Tips for training puppies are some of the most sought after topics when people get their first dog. Not surprisingly, as many of them have no experience with pets and are suddenly faced with a new pet who has his own ideas of what he is going to do, when and where. So how do you go about training your new companion?
First, it's important to understand that all training should be positive. You should never scold or threaten your pet - he won't understand and will just learn to fear and distrust you. Just to be clear NEVER punish or hit your pet, no matter what he does. You will destroy his trust in you forever.
It is much more productive to wait patiently until he does the desired action and then to heap praise upon him and, occasionally, to reward him with a treat, But you do not want him to think he gets a treat every time he does something - it should be infrequent.
Puppies can start to learn commands as early as 7 or 8 weeks old, but as you won't have him at that age, you should start a few days after you get him home. Remember that he has a short attention span and make your training sessions short, but frequent.
The commands most often used are: Sit, Stay, Down, Come, and Heel. There are brief instructions below on how to teach these commands. In all cases, we will use a toy or tidbit of food (the reward), and praise him profusely when he carries out the desired action.
Sit
Take the reward from a position in front of the puppy to a point up over his head and say "Sit". As the puppy raises his head to watch the reward, his back-end will probably go down to the floor naturally. But if not, help him to do that by tucking his bottom underneath him with your free hand. When he sits, give him lots of praise and give him the reward.
Stay
Have the puppy sit. Say "Stay" and back one or two steps away from the puppy. Give him the reward and praise him for staying - assuming he does. If he moves, just start again. Reward him when he's still sitting, not after he gets up, so that he associates the reward with staying and not with the release. As he learns to respond repeatedly, you can withhold the reward for progressively longer periods to get him to understand he needs to stay in that position.
Down
Again, show the puppy the reward to get his attention. Say "Down", and slowly lower the reward to the floor. If needed, help him down with very slight pressure on his shoulders. (Don't put pressure on his back, or you could hurt him.) As soon as he lies down, even for a few seconds, give him the reward and praise him profusely. Again, as he responds regularly, you can extend the period before giving the reward.
Stand
With the puppy in the "Down" position, say "Stand" and raise the treat forward and up in front of him. Help him into position if necessary. Once he stands for a moment, praise and reward him. As with the other exercises, gradually extend the time he has to stand to earn the reward.
Heel
Show the puppy his reward (use food for this one) at about his head level on your left-hand side. Say "Heel" and walk forward. Let the puppy eat some of the treat as you walk. Go only a few steps at first, then a gradually a little further. As always, praise him when he gets it right. As the puppy learns what is expected of him, lift the treat a little higher, but do not reward him if he jumps up.
Come
When teaching your puppy to come to you, call him at different times throughout the day, even if you don't want him for any particular reason. Every time he comes, praise and reward him.
An alternative is to use two people and have the other person hold the puppy while you walk away, then call his name, followed by "Come" as the other person releases him. Give him the reward as soon as he gets to you.
As with all training, the key is to be consistent in your commands, friendly at all times and always to reward the correct behavior, never to punish for the wrong response.
Once your puppy has these commands mastered, it will be easier for both you and him to work together. If he shows a real aptitude for learning, you may later decide to go to formal classes or even train him to compete in obedience trials.
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