Training Advice For a New Puppy

 

Introduction to dog Training 

Getting a new puppy is one of the most joyful things you can do since you have gained a new furry companion and family member. The temptation to simply snuggle and play with them all day can be overwhelming.

From there, McMillan discusses his playful, careful, and gentle method to training the 7 Common Commands that he teaches every dog, which are: sit, down, stay, come, stay, stay, and down.

 

• How to make your dog SIT,
• How to make your dog STAY in one position
• How to make your dog stay DOWN
• How to make your dog COME to you,
• How to make him go away – OFF,
• How to make your dog stand – HEEL
• How to stop your dog by saying NO.

 

Training your dog to be smart

Having a close relationship with them is essential. This is not to imply that you should not also cuddle and play with them. However, you must also schedule time for training.

Although you may want to spend all of your time petting them as a puppy, effective training will make life easier for you both as they age. A well-trained dog will save you a great deal of time and effort in the future.

In addition, training strengthens the link between you and your dog, so what more could you want for?

Training prevents problems like behavioral disorders, accidents, and even lost dogs!

So, how should you instruct them, and what should you teach? We have the solutions!

 

What You Should Teach Your Puppy 

You should begin your puppy’s training with basic commands. Beginning with staying, sitting, sitting, and coming here.

Once they have mastered these and understand how learning works, you may begin teaching them additional commands.

Whenever they do well and complete the desired task, provide them with a reward. Positive reinforcement is essential in teaching all animals, including humans, so always employ it when training your dog.

If you are unsure of how to teach your dog, you can always enroll in a puppy school through your veterinarian; they will teach you how to teach your dog in a healthy manner.

 

Understand Dogs Nipping and Biting

Puppies, like other animals and even human infants, use their mouths to investigate their new environment. It is normal, but it shouldn’t stay too long because it can become a bad habit in the future. It is essential to quit when you are ahead.

You should remove anything from their reach that you do not want them to chew and supply them with chew toys. Toys will be more gratifying for them, and this should prevent them from gnawing on inappropriate objects.

Do not forget to stop playing with them if they become too rough during play or if they start biting. Do not yell or scream, as negative reinforcement tends to encourage bad conduct; instead, end playtime to convey that their actions are unacceptable.

 

Handling

You must ensure that your puppy is comfortable with being handled by you, other people, and of course veterinarians. When you snuggle your puppy, get them used to being caressed all around, and always urge them to lay on their back for a belly rub.

As they become more accustomed to being touched, encourage them to move, flex and extend their legs and joints, look at their feet, open their mouths, examine their ears, etc.

This assists in preparing them for vet visits, which could otherwise be traumatic for them. When they are comfortable with this type of interaction, offer them a treat to let them know it’s good and they’ve done well.

 

Training Your dog on how to Sit

Sitting Some dogs will be restless, and it will never be simple to convince them to sit. Even if the dog is otherwise well-behaved, this can be a difficulty for certain individuals. It is good to train them before they become too restless.

Place food at their nose, then move it up and behind their head. They must sit. Then they provide them with some food.

Now, to really nail this, as you do this, say “sit,” and they will form a positive association with the word “sit.” Over time, they will begin to sit when you say “sit,” and when they do, give them a treat. Eventually, they will do this without a treat, but include a treat until it is no longer necessary.

 

Teach your dog to understand Waiting

Waiting is another activity that can be as challenging as sitting. Sit should be mastered before wait. You should place food on the floor in front of you while gently restricting them with their harness or collar.

As you do so, raise your hand as if it were a stop sign and say “wait.” Then remove a treat from their bowl and deliver it to your dog if they remain seated.

You can end the wait by stating “okay?” and pointing to the bowl containing the treats.

This may take some time to perfect, as the dog will typically lunge for the food as soon as you let go; you must be firm and require them to wait. Eventually, they will not require prompting when they know they will receive a treat.

 

Give your Dog Toilet Time

When they are very young, puppies lack bladder control, making it difficult to train them to use the outdoors as a bathroom. To encourage puppies to go outdoors, provide ample possibilities for them to do so.

Take Your dog to the restroom in the morning, after meals, and after playtime.

You can learn the signs that your dog has to use the potty over time. If they are sniffing around, they may need to use the restroom, so take them outdoors immediately.

You should reward them with praise, play, attention, or their favorite toy if you want them to use the toilet outside.

