Fostering a strong bond with your new puppy is one of the best ways to turn them into a dream companion. 

Building a bond can begin from the moment you pick your pup up and bring it home, so being prepared and knowing how to make your puppy’s first experiences with you the best they can be can help you bond with them.

Here are our top 10 tips for how to build an instant bond with your new puppy starting on day one.

Adopting Your First Puppy: What You Need to Know

Thinking about bringing a puppy home for the first time? Beyond their adorable faces and playful antics, adopting a puppy is a long-term commitment—often 12 to 18 years! First-time puppy parents need to consider everything from daily care and socialization to early training and establishing routines. With the right preparation and guidance, you can set your puppy up for a happy, well-behaved life from the very beginning.

Get tips from a certified professional dog trainer to help your new puppy settle in, learn good habits, and grow into a confident, well-adjusted companion.

As a dog trainer who advocates for taking your dog on new adventures, one of the things I love most about living in Echo Park, Los Angeles is that it is filled to the brim with dog-friendly places to go.

So, if you have a bored dog at home, I recommend exploring the city with them whenever you can, and here are a few of my favorite, east side, dog-friendly hotspots.

How to Stop a Dog from Barking

Dogs and puppies bark for many different reasons—attention, boredom, fear, or excitement. The first step in reducing excessive barking is understanding why your dog is barking. Different causes of barking require different training approaches, so identifying the root reason is essential for applying effective, positive reinforcement strategies. Get expert tips from a certified professional dog trainer to help your dog bark less and be calmer.

How to Train Your Dog or Puppy to Settle Down

Doggie decompression uses gentle restraint or controlled confinement to help a dog or puppy learn to relax and settle. This technique can be an effective step in managing behaviors like hyperactivity and even separation anxiety. Learn positive, science-based strategies from a certified professional dog trainer to help your dog stay calm, confident, and comfortable when left alone or in stimulating environments.

Dog Training Tips: Learning how your dog thinks and makes decisions is the “KEY” to getting your dog to do what you want, when you want, without the need for yelling, intimidation or constant supervision.

Dog Training Los Angeles: It’s Your Choice (IYC) is a critical core foundation game because it sets the stage for teaching self-control over all future reinforcers (reinforcers = anything your dog likes or enjoys). It teaches our dogs that all things of value must be earned. The premise of the game is that the “work” is what earns the reward not just the presence of those rewards in the environment.

Dog & Puppy Training Tips: Dogs are social creatures that benefit from being included in family activities. However, if a dog is afraid of fireworks, Independence Day can be a terrifying experience for them. To ensure the 4th of July doesn't turn into a traumatic experience for both you and your dog, it's important to have a plan for keeping your dog safe and comfortable when the fireworks go off. Here are some tips from a Los Angeles dog trainer on how to get your dog or puppy ready for Independence Day.

Not sure how to potty train your puppy? Get a professional dog trainer’s top 5 tips for how to quickly and effectively housebreak your puppy.