Puppy obedience training doesn’t have to be an uphill struggle and one of the best methods is positive reinforcement training. This simply means praising and rewarding your puppy for good behaviour and ignoring the bad behaviour. Ok if this sounds like you will be letting your puppy get away with being naughty then you are wrong.
If for instance you shout and yell at your puppy when he has an accident on the carpet, how do you think this will affect your puppy? It will make him nervous and resentful and he will not want to cooperate with you. If you tell your puppy off after the event, he wont know why you are yelling at him because puppies only live in the present moment and will have long forgotten about what happen 10 minutes ago.
Shouting and yelling at your puppy is not a pleasant thing to do and you are not really a bully, are you? Put yourself in your puppy’s place for a moment. Imagine your puppy is having a lovely little nap and suddenly he is rudely awoken by his angry mistress yelling and shouting at him. He is now feeling very frightened and bemused. Why is his usually kind mistress shouting and being rough with him. The poor little pup will not realise you are angry because he had previously done a big puddle on the carpet, he will have long forgotten about it.
If on the other hand you took your puppy outside to his toilet area at regular intervals and gave him praise when he did his business, he would soon get the message that your were pleased with him for using his toilet area and that was the place where he should go to potty.
Another example of positive reinforcement training is if your puppy is being naughty and barking at you for attention. You should remain calm and ignore his barking, but when he stops barking you can reward him for stopping barking. This will reinforce his good behaviour and take the attention away from his bad behaviour. He will soon get to know that by stopping barking he will get your attention and be rewarded.
Rewards don’t always have to be food treats. Rewards can also be puppy toys, praise and cuddles.
Puppies love to have praise and attention, so by using positive reinforcement puppy training you will find your puppy will do his best to please you. With patience and persistence you will soon have a well behaved puppy who will be a valued and loyal member of the family.
You can get more puppy obedience training tips and find about positive reinforcement puppy training here
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Sep 22, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
One vital aspect of puppy obedience training is teaching your puppy to come. Teaching your puppy to come to you when called is very important. There are all types of potential dangers in the outside world, like your puppy running out into traffic or chasing cars or simply running off and getting lost. I once nearly lost my puppy because she managed to slip outside when somebody called at the house. I was in the process of teaching her to come and luckily enough when I spotted her running down the street, she did come back when I called her. This was a scary experience that could have ended in disaster, but happily I did manage to get her back again safely. If I hadn’t have been training her to come, she would have probably ignored me and ran off.
So how to teach your puppy to come:
First of all get your puppy familiar with her own name. When you are speaking to your puppy always call her by her name. This way when you are training her to come, you could say “Megan come”. Keep the command short but speak in a firm commanding voice and always use the same words. If you use different commands your puppy will get very confused.
You could try this exercise in the garden and get a friend or family member to help you. Get your friend to take your puppy about 30 feet away from you and then call your puppy to come to you. When your puppy comes, give her a small treat, lots of praise and hugs. Always give your puppy the treat when she comes, even if it takes her a long time to come to you. When you have practised this enough times so that your puppy comes to you every time you call her, you can increase the distance between you.
A word of warning, never ever call your puppy to come to you and then tell her off. You must make coming to you a very pleasurable experience for your puppy.
You can also practice this exercise indoors throughout the day. For example if you are in the kitchen and your puppy is in the living room, just call her to you. Always give her praise and cuddles for coming to you. You can gives treats also but when your puppy is used to coming to you when called, you can gradually dispense with the treats.
Teaching your puppy to come to you when you call her will take time and patience. But remember it will be worth it in the end when you have an obedient puppy that will always come to you on command. This really is important for your puppy’s safety and welfare.