 

Training Your Dog on Walking (On A Lead)

Instead of letting you lead them on a walk, an untrained puppy will drag you along. Start your walk with your dog by donning a leash and some treads. When they get in front of you and begin to pull, alter your walking direction and assume control.

Reward them with treats when they follow you in the new route, and continue doing so until they walk by your side and are calmer on walks.

If you are struggling with them, consult a trainer or enroll in classes. Never utilize a choke or check collar or chain on a dog. These are known to cause severe injuries and will not only harm the dog but also harm your general relationship with them.

 

Teach Your Dog How To Interact

Teach your dog appropriate social behavior. This includes interactions with both humans and other dogs and animals. Before introducing children to these scenarios, it is always desirable to have mastered “sit,” “down,” and “wait.”

Having these mastered will make the task simpler. If they jump on someone, use the “down” command. Introduce them to other dogs and get them accustomed to social interaction; it is best to begin with friendly, calm canines.

As they become accustomed to new people and pets, they will become more at ease.

Also beneficial is teaching your dog how to relax. Puppies are typically centers of immense energy, either fast asleep or zipping around as if supercharged with vitality.

Teaching your puppies how to relax will not only benefit you, but will also be useful in social situations.

 

Training Your dog How To Sit Down/ “Down”

Observe that teaching a dog to sit might involve more than just sitting; we mentioned the ‘down’ command in the previous section. Well, when a dog is very eager when meeting new people, it will occasionally jump up.

When you say “down” in this situation, they should either quietly stand or sit. In social settings and within the house, it is preferred.

Try to teach the ‘down’ instruction immediately following sitting. When they jump on you, your family, guests, or furniture, apply this command and reward them with treats when they comply.

Always have rewards on hand since you never know when an opportunity outside of usual puppy training time will arise.

 

Training Your dog How to Be Alone at Home

For a puppy, being home alone is terrible. Our dogs appear to believe we will be gone forever when we leave the house, despite our knowledge that this is not the case.

You should never leave a puppy alone at home for as long as you would an older dog.

It is good practice to start by leaving them alone for 10 minutes, then 20, then 30, then an hour, etc. Give them a safe location with their favorite toys/blankets so that they can feel reassured while you do this gradually over time. Even in such situations, a box can be useful.

If you utilize a crate as a safe location, you may train your dog to be home alone and crate train them at the same time! It may sound absurd, yet it is possible.

 

Training your dog Not To Bite The Furniture

As soon as pups begin teething, they will gnaw on anything they can fit in their mouths. Several methods exist for preventing this dangerous conduct.

As you would with your own child, keep a watch on the puppy to prevent their curiosity from causing harm to your home or them.

You can crate the puppy if you need to leave them alone for a period of time; however, the puppy’s age will determine how long they can be crated. A 2-month-old puppy can only be left alone for two hours, etc.

Additionally, you should get chew toys and choose them carefully. The greatest option is a treat-dispensing chew toy, as this will always be preferred over the couch or a shoe.

 

Considerations: When is the right time to Train Your Dog

Training takes time, thus it is important to consider not just what you train but also how you teach it. The manner in which you instruct your puppy will influence how quickly they learn and their future desire to perform these behaviors.

Note that negative reinforcement should never be used for undesirable conduct. Negative reinforcement typically results in fearful or anxious dogs that are aggressive and disobedient.

Utilize positive reward for desirable behavior and none for undesirable behavior.

Not only does this crucial, but also how, where, and your attitude towards training. Your dog will be able to detect if you are bored or unwilling to accomplish something, and this will reflect on them; thus, become excited and begin taking notes on the following advice.

 

Make Your dog Training Sessions Enjoyable

With any animal, you must ensure that the learning process is enjoyable. A tedious experience will discourage their participation. This is part of the reason why treats are used, and it is beneficial to incorporate play into training.

Training should also be enjoyable in that it yields positive results. Puppies, or any animal (including humans), will repeat an action if it produces a positive outcome.

Attempt to incorporate your dog’s favorite activities and favorite pastimes into their training. If they prefer a particular toy, try to incorporate it into their training, along with incentives and quality time.

 

Keep Training Sessions Short and Frequent

Keep the training sessions brief; lengthy sessions will become tedious and exhausting. It can be helpful to pace the sessions, so you do not exceed the allotted time if you become a little too involved.

Young puppies can have a limited attention span, and repeated activities can lessen their enthusiasm, so if you can, try to conduct two-minute training sessions five or six times per day.

