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
Before you even bring your new puppy home, you should decide on how you are going to toilet train your puppy.
Puppy toilet training should play a very important part in your overall puppy obedience training plan. Bear in mind that your small, cute and cuddly puppy will soon grow into a full size dog that is full of energy and spirit . So have a solid puppy toilet training plan now and avoid the pain and upheaval of living with a unruly dirty dog!
First of all decide where you want your puppy to relieve himself. If you want you puppy to go to the toilet in the garden and you have enough space, chose a secluded place for your puppy to go to the toilet. Dogs like to be private when doing their business so chose a fairly secluded space in your garden where he will feel comfortable and safe. Make sure your puppy always uses his designated place in the garden to relieve himself. You do not want to allow your puppy to urinate and defecate all over your garden, especially if you have children. Keep his toilet area clean and washed down with suitable cleaning fluid.
Plan your puppy toilet training routine around your puppy’s needs. Watch out for the signs that your puppy wants to relieve himself. Usually he will start sniffing around or walking round and round in circles. In time you will get to know what signs are that he wants to go to the toilet. When you notice this behaviour put him outside immediately, even if he has started to urinate already Do not scold him for his mistakes, instead praise him when he gets it right and goes to the toilet outside. Puppies have very weak bladders and normally need to urinate about every hour or so and also if they have been playing and running around or getting overexcited. So anticipate his needs and put him outside every hour or so and also after he has been playing or has been overexcited.
Feed your puppy at regular intervals Do not leave food down for your puppy all day. Pick up his food bowl after he has finished eating, but make sure he always has fresh drinking water. Take him outside 30 to 40 minutes after he has finished his meal. Aways accompany your puppy outside and praise him when he does his business.
If you are going to leave your puppy at home alone for any length of time, make sure you put him in a puppy proof room and leave newspaper down for him to relieve himself on. Or if you have decided to crate train your puppy, put him in his crate whilst he is alone at home. If your puppy does have an accident and you find a puddle on the floor, please do not scold your puppy. Your puppy will not understand why he is being scolded. Accidents are going to happen especially when your puppy is very young.
Always lavish lots of praise on your puppy when he gets it right. Puppies love praise and they will do their very best to please you. So do have patience and persevere with your puppy toilet training, it will be well worth it in the end!
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Aug 16, 2009 | | puppy toilet training