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Oct 25, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
Puppy Obedience Training can begin straight away and one of the easiest things is to teach your puppy is to speak. Teaching your puppy to speak or bark on command is a good idea because it will put you in control of your puppy’s barking. It is only natural for puppies to want to bark, it is their way of communicating and expressing themselves. But sometimes you could find your puppy is barking excessively. This can cause problems and become a nuisance to you and your neighbours, so put yourself in control and teach your puppy to bark on your command
Make sure you have your puppy’s full attention and get your puppy to sit. Have a treat in your hand and show it to your puppy but don’t let her have it. Hold the treat high above your puppy’s head and say “speak”. Say the word “speak” in an excited voice.
Sometimes you will find your puppy tries to jumps up and grab the treat. If so tell your puppy “no” and get her to sit and try again. At some point your puppy will get frustrated and bark, as soon as she barks, say good girl (or boy) and give her the treat.
When I first tried this with my puppy her first her bark came out very muffled but I gave her the treat anyway and next time I tried it her bark came out louder and stronger as she came to understand what I wanted her to do.
You could also try this when you are playing ball with your puppy. Throw the ball and when she brings it back and wants you to throw it again, get her to speak first and then throw the ball again.
If your puppy becomes over excited and continues barking, say “no more” or some other command in a firm voice and walk away. Just ignore your puppy until she calms down again.
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Oct 20, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
I have to admit that when I got my puppy Megan, I was totally unprepared to have a new puppy in the house. I blame my husband! I was not planning on getting a dog but one day he came home and surprised me with a new puppy. When I saw Megan I was totally smitten and have never regretting having her for a minute, but as I said, I was totally unprepared.
She was such a gorgeous and lovely little puppy dog, but it soon became apparent that puppy obedience training and puppy toilet training would need to begin immediately. But it wasn’t until she had jumped on the coffee table and ate all my multivitamin pills that I realised that I needed to puppy proof my home. The pills were in a plastic container but she had managed to chew through it and eat the pills. I was so worried, but luckily there were no ill effects. But I shudder to think what would have happened if there had been paracetamols in that bottle instead! I had only left my puppy alone for 5 minutes.
So please make sure you puppy proof your home before your puppy gets up to any mischief and suffers the consequences.
- Make sure all medicines are stored away and harmful cleaning fluids are put away in a safe place out of your puppy’s reach.
- Use baby gates to keep your puppy confined in safe areas and to keep him from exploring unsafe places like garages where harmful chemicals may be stored.
- Put all house plants out of your puppy’s reach. Some plants can be poisonous and your puppy may get curious and want to chew them.
- Make sure there are no small items left laying around the house, such as jewellery, money, remote controls, paper clips, rubber bands etc. Puppies love to explore with the their mouths and could easily choke on small items.
- Make sure all rubbish and waste paper bins are out of your puppy’s reach. Puppies have a strong sense of smell and they love to rummage through bins.
- Always keep a close watch on your puppy because you never know what he will get up to next.
If you have any other suggestions for puppy proofing your home, please leave a comment below and share your thoughts on this topic.
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Oct 09, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
Puppy obedience training didn’t cross my mind when I first got my new puppy Megan. Megan is a Welsh Terrier and she was such an adorable little pup with curly brown and black fur. She looked just like a little teddy bear. All I wanted to do was to pet her and play with her all day. I did teach her some things though, like how to sit and give me her paw. She had a lovely temperament and loved people. She was an all round lovely puppy dog but I just couldn’t get her toilet trained. She was good during the day when I was at home with her but during the night and when had to go out and leave her, I would always come back to a mess. I would leave paper down in the kitchen and let her have the run of the kitchen and hall but she would always manage to mess on the hall carpet.
At first I thought she would gradually grow out of it and get clean but the weeks went by and she was still messing on the carpet. I was starting to get desperate and my house was beginning to smell. Worst of all and I am ashamed to admit this, I was really starting to lose my patience. Every time I came home and found mess on the carpet, I would get very angry and shout at Megan and tell her off. I feel really bad now because I now know that to shout and tell your puppy off after the event is very wrong. Puppies only live in the present moment and don’t remember what happened previously. So my poor puppy would be waiting for me to come home and I would come home and reprimand her for messing on the carpet.