Continue until they have the hang of it. It does take a long time to perfect, but doing it this way will increase their enthusiasm for the activity, and they may even anticipate it.

Spread out the training sessions throughout the day and make sure they are not too close together.

 

Do not Train your dog in a single spot

As you train them, do not confine yourself to a single spot. Try to do training sessions on walks with your puppy as well as in the home. You might train in your garden or just alternate the rooms in which you exercise.

Just guarantee that there are few interruptions during training until you are certain that the trainees comprehend what you are requesting.

Repetition of the same training in the same setting can get monotonous for your puppy.

 

Determine the House Regulations During Dog Training

Before you even get your puppy, you should begin preparing for training and having a young dog in your home. You must establish guidelines for them before they arrive, specifying what they may and may not do.

Consider whether they are permitted on your bed, couch, and dining table. Will you provide them with a chair, and where will they sleep? Consider these factors prior to their arrival so that you can immediately begin instructing them in the fundamentals.

 

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By establishing the rules early on, there will be little to no anxiety for you, the dog, and everyone else in the house.

Consider which spaces are off-limits to the dog. If you have children, may they enter this room? Does the restroom exclude dogs?

 

Try Your best to Help Your Dog Relax

When your puppy returns home, everything will be new, and while you want them to be joyful and delighted, they are likely to be frightened because they are separated from their mother and littermates.

Provide them with a warm (not boiling) blanket or hot water bottle, and place a ticking watch or clock near their bed. The warmth will remind them of their mother, and the ticking of the clock will mimic the sound of their littermates, making them feel more at ease.

This is especially vital if you adopt a puppy from a shelter or if they had a difficult start to life. It can assist to calm your pet and reassure them that they are safe and at home.

 

Set Up A Private Dog Training Area

We all need a little area to call our own, even if it’s small, because it’s something that’s just for us, and so does your dog, even if he or she is particularly needy. Even before you get your puppy, it is advisable to provide them with a private space, a sleeping room, or a crate.

Even if you are close, they will benefit greatly from brief periods of solitude, and having a private space will help them feel protected and secure.

Possessing this item can be beneficial when you train them at home. You should also provide positive reward if they are remaining calm and quiet inside their doggie den in order to encourage this behavior for future situations.

 

Reward Your dog for Good Conduct

We have already discussed the value of positive reinforcement, but it truly is crucial. A dog will become rebellious and fearful if it receives negative reinforcement for undesirable behavior.

If your dog receives positive reinforcement, they will learn that they are performing well and be motivated to continue doing so. Dogs recall events that resulted in a pleasant outcome, and if they continue to receive rewards, they will gladly repeat the behavior.

You are essentially hard-wiring their brain to correlate acts with favorable outcomes. As a result, you shouldn’t praise negative behavior, as this would confuse them.

With negative behavior, you should ignore it, as they will learn that it does not get them rewards, and they will prefer to do something that does.

 

Discourage Your dog from Instantaneous Jumping

Puppies delight in expending their energy in a variety of ways. One of these behaviors is jumping up while greeting people or other animals, and some adult dogs continue this undesirable habit. If they leap on someone, do not chastise them; simply turn aside and ignore the behavior.

Wait until the puppy has calmed down and ceased the undesirable activity before providing positive reinforcement.

By turning your back on them and ignoring their conduct, you let them know you don’t want to see it without reinforcing it negatively. This is a polite way of saying “I dislike this.”

Remember that you should never encourage leaping by complimenting someone when they are in the jumping position. Only commend them when they cease their behavior.

 

Conclude Your dog Training Sessions Positively

Always remember to end your sessions on a positive tone. Your dog is working hard to make you proud during training, despite the poor progress. Therefore, offer them praise, possibly food, some playtime, and petting.

This ensures that kids understand that exerting effort is beneficial, so they will remain optimistic about these training sessions and consistently attend.

They will approach training with enthusiasm, a “go-get-’em” mentality, and a willingness to give their all.

We positively encourage a dog for performing a training activity correctly, as well as for exerting effort and remaining committed to training.

 

The Rewarding of Your Pup

Rewarding Your dog… We have talked extensively about rewards, but what are the finest rewards, and how should they be obtained?

There are a variety of situations in which rewarding is effective, as well as numerous ways to implement it. Some dogs will respond better to some prizes than others; therefore, you should take note of the treats your dog prefers.

