Guidelines for Effective Puppy Training
Most dog training experts recommend that you begin puppy training at the earliest age possible, when the dog hasn’t yet acquired any negative attitudes or behaviors. But a very young puppy will also be quite playful and might be hard to discipline. Therefore, you need to follow certain guidelines to ensure that your puppy training sessions will go as smoothly as possible.
Generally, puppies will be able to start learning all the basic commands and necessary skills by the time they are around seven weeks old. The process of learning for puppies is very similar to the process that young children go through. All you have to do is do it one step at a time and pretty soon, they will be able to learn more as their foundation becomes more solid.
For instance, you may begin with one command and have the puppy master it before moving on to the next command. Teaching too many words all at once may confuse the puppy and slow down the learning process.
When To Start Puppy Training
If you start puppy training at seven weeks, you should be done with the preliminary training by the time you get to week 12. This is the time when you should start enforcing some kind of control over the puppy, instead of just teaching him the fundamental commands like “come” and “sit”. For example, you should exert firmer influence in choosing the direction and duration of your walks.
As you begin showing more control over your puppy’s behavior, the dog might exhibit tantrum-like attitudes similar to what you might expect from a young child who doesn’t get what he wants. Your dog might become stubborn and refuse to budge when you tell him to walk, or he might try to pull you in a different direction from where you want him to go.
This is a very normal part of puppy training and when this happens, all you have to do is stand your ground until the dog obeys. Do not give in but don’t punish him either. Just wait it out and he will eventually do what you want.
The most effective way to encourage a young dog to follow commands is to communicate with him in a calm and friendly manner. Avoid yelling and dealing harsh punishments. You can also use dog treats and doggie toys to entice him to obey. Whenever he does follow your commands, make sure you praise him quietly and give him small rewards. Such positive reinforcements will speed up the puppy training process and will make for a stronger relationship between you and your pet.
Good Puppy Behavior and Puppy Training Tips
Many new dog owners are apprehensive about teaching good puppy behavior, thinking that this is a very difficult task. Quite the contrary, it is actually quite easy to teach young puppies to behave, as long as you use the right approach and have the right attitude.
It’s easy for people to underestimate the learning capacity of a young puppy, but these cute and adorable animals are actually very eager to learn. With proper guidance, they can quickly master whatever commands you wish to teach them.
One of the important elements of teaching good puppy behavior is the association of each action with a simple command that is easy for them to recall. Sit, stay, come and down are among the most common examples of these commands. Whenever you see your puppy doing these actions, say the command so they will learn to associate the word with the action.
This does not mean that dogs can actually understand human speech, although in a way it certainly does appear like they do. Puppy behavior experts call this contiguity learning, where the dogs understand the sounds of the commands as symbols of the action that you expect them to do.
This method of puppy training can be used for many different purposes, from basic actions to complicated tricks. However, one of the most practical uses is in housetraining or potty training. This is probably the area where most new dog owners have a problem teaching good puppy behavior. The best way to go about it is to combine rewards, praises, repeated commands and reasonable punishments. In time, your dog will eventually learn where and when it is alright to go potty, and where and when it is not acceptable.
Common Puppy-Training Mistakes
A lot of dog owners tend to put the blame on the dog for showing bad puppy behavior, when oftentimes the problem is in the training process. Here are some of the common mistakes dog owners make that you should avoid:
- Training the puppy too late.
- Being too lenient with rules.
- Allowing the dog to do whatever he wants.
- Being too soft-hearted with training methods.
If you want your pet to learn good puppy behavior, you will have to put your foot down early on and let them know who is in charge. Some training methods like the use of a crate or a leash may seem harsh to some people but these are actually necessary in order to teach your dog discipline and obedience. Besides, these methods do not harm the dog in any way. Instead, they are simply essential tools for making your dog into a better companion for you in the future.