So I started to read everything I could about puppy obedience training and puppy toilet training and although there was some very good information and advice around, nothing really seemed to work with Megan. I was beginning to think I would have to put her in nappies lol. Then I stumbled upon a book that changed everything for the better for Megan and me. Its called Painless and Positive Puppy Training and it teaches that positive reinforcement is the best and most humane way to train a puppy. It teaches that instead of punishing your puppy for bad behaviour, you reward your puppy for the good behaviour. So you take the focus off the bad and put all the focus onto the good.
Well I started using this method for training Megan and it was really great. I didn’t have to scold or reprimand her anymore but was taught to ignore her bad behaviour and give her lots of praise and rewards for her good behaviour. In a matter of two weeks she was completely toilet trained. It was just amazing! No more smelly hall carpet, no more mess to clear up. I could come home to a lovely clean home and a welcoming loving puppy dog. Life was great!
If you too are tired of trying to train your unruly puppy and are beginning to lose your patience take a look at Painless and Positive Puppy Training. It worked for me and it will work for you too!
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Oct 03, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
Puppy obedience training doesn’t have to be all hard work and you should begin training your puppy with some very simple lessons . One of the first really easy things you can teach your puppy is to SIT. Your puppy will normally sit quite naturally so try this one out.
First of all make sure you have your puppy’s full attention. Have some treats in your pocket. Show your puppy a treat and let him have a quick sniff at it but not eat it. Hold the treat just over his head but high enough so he cannot reach it. Your puppy’s natural tendency will be to sit. As he is going into the sit, say “sit” and “good boy” (or girl) and give him the treat. You can practice this a few times. If your puppy does not sit you can push his bottom onto the floor and say “sit” and “good boy”. After a few times he will latch onto the idea of sit. Remember to give your puppy lots of praise when he gets this right.
A word of warning, only give your puppy small treats for this exercise. If you are practicing this quite a few times in one day, a large amount of treats will end up making your puppy sick. So keep a check on the amount of treats your puppy is getting.
You could also try this when you are about to give your puppy his food. Hold the food bowl just above his head so he cannot reach it and when he goes to sit, say “sit” and “good boy” and then put his food bowl on the floor so he can eat it.
Never lose your temper with your puppy or shout at him if he gets things wrong. If you feel you are losing patience, take a break and try again later when you are feeling calm. In time your puppy will soon get the hang of sit and then you and your puppy can move on to the next puppy obedience training exercise.
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Oct 02, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
This is a story about how 12 carefully selected inmates at Walla Walla Prison have taken on the task of training 6 young dogs from the Blue Mountain Humane Society.
When the program began,the trainers said the young dogs were often anxious and hyper, unable to even walk controllably on a leash. On Friday, their trainers showed how far they have come in a few short weeks; they sat, heeled, rolled over and stayed on command; they even had a few tricks to share.
The inmates have also noted an improvement in their own outlook and behavior. Gus Turner, the primary trainer of a rottweiler-German shepherd mix named Sadie, explains, “It changes the whole atmosphere to wake up in the morning and have a dog jumping on you.”
Posted via web from Puppy Trainer’s posterous
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Sep 29, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
Teaching your puppy to walk on a leash should be an important part of your puppy obedience training plan. There is nothing worse than taking a dog for a walk who continually pulls and yanks on his leash. So leash train your puppy while he is still young as trying to leash train an older dog will be a much harder job. After leash training your puppy, it will make taking your puppy out for a walk a pleasurable experience for you both.
Leash training your new puppy can begin straightaway. First of all get the right size collar for your puppy and just get him used to wearing it. Try and make a fun game of it and distract him with treats when you first put the collar on him. At first your puppy may resist his collar and try and bite or scratch it off. Leave it on him for a short period of time and then take it off him. But only take it off when he is not resisting the collar. If you take the collar off your puppy when he is resisting the collar it will become a battle and he will continually resist wearing his collar. So wait until your puppy is calm before taking it off and your puppy will soon get used to wearing his collar.
