house, immediately take it outside and then give the command to go potty. When the puppy is outside, use a more animated tone of voice and greeting. A good idea in the beginning is to start interacting with the puppy outside so it can go potty first. This gets the puppy used to this routine and reinforces the behavior that the puppy should go to the bathroom outside, and not in the house. If submissive peeing is not addressed immediately, submissive peeing in the house will make it much more difficult to house break the puppy, because the scents will be all over the house. Having these scents in the house tells the puppy it actually should pee in the house and pee in the areas that it peed in before. To correct this, behavior modification training is required.

The post What can I do about my puppy’s submissive peeing? first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

How old should my puppy be for training?

Gary Maria — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 12:13:07 +0000

Socialization of a puppy at a young age is critical. Socialization includes interaction with other people and dogs, all in a safe environment. The most critical time for a puppy’s social development is from 28 days (4 weeks) to 14 weeks of age.

Puppies are ready for puppy development training by 10 weeks of age. Starting at 10 weeks is a critical time for the owner to establish positive pack leadership.

Ten to sixteen weeks is the most critical development time for a puppy and when it can easily acquire the skills it needs in behavior and socialization. The period between ten to sixteen weeks of age is a window in which a puppy can readily accept the training.

After sixteen weeks of age, the puppy starts losing his bounce back or recovery time. This means that things the puppy would readily accept under the age of sixteen weeks could be perceived as much more of a threat because the puppy was not introduced to it at the critical molding time.

After sixteen weeks of age, a puppy will start trying to create safe space by staying away from what it fears.

Exposing your puppy to socialization training early on prevents puppy shyness, excessive barking, chewing, anxiety, and depression (yes your puppy can become depressed). This is the time to set expectations so your puppy has a job to deliver on. Remember that puppies and dogs want to please.

Most important, early puppy training helps prevent aggression toward other dogs and people. Stop fears and phobias before they start. When fears are not addressed at an early time, these fears will soon turn into aggressive and protective behavior.

Outlined below is a Puppy Development Training Schedule Guide.

This guide can be used to assess if your puppy is on the right development schedule.

Puppy Development Training Schedule Guide

Under 10 weeks

housebreaking – potty training (as soon as puppy comes home)
crate training
managing biting (mouthing)

10 weeks to 16 weeks

behavior and socialization
puppy management training
positive reinforcement

Over 16 weeks

basic obedience training
basic on-leash training
advanced off-leash obedience training

The post How old should my puppy be for training? first appeared on Gary Maria Professional Dog Training.

Why is socialization so important for my puppy’s health?

Gary Maria — Sat, 08 Dec 2018 12:05:16 +0000

The goal of socializing a puppy is to help a puppy develop a stable temperament and strong nervous system.

During the early stages of its life, the puppy is encountering many situations that may stress it and make it fearful. So, in stressful situations your puppy could over-react in a negative manner. Careful socialization will help prevent phobias and fears from developing in the puppy during its most critical molding time.

Therefore, socialization of a puppy at a young age is critical. Socialization includes interaction with other people and dogs, all in a safe environment. The most critical time for a puppy’s social development is from 28 days (4 weeks) to 14 weeks of age.

Until a puppy is 10 weeks of age it should be at home in a quiet environment getting used to its new family. Do not have friends or family members over to see the puppy until 10 weeks of age. This lets the puppy’s nervous system relax a little.

Puppies should be taken to vet for a check-up or shots, but that should be the only travel. At 10 weeks of age it is time to broaden your puppy’s life.

Some critical things that will help socialize your puppy so it becomes a well-adapted adult dog are:

Your puppy’s nervous system is under stress. Your puppy has gone through a series of major physical and growth changes in just a few weeks. A puppy’s nervous system is much stronger at 16 weeks of age. This means you should not reprimand or use a harsh tone of voice with a puppy. No correcting the puppy. The only thing that will happen is you will teach the puppy not to trust you.

Do not put your puppy in stressful situations. You need to get the puppy out of the house but be careful. Socialization with other dogs must be carefully supervised. Remember, one bad experience could cause permanent damage, fear or phobias.

Get your puppy in many different situations, looking around and smelling different environments. A great way to do this is to allow the puppy to be a big part of the family. Take the puppy along to pick the kids up from school, to soccer practice, dance classes, and so on. Until 16 weeks of age, the puppy needs to do more than our normal routines. The puppy needs to get out to a new location daily. Puppies are situational learners so this will enable your puppy’s learning early on.

It is critical that your puppy is comfortable at all times. Never force the puppy into what it perceives as a scary or threatening situation. This does not work, this only reinforces the fear. Do not push the puppy into a new learning experience. You cannot go at your speed. You must go at the puppy’s speed.

Realize you have until 16 weeks of age with your puppy to make all of this happen. This is why it is critical to the get the puppy out every day.

These are all important steps to socializing a puppy to ensure the puppy has had significant exposure to a variety of experiences.

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