The Top Tricks Every Dog Should Know

Congratulations on your new puppy! Dog ownership is a wonderful part of life, and the excitement of bringing a new pup home is hard to beat. From taking them on walks in the park to cuddling together on the couch, dogs bring fun, friendship and tons of adorable moments into our lives. While you can’t deny their cuteness, training your puppy is an important step in their growth and development. We checked in with our Lagotto Romagnolo trainer, Jim Sanford, about the tricks he teaches every puppy on the Farm before they go to their forever home.

Before any puppy leaves Blackberry Farm, Jim teaches them the following behaviors:

• Recall (come when called)
• Sit
• Stay
• Don’t jump on people
• Don’t pee or poop in the house
• Walk nicely on a leash

Once the puppies reach eight weeks of age, they are ready to begin training! They are still extremely energetic at this age, so Jim keeps them engaged by keeping the training sessions relatively short and always ending on a good and happy note.

The behaviors he teaches the puppies are important because they are the foundation for good house manners. However, humans play an important role in training too! There are two things that all puppies need from their owners: trust and leadership. Trust comes primarily through providing the puppy with all its needs – physically and emotionally. Leadership comes from the ability to direct the puppy into good habits and away from bad habits.

Once the puppies are of age, Jim personally delivers each one to their new home and family. Jim takes the time to show the new owners each of the skills that the puppy learned with him. The whole point of delivering each puppy is to transfer the trust and leadership over to the new owner. This is done best in the exact environment the puppy is going to live in. The puppy shows off their skills in their new home, learns to trust their family like they trusted Jim, and goes on to enjoy a wonderful life full of pets – and we’re sure, some treats!