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:

1. Training the puppy too late.
2. Being too lenient with rules.
3. Allowing the dog to do whatever he wants.
4. 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.