Welcome to Day Eighteen!

Yesterday we taught you how to teach your puppy to "drop it" when she's got something in her mouth. Today we teach, "leave it" which you use to prevent her from getting it in her mouth in the first place! Personally, I think that "leave it" is the most frequently used and valuable cue with any age dog. Read more in today's Training For Success column, "Leave It."

Your local playground is a great place to socialize your puppy! Adults, kids, toddlers, kids running, hanging upside down, sliding down slides, on swings, chasing each other, and big strange looking play scapes. A playground has lots of new sights and sounds to help teach her a whole new world. Socialization For Today's column, "Playgrounds" teaches you more about taking your puppy to the playground!

There are pros and cons to playing Tug‑of‑War with a dog of any age. Will it make a dog aggressive or not? The most accurate answer to that aggressive uncertainty is that it can make your pup aggressive, if rules aren't followed. Tug‑of‑War is a great game and your puppy will likely enjoy it. Read today's Understanding Your Puppy column to learn the rules of, "Playing Tug‑of‑War."

By the time your puppy is 12 weeks old, she should not hurt people with puppy biting, by inhibiting the power behind her bite so she bites more softly. By the time she is 18 weeks old, she should learn not to put any pressure behind her mouthing. Teaching her this bite inhibition is one of the most important steps in her puppy education. Today's Perfect Puppy column talks about, "Bite Inhibition." This is also a good time for you to review the, "Nip Chew" article in the Day 8 Training For Success column.

Do your kids need a safe way to give your puppy a treat while she's still learning bite inhibition? Kids & Puppies today has suggestion on how to safely give your puppy a treat reward! Be sure, too, to teach your puppy, "Puppy Zen" (Day 16, Training For Success) and how to lick your hands on cue (Day 8, Training For Success).

Please enjoy your Day Eighteen newsletter. And remember, that the staff of MyPetTrainer.com is here to assist you so you and your puppy grow together with positively perfect interactions!

Together in success,
The staff of MyPetTrainer.com