The next stage is to get your puppy used to the leash. First of all just attach a short leash and let your puppy get used to having the lead attached to his collar. Let him get used to the lead and drag it around the house. Always supervise your puppy when he is wearing his leash around the house and make sure he doesn’t get himself tangled up. At first he may not like wearing the leash and try biting it off but once again only remove the leash when he is not resisting it.
Once your puppy is used to wearing his leash, it is time to take up the leash and practice walking with your puppy around the room on a loose leash. When your puppy is very young he will probably follow you around the house anyway, so use this to your advantage when you practice walking him on the leash. While you puppy is happily walking beside you on the leash, give him lots of praise and encouragement. If your puppy starts straining on the leash, don’t yank him back but simply stop and call your puppy to you. When he comes back to you, reward him with a treat or praise and then continue walking with him. Never continue walking while your puppy is pulling or straining on the leash. If he pulls or strains on the leash, simply stop and don’t start walking again until your puppy is walking properly beside you again. Your puppy will soon get the message that pulling and straining on the leash will get him nowhere and if he wants to walk with you it has to be by your side on a loose lead.
Leash training your new puppy will take time and patience but it will be worth it in the end.
If you would like more information about training your unruly puppy you can get some Puppy Obedience Training Tips here
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Sep 26, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
When you bring your new puppy home, the first thing you should do is get your puppy accustomed to his new surroundings. Take things slowly and remember that at first everything will feel new and strange to your puppy. It is a good idea to confine your puppy to a small area of your home and let him get used to it before letting him explore the rest of his new home.
If you have children or other members of the family make sure you don’t overwhelm your puppy by letting everyone come and see him at once. Let him meet the other members of the family gradually and make sure your children know how to treat a puppy and to be very gentle with him. Children tend to get over excited by a cuddly new puppy in the house, so do make sure they don’t go mad and overwhelm him.
First of all take your puppy and show him his sleeping area and where his food and water bowl is located.
The next thing you should do is to take your puppy to the area where you want him to go to the toilet. If you want your puppy to go to toilet in the garden, take him outside on his leash and take him to his toilet area. Puppies have weak bladders and so when your puppy is very young you will need to take him outside every half an hour or so. Always take your puppy to the same spot in the garden where you want him to go to the toilet and be sure to praise him when he does his business. It is a good idea to use suitable keywords when you praise him.
Feed your puppy at regular times and pick up his food bowl when he has finished eating, but make sure your puppy has plenty of drinking water at all times. You will need to take your puppy outside to his toilet area approximately half an hour after he has eaten his meal, first thing in the morning and also when he has been running around and playing.
You can begin your puppy obedience training program straightaway . Just teach him the basics to begin with, like sit, stay and down and teach him not to nip or bite. Do not make the mistake of letting your puppy get away with bad behaviour just because he is a young puppy. If you do it will be difficult to train your puppy properly at a later date as he will be used to getting his own way.
Treat your puppy kindly and with lots of love and affection but make sure he know you are the leader of the pack. When training your puppy give him firm commands and praise him when he gets things right. Keep up with training your puppy every day at regular times but keep the training lessons short at first and gradually increase them as your puppy gets older. After every training session with your puppy, have some play time with him and take him out for walks and exercise. Form a strong and loving relationship with your puppy and soon you will have a firm and faithful friend for life.
You can get some more Puppy Obedience Training Tips here.
Technorati Tags: house training puppies, puppy obedience training, puppy toilet training, welcoming your new puppy
Sep 20, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
This is a great story about a women who felt guilty about leaving her dog at home when she went to the gym for a workout, so she decided to start a fitness program to include her dog. It just goes to show that dog obedience training can be fun as well as good for your health.
Posted via web from Puppy Trainer’s posterous
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Sep 18, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
