Getting a puppy is a very exciting event. An event however that comes with a lot of responsibilities. Like we mentioned in our previous blog, a dog is for life and not just for Christmas.
Starting off the right way with training your puppy will help you setting you and your new best friend up for success and prevent troubles later. Here are 7 tips that will help you to start your new journey the right way.
Nothing in a dog’s life is ever free. Pups are taught social rules by their mom and pups need to earn their time to the breast by interacting appropriately. A concept that young wolves live by their entire life. So throw away your food bowl and start feeding your pup by hand. Reward for engagement and reward him for everything you like. Treat every interaction that you have with him as a training session. Plan your interactions with him carefully.
Dogs are a species that communicate more with their body than with their mouths, very different from humans. Make sure when interacting with your dog you focus on the communication your body is giving. Body-language is important. For example if you bend over your new pup and he or she tends to be a bit skittish, adjust your body posture. Pay attention to your pups’ response in accordance to what you do with your body. Reduce the small talk to a minimum.
All dogs perform behavior because they like it, basically because it is reinforcing for them. So it is very important when you want to be successful in building a relationship with your new pup that you reinforce all the behaviors you want and absolutely don’t pay attention to the behaviors you don’t want. For example a puppy jumping on you is very normal behavior for him, if you would say: “NO” and push him off , you are actually paying attention and reinforcing that behavior. Better to completely ignore him and when he stops and has his four paws on the ground then praise him.
I always tell my clients dog training is both a science and a mechanical skill. Rather than taking your dog to training you should invest in training yourself on knowledge about animal behavior and dog training. Like many sports dog training is also a mechanical skill. Places like the Innovative Sport Dog Community can help you with both the theory and the mechanical skills necessary to be successful in building a relationship based upon trust and respect and making sure that owing a dog is a lot of fun.
Train with motivation, make sure the interactions between you and your dog are fun. Like with our friends, the reason why we keep meeting with them is because we get a good feeling. Make sure that you do the same with your new pup. Positive Reinforcement is much more then just giving your dog a cookie or food. It's the manner how you live together, play games together, how you pet or praise him. It's about learning how to move together. Again something that we can help you with to better understand.
Teach your dog where to go to the bathroom. Dog innately posses the behavior to keep their bed and area were they eat and play clean. However it's up to us to make them successful with it. Puppies need to go to the bathroom after, they eat, play, sleep and being excited. A designated X-pen in your yard is a great idea to make sure he goes the the bathroom in the same place. After eating, simply pick your puppy up and put him in the area. You can say something like, “Go Potty” when your pup does go potty, give him a lot of praise.
Make sure before you expose your pup to a new environment and socialize him, you have build some engagement with him. Make sure he likes to play and interact with you more than sniffing around in the grass. When bringing him to new environments ,go slow, take your time. Dog training is not something that should be rushed
Implementing these tips will help you setting you and your new pup up for success. Please reach out to us with any questions or sign up here to enroll in our online training program. Have fun!
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