Effective Training Tips for Your Puppy
The joy of inviting a new member into your family is unparalleled and a wonderful feeling. Puppies are small bundles of joy. But, however cute and cuddly they may be they also need to be trained as soon as they enter the house otherwise soon you will be besieged by the havoc that the little thing will create in your house.
New pet owners usually tend to worry first about what bed to get, what are the right toys to buy, what color to paint the kennel or what collar to get. While all of these are valid questions these should not take priority over training and the right way to do it. Here are some tips to effectively train your puppy:
3. Be a leader: I have seen it many a times that people who are by nature, strong headed and confident, become lovable and mushy when it comes to their pets. Don’t do that. Be a leader, an enforcer just like you would with your children. Be affirmative by giving clear commands.
2. Housebreaking your puppy: Puppies don’t come understanding what is right or wrong like children they need to be taught. They look up to you for guidance Here are a few things you need to keep in mind while housebreaking a puppy.
Puppies think the whole house is theirs to roam and that each part of the house is the same, be it your antique rug in the hall or your pristine white sofa. When you see a puppy urinating in a place it isn’t supposed to, take him/her to the right place. Never physically punish the puppy as that’s just plain cruelty. It will form negative associations of fear in the puppy’s mind and leave the puppy feeling confused and scared of you and will probably result in worse behavior. Keep the place the same so that your pup is familiar with it and returns to the same place to do his business regardless of time.
The age of your puppy also makes a difference. Puppies that are weaned too soon will face difficulties being house trained. When they are 8 weeks old, that is when they start to understand what is safe for them and what not. That is the time you need to make sure that your training is consistent.
First thing every morning take your puppy to the same place and don’t leave until the puppy has relieved himself so that he gets accustomed to it and will go to the same place in the future.
Once you feel that your puppy has been house broken pat his head in appreciation or reward with a simple treat.
3. Dog Walking: Puppies, especially, have a lot of energy. Once they are old enough, take them for walks/runs daily, maybe even more than once a day so that they learn to let out their energy in the right way.
Always your dog walks by your right side. When your dog walks ahead it allows the pup the liberty to run or strain against the leash. walk at the same pace and in the same stride as your pet.
Use a short leash so that you have more control until the pup is trained.
Taking walks early in the morning is ideal. Take out at least 30minutes to an hour for the walk depending on the breed. Large / Giant breeds belonging to the Working group like Labradors, Husky, German shepherds, Dobermans, Mastiffs, Pit bulls they need more exercise. These breeds have a lot of energy and are extremely active playful mind they are absolutely not for house decoration. If their energy is not channeled correctly it will lead to a lot of behavioral issues due to complete boredom.
Chewing/ Nipping: Since nipping is common among puppies lets address that first. Most puppies learn how to inhibit their bite from the mother and litter, but since most of us adopt puppies or separate them at an early age, it is up to us to train them how to be gentle with other pets and humans alike. Socializing with other pets is important as that will teach them to inhibit their bite, when they notice how other pets react. Pups tend to get rough when playing and often roll around, and sometimes even nip. (totally doesn’t make sense ! What are we trying to say ? that nipping is a bad habit? But why do they nip? )
Be firm with your pet. Do not hit, shout & scream. A stern, soft, firm tone is enough.
Proper exercise and spending time with your pet to understand what his/her different actions mean will result in a long and fruitful relationship.
4. Behavior & Obedience Training: It is very important to teach your pet various commands. However, obedience training can be done at any age, even though it is advisable to start at an earlier age as they learn faster & better and are more open to changes in what they consider natural behavior. With obedience training your pet can learn simple commands like sit, down, roll over, handshake, fetch and heel etc. and more complex commands that are more suited to competitive shows.
Training sequences should be short so that the pet doesn’t get bored and lose attention. They should be 10-15 minutes long and at intervals.
Training before meals is a good idea as the pups will then associate the meal as a reward for good behavior.
Don’t get impatient with your pet. Love and affection goes a long way in making sure your pet is in the mood to learn. Dogs are very attuned to human emotion and can sense when you are frustrated and or getting annoyed and will reflect the same in their training.
Use food or belly rubs and pats as positive reinforcement when you are training your pup.
5. Socialization: A well socialized puppy is one who will in the future make a god companion and will learn to control himself/herself easily. A dog who hasn’t socialized with other pups often turns to fear biting or barking, making it extremely unpleasant to have around other pet owners and pets.
Invite friends to meet your pup. But make sure it isn’t a crowd of people.
Take your puppy on short drives to get him/her accustomed to moving objects, cars etc.
Take your puppy to a vet and a groomer at a young age so that it gets accustomed to grooming and getting it’s nails clipped, hair brushed, bathing, and even being inspected early.
Invite pups to socialize and play with your pup, especially of different breeds so that in the future your pup is not scared when it meets a new breed or a slightly aggressive pup.
Hope these tips have proved effective for training your puppy!
