10
GREATEST PUPPY TRAINING TIPS OF ALL TIME
According to Dog Training Experts
10) When trying to settle
a puppy into a new home, providing them with a warm hot water
bottle and placing a ticking clock in the room where they
sleep will help to replicate the body heat and heartbeat of
their litter mates and can really help them to relax
in their new environment.
9) When taking your
puppy to the Vet for its first inoculations, health checks
etc, it is good practice to sit with your puppy on your lap
and not have him or her on the floor. Apart from being able
to comfort and re-assure the puppy easier in this position
you must also consider the fact that there may be a number
of sick animals in the surgery and your puppy is vulnerable
if they come into direct contact with infectious animals that
may also be in attendance at the same time as your pup. Make
a very deliberate effort to ensure your puppy’s trips
to the vets are as fun as you can make them. Don’t allow
your puppy to think you are nervous or concerned, instead
make a game and even take a toy to amuse the puppy with whilst
they sit on your lap.
8) Always ensure from
the earliest possible moment that your puppy is given his
or her own, private sleeping place that is not used by anyone
else in the family or another pet. Your puppy will benefit
from short periods left alone in his or her ‘den’
with you always returning to reward the pup when he or she
is relaxed and quiet.
7) Try to make sure
your puppy is entertained adequately for short but regular
intervals during the day. Long periods of being left unstimulated
may lead to destructive or disruptive behavior later in life.
Little games playing ‘fetch’ with the pup’s
favorite toy will have the beneficial affect of stimulating
the pup, increasing his or her bond with you and allowing
the pup to expend short, sharp bursts of energy.
6) Don’t over-train
your puppy. Remember, a one-year old dog is, effectively,
the same as a seven-year old person. It is a good rule of
thumb to keep reminding yourself ‘would I expect a three,
four, five or six-year old child to accomplish some of the
tasks I am asking of my pup?’ Manners, house-cleanliness
and the very basics (including socialization) are all you
should really seek to instill in your puppy until such a time,
as they are mature enough to undergo a more formal training
regime. Puppies can deceive you into thinking they are ready
for training but will ultimately ‘rebel’ against
discipline as they get older. Ensuring you have taught your
puppy to respond to his or her name, what is and is not acceptable
in terms of house-manners and establishing an uninhibited
relationship with your pup is more important than any other
discipline in the early stages of any dog’s life.
5) OWWWW! Teach your
puppy that biting or nipping is not a pleasant experience
for you by reacting as if in pain to their playful nips. Rather
than scold the dog, let him or her know that nipping is not
a pastime that you wish to engage in. Letting out an over-exaggerated
expression of pain will more than likely shock the puppy into
ceasing this behavior. You will be glad you put an end to
this behavior early on instead of confronting a ‘playful’
2-year-old with a full set of adult teeth!
4) Decide early on what
is and is not acceptable in your house. If you don’t
want your pup to use the living-room sofa as a raised dog
bed when they get older then don’t encourage him or
her to come up for fuss when they’re young just because
they look
sweetly at you and are small enough to pick up.
3) Jumping up. All
puppies love to jump out when greeting anyone. Rather than
reprimand the pup, simply ignore the behavior and wait until
he or she settles down and is not jumping up before lavishing
any attention on them. Above all else, don’t encourage
the behavior by patting or praising the dog when they are
in the ‘jump-position’ or you may run in to problems
as the dog gets bigger and views jumping up as an easy way
to receive attention.
2) The puppy’s
name will be with them for life, make sure they know it by
associating it with all things pleasant and fun. In the same
way dog’s cotton on in a very positive way to words
such as ‘walkies’, ‘biscuits’ or ‘dinner-time’
they should be given the same association with their own name.
Too often the only time the puppy hears his or her name is
when they have done something naughty. ‘Jasper, stop
doing that!’ ‘Buster, leave that alone!’
It’s tough but try to ensure that you NEVER use the
puppy’s name in a negative scenario only positive ones.
Instead of ‘Jasper, leave that alone!’ simply,
‘Leave that alone!’ or better yet ‘No!’.
And instead of ‘walkies’, biscuits or ‘dinner-time’
try ‘Jasper, biscuits!’, ‘Jasper, walkies!’,
‘Jasper, dinner-time!’ Golden rule. Your puppy
should associate his or her own name with all that is pleasant
and fun and nothing that is negative. The word ‘no’
is negative and it is enough to cover all undesirable behavior.
1) From the moment
your puppy comes into your life teach him that coming to you
when called is nothing short of being the best thing in the
world. Puppies can’t resist humans who sit down on the
floor with legs spread apart so, while they’re easily
persuaded to come by this very simple gesture, make the most
of it by using their name, sparingly, but making a huge fuss
when puppy arrives. Try it at times when pup is pre-occupied
with something interesting and make coming back to you the
most enjoyable and rewarding experience in the world for him
or her. You will really see the benefits as the dog gets older.
This article was taken
from K9 Magazine, the lifestyle magazine for dog lovers and
is available in both digital and print formats. You can subscribe
to K9 Magazine or get lots of free dog articles, features
and advice at http://www.k9magazine.com
All content © K9
Media Solutions Ltd & K9 Magazine.
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