Effective Puppy Training
There’s lots of manuals, books and Web sites which tell you all about how to train your new pup, but if you’ve ever tried to train a pup, you already know that many of these techniques don’t work, or take months to do so. Certain things are known about pups: they love to be loved, they love to eat and they love to play. Taking these things into consideration, it’s easy to do new dog training, but first know that it will not happen in one day, so have patience with your new friend.
Don’t get a new pup if you’re not ready to spend lots and lots of time with it in the beginning. To first get a dog to love you, pet and hold it often when you first get it and let it sit on your lap as much as possible. For one thing, dogs won’t potty on your lap if they’re beyond 6 weeks old, and secondly, when a pup knows you love it, it will do anything for you. Begin immediately trying to communicate with your dog, and if he understands you and obeys, or at least tries, give him a small treat. Make sure the treat is very small. This will encourage the dog to do more to please you so that he can have another reward. If you feed the dog a large snack, he’ll fill up fast and be ready to sleep.
The two main things that a dog does that drives us crazy is chewing what he’s not supposed to and using the potty where he shouldn’t. Dogs don’t like to use the bathroom near their food dish, so start off with a small section of your house where you’ll let the dog sleep and eat. Preferably, this place is near the door or the designated spot. For the first few days, take the pup out every hour or so. If he has already relieved himself in the floor, put his nose close to it - NOT IN IT - for a few seconds, then take him outside. Before doing so, take his paw and scratch the door, or ring a bell, so he’ll get used to the designated method of letting you know he’s ready to go out. If you would prefer the dog to bark when he wants out, he’ll learn this on his own in the near future. Walk the dog around the yard and as soon as he does his business, give him a treat. It could take awhile before he decides he’s ready to potty, but don’t play with him in the meanwhile. Just walk around and wait on him to go, then immediately treat him. After he has had his treat, then play with him. This teaches him that food and play will follow potty.
To keep the pup from chewing your home to pieces, have a chewable toy that is his and his alone. Every time you see him chew on anything else, remove the other object and give him his designated chew toy. If he’s chewing furniture, take him several feet away, giving him his toy. The pup will eventually learn that this is for chewing and other things are not. Don’t allow him several different chew toys for now; it’ll only make him think everything is up for grabs. Make sure he understands there is only one chew toy.
To teach the pup to stay in the yard, sprinkle small treats, like bacon bits out in the grass before letting him out. Where a dog smells food, he’ll stay. If he does start to leave the yard, call him back, and if he comes, give him a treat. If he doesn’t come back, lay a treat at the spot where you want him to come, go get him, and place him in front of the treat. This will teach the dog that a snack awaits him if he comes when you call. Overall, just show your pup lots of love, never hit him, always reward him and he’ll be your best friend for a long, long time.