​As a new puppy owner, you've likely been keeping a watchful eye on your adorable troublemaker since day one. Puppies, unaware of boundaries, often find themselves in mischief. That’s why the number one rule for training a new puppy is that whenever you are not actively training your puppy, it needs to be contained or restrained! However, it might surprise you to discover that containment and restraints play an active role in training as well.

 

This page explores three pivotal tools—containment, restraint, and training—in shaping a puppy's behavior. Almost every question about modifying your dog’s behavior boils down to one of these!

 

Benefits of Containment and Restraint:

 

• Potty training: utilizing crate training for effective housetraining.

• Preventing undesirable behaviors: limiting access to areas or items that encourage unwanted behaviors and bad habits.

• Building confidence and social skills: creating safe spaces for interactions with guests and controlled introductions to other dogs.

• Teaching relaxation: instilling calmness during guest visits and enabling healthy sleep patterns.

• Encouraging independence: teaching puppies to entertain themselves and feel secure when alone.

• Developing emotional regulation: aiding in frustration tolerance and self-soothing techniques.

• Fostering desired behaviors: encouraging positive habits by managing environments effectively.

 

Here are four examples to demonstrate the power of constraint and restrain tools and their everyday use.

 

Example 1: Guest Visits

Baby gates and exercise pens serve as a valuable tool for buffering timid puppies from overwhelming affection and preventing over excited ones from learning how to jump on guests. We can also use behavioral training techniques next to the gate to grow our puppy’s confidence and teach calm polite greetings. 

 

Example 2: Polite Greetings

This video demonstrates how to use a restraint (the leash), alongside active training, to prevent an undesirable behavior while shaping a more desirable one. We delve deeper into this approach on our “Distract and Redirect with Games” page in Module 5 of the DIY Puppy Guide, and in our training programs.

 

Example 3: Dog Introductions

Baby gates are great for facilitating safe dog-to-dog introductions, often a helpful option in socialization training.

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Example 4: Independence and Emotional Regulation

It's natural to want constant puppy companionship, yet teaching independence is vital. By using constructive crate training, we can help puppies learn relaxation and self-soothing techniques. This fosters patience, frustration tolerance, and comfort when left alone, to prevent separation anxiety from developing and the need for constant attention.

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The bottom line

As you navigate this guide, remember that your puppy is always learning—whether it's intentional training or not! Every moment shapes your puppy's behavior. Thus, it's essential to guide them through containment or restraint when alternative behaviors aren't being actively taught, and to use these tools effectively during active training.

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While mistakes are inevitable, investing time in learning and applying the techniques from this guide can help avoid many common errors. The effort and resources invested in your puppy's upbringing will yield lifelong benefits, making every moment and penny worth it.

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Throughout your journey, practice compassion for both you and your puppy. Mistakes will occur, but they are opportunities for growth and learning.

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Renowned dog agility trainer Susan Garrett emphasizes that dogs do their best given the education we have given them, and the environment we have put them in. The same is true for us! Your knowledge and experience will evolve as you learn new techniques and how to best manage different environments for your puppy, so embrace the learning process.

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If your puppy isn’t succeeding, just ask, how can I make it easier through better training or managing the environment so it can be more successful?

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Additional Resources: 

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Explore pages 3) and 4) of Module 2: Getting Through the First Few Weeks, for crate training guidance and restraint options 

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Podcast: Susan Garrett’s Shaped by Dog podcast episode #166 “Puppy Freedom: How Much is Too Much?” here (18:24 min; video, audio, and transcript formats!)

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