Some anxious dogs may not be fond of pets but may like playtime. Rewarding at the incorrect time can unintentionally reinforce undesirable behaviors, which we wish to prevent.

So, let’s examine when and how you should reward.

When Should You Reward Your Dogs?

When to reward is equally as crucial as the reward itself. If you praise your dog at the wrong time, you may confuse him or even encourage undesirable or undesirable behavior.

There are three primary situations in which you should be prepared to reward your dog. They can be rewarded in a variety of ways, which we will explore later.

Ensure that you treat your dog at the appropriate times to create a positive association between the desired behavior and the incentive. This can be accomplished in any training format, provided the following three scenarios are utilized.

 

All The Time For The Correct Actions

Reward your dog when they perform the desired behavior. If your dog does the correct action while you are training him, give him a treat. This implies rewarding your dog even if they perform the action briefly as they learn.

For instance, if you are training a child to sit and they sit momentarily before returning to standing, reward them if this occurs early in the learning process. As they progress, solely reward them for longer durations of action completion.

If they begin performing the action on their own when you want them to, provide rewards.

 

Reward your dog for performing well in an event

Once your dog begins performing the movement in its entirety, you should reward him or her until he or she has mastered it. This will reinforce and encourage them to continue performing the action when requested.

For instance, if you are teaching sit and the dog sits and remains seated, you should present a treat. Repeat this process until you feel confident asking them to sit without a reward as a “well done”

As this is the ultimate purpose of training, the whole action should always be rewarded.

 

Reward your dog For Best Attempts

In addition, you should commend good efforts. Especially as a young puppy, your dog will not always get it properly as they are learning. Giving them a reward for trying their hardest and succeeding can inspire them to continue trying.

Any dog will do greater effort if they believe they will be rewarded.

So, even if the attempt falls short of your expectations, provide a reward for effort. This is a common practice among educators, so do the same with your puppy; it will likely inspire them.

Best time to Reward your dog 

Now that we know when to reward a puppy during training, we must determine how to do so. There are numerous methods for rewarding your dog. Typically, it relies the most on your dog’s personality.

Clearly, many individuals will utilize the default reward, as it is one of the simplest approaches to encourage a puppy to learn. However, this is not the only type of reward you may give your dog for good behavior.

There are a variety of methods, including treats, verbal or physical praise, and activities that your puppy enjoys. Here are three ways that you can reward your dog.

This Can Be A Portion Of Your Dog’s Dinner Or Small Treats.

Food is an obvious subject for multiple types of appreciation. However, it depends on what you are training your dog to accomplish. In certain circumstances, a reward consisting of their dinner may be suitable.

However, in many circumstances, tiny sweets are more suitable as a reward. You should not feed your dog too many treats, as they are unhealthy and should not make up a substantial portion of its diet.

For this reason, it is beneficial to use both treats and other forms of rewards to achieve a balance.

How to Praise your dog

Praise is the best route to take. We do not know if dogs can genuinely understand what we are saying, but a positive and pleasant tone combined with caressing and loving physical touch communicates to your dog that you are pleased with their performance.

You may tell them “nice dog” or “you performed so well” and so on. Combining it with head rubs or petting will make them feel happy, as though they have performed well and are now receiving affection and praise, so reinforcing the habit.

 

Playing with Toys Or Games

Toys and games are also valuable types of reinforcement. Giving your puppy time to play after a job well done will demonstrate that if they work hard, they can play harder as a reward.

 

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 Even better is if you can play with them as a reward. You may provide them with time in the garden with some toys, play a game of fetch, or simply provide them with their favorite chew toy.

Alternately, you can combine play with goodies for a bit of variety. There are chew toys that can be stuffed with treats, which are ideal for teething puppies and dogs that love to chew. Giving them this toy as a reward for good behavior is a terrific combination incentive!

 

Training  a dog to be a champion

Training a puppy will be difficult, unpleasant, and a test of your patience; however, you must never lose your anger with your puppy, as this sends the incorrect message and might impair their learning.

It will take time and work to teach them all you want them to know, but it will be well worth it in the end when you have a well-trained puppy that follows your house rules and is obedient.

The majority of disobedient dogs are the result of poor early-life training, thus it is crucial to train your puppy effectively. Your rambunctious puppy will eventually become the ideal family member with time, effort, and plenty of positive reinforcement.

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