The American Kennel Club’s GoodDog Helpline team offer puppy training at home and provide online dog training support.

These expert dog trainers are available seven days a week for help with training and behavioral issues, including house training a puppy, barking, crate training, recalls separation anxiety, chewing, biting and more.

All AKC GoodDog Helpline clients receive a toll-free number that is a hotline to the trainers 12 hours a day Monday through Friday and six hours a day Saturday and Sunday.

The AKC GoodDog Helpline is available for a one-time fee that will cover you for a full year during which you can call our training team any time you have a question!

Common issues that they can guide you through include:

• How to socialize your dog
• How to potty train a puppy
• Excessive dog barking
• How to train a recall
• Crate training a puppy
• How to stop a puppy from biting
• How to prevent separation anxiety
• Dog Obedience Training – basic commands through advanced skills

Our remote puppy trainers provide individualized help to our clients, collecting background information on each owner and dog so they can provide the best solution for their situation – as what works for one dog does not always work for every dog.

This can include the best chew toys for puppies, mental stimulation toys and mental stimulation games for dogs. They also can help you find puppy training classes in your area offered by AKC Training Clubs and AKC Canine Good Citizen evaluators.

All our trainers are also competitors who have earned honors with their dogs in a variety of exciting dog sports, including agility, dock diving, flyball and rally. They can guide you on how to continue your dog’s training and advance their skills as dogs can continue learning through their lives and enjoy being active with their humans.

The AKC GoodDog Helpline team loves dogs and loves helping owners with their new puppies or long-time family pets. We hope to hear from you today!

Puppy socialization means introducing your puppy to the world by providing positive experiences with a wide variety of people, places, and situations.

Remember that socialization involves more than meeting lots of people and other dogs. It includes exposure to sights, sounds, and textures that your dog will encounter throughout his life. Your puppy should be exposed to most of these things before 16 weeks old. If your puppy is older than 4 months, you can still provide many positive experiences to new things; socialization is important throughout a dog’s life.

Many breeders start teaching their puppies simple exercises as young as 4 weeks. You should begin training your pup as soon as they come home. This can include basic commands and tricks, as well as housetraining, crate training and walking on a leash.

Learn the signs that your puppy needs to eliminate, and keep a constant eye on them if they aren’t in their crate.

Training your dog to stay in their crate calmly keeps your house and your puppy safe. It also creates a quiet private place for your pup to escape the hustle and bustle of the household.  It’s important to create positive associations with the crate through the use of treats and games.

Some breeds are naturally more vocal. Some dogs bark to get attention; others bark when excited; and others alert bark to let you know someone or something is in the yard. A tired dog who’s had adequate physical and mental stimulation is less likely to bark.

Your puppy should always associate coming to you with positive experiences. Never call your puppy for anything they perceive as a negative and give plentiful treat rewards when they come.

Your dog also needs mental exercise in the form of tricks, games, and puzzles. These games are especially helpful when there is bad weather, and you cannot exercise your puppy adequately outside.

If your puppy grabs a forbidden item while you are watching, trade him for a treat or a toy. Make sure you puppy proof all rooms that your puppy has access to, removing anything that the puppy should not have.