Tips for training your new Puppy
That puppy is so cute and our little child will just love it for her birthday. Have you, or someone you know, ever said that and then you get home with the little fuzz ball and all the accoutrements and wonder what in the world now? Why, training of course.
To help you successfully train your dog you should use positive reinforcement. You need to give your dog something he really loves at exactly the right moment during training. Once you figure out what your dog loves then use that as a reward whenever he performs a task properly.
To teach your dog how to sit on cue, first find a good, soft, smelly treat that your dog will find irresistible, like a piece of cheese or a slice of hotdog. Keep the treat small, about the size of the nail on your pinky. Then, take the treat in your fist, and hold it over your dog’s head, low enough that his nose comes up to reach the treat, but not so high that he tries to jump for it. Smoothly move the treat backwards, and as his nose comes up, his butt will go down. Give the dog the treat as soon as his butt hits the floor, and say your cue word at the same time.
If you want to train your dog tricks, but don’t really want to offer too many treats, then use his regular dog food. By using a portion of his daily allotment of food, he is still getting a reward for doing as you want him to, but is not in danger of getting too much in the way of treats.
Use your dogs name whenever possible but try to make sure it is only used in a positive and rewarding tone. For example “good boy Zeuss” instead of “bad dog Zeuss”. This will ensure that your pet realize that it has done well and will continue to want to please its owner.
When training a dog it should always be done in a positive, motivated environment. Reward your dog during the training session, particularly when it does what you ask of it. Using punishment and negative training techniques will only make the dog afraid of you and less likely to want to please its master.
If you want to train your dog to avoid inside accidents, keep him or her on a tight schedule. Feed your dogs at the same time each day, and avoid giving them food or water before bedtime. This regulates their bodies so you can expect when they will need to go out.
An often overlooked component of good dog training is to evaluate and improve the dog’s diet. The old adage that you are what you eat definitely applies to dogs. A lot of medical and behavioral problems can be traced back to a dog’s diet. Make sure you are doing all you can to give your dog the very best food it can get.
Well, you have made it through the first several months, or even year, that you brought home that fuzz ball. Through trials and tribulations, praise and happiness, you and Fido have finally come to the realization that you are each in your forever home and you both know how to behave.
Image by Beverly & Pack via Flickr
