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 | | dog training, puppy obedience training, puppy 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
Puppy Toilet training can be one of the most difficult and time consuming parts of training your new puppy. But if you get well organised before your new puppy arrives in your home, things should go more smoothly.
To begin with you should decide where you want your puppy to relieve himself. If you want your puppy to go to the toilet outside. you should designate a place in the garden for this purpose. Chose a place in the garden that is away from people so your puppy can feel safe and comfortable about using the area for his toilet. First of all put him on his lead and take him outside to his place in the garden and when he relieves himself there, give him lots of praise.
Puppies have weak bladders and are unable to control themselves until they are about six months old, so you will need to keep a close eye on your puppy and watch out for signs that he wants to go to the toilet. If your puppy does have an accident and makes a puddle on the floor, just pick him up straightaway and take him outside to his toilet area.
If you have to leave your puppy on his own it is best to put him in a confined area. If you have decided to crate train your puppy, you can put him in his crate. Puppy crate training is an excellent method for toilet training your puppy. But if you are not crating training your puppy it is a good idea to put him in the kitchen and leave plenty of newspaper on the floor for him to relieve himself on.
Young puppies need to go to the toilet very frequently so take him outside to his toilet area every half hour or so. Take your puppy outside after meals and after he has been ruining around and getting over excited.
Never lose your temper and shout at your puppy when he makes mistakes. Accidents are bound to happen when your puppy is young so you must be very patient and persistent with his toilet training. You should never scold your puppy when he has had an accident and left a puddle or mess on the floor. If you scold him after the event your puppy will not realise why he is being told off. Puppies only live in the present moment. If you do catch your puppy in the act, just say a firm no and pick him up and take him outside to his toilet area.
Always lavish praise on your puppy when he gets things right and goes to the toilet in his designated area. Puppies love praise and he will love to please you. So give your puppy lots of praise and affection and he will do his best to get things right and please you.
Puppy toilet training will take time and lots of patience and persistence but it will be worth it in the end. You will soon have a well trained puppy you will be proud to own.
You can get more Puppy Obedience Training Information here
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Sep 16, 2009 | | dog training, puppy toilet training
Once you have decided to get a new puppy I am sure you will be very excited and want to rush out and get the cute little bundle of fur as soon as possible. Getting a new puppy is a lovely and exciting time for all the family but before you rush out and acquire a new puppy there are some important points you should consider. You should also have a proper puppy obedience training plan worked out before you even bring your new puppy home. Below are three important points to consider.
1. Do You Have The Time To Train A New Puppy
Training a new puppy will take time and lots of it. If you have a full time job and a family to look after, you should consider how you are going to find the time to train your new puppy. Puppies are just like children and until they are properly trained they are going to need a lot of time spent on them. As part of your puppy obedience training plan you will need to set aside time for training your puppy, taking him for walks and exercising your puppy. If you do work full time, you should ask yourself if it is really fair to bring a new puppy into the family only to have to leave him alone for a good part of the day. Dogs are very social animals and do not like being on their own for too long. Of course if you do not work full time or if there is someone else who will be in the house to look after your puppy and help train him while you are at work then yes having a new puppy can be a great idea.
2. Do You Have The Patience To Train A New Puppy
Training a new puppy can be very rewarding and a great deal of fun, but it will also need a great deal of patience and persistence. So the second question you should ask yourself is do you have the patience to train a new puppy. In the beginning your new puppy will make lots of mistakes and there are bound to be accidents when your puppy will relieve himself on the floor or chew up your best shoes. Are you prepared for all the potential mess and upheaval having a puppy in the house will entail. It will take a lot of work, time and patience. If you are prepared to put in the work and cope with the potential accidents then having a new puppy and training him properly will be a very rewarding experience.
3. Do You Have The Room For A New Puppy
One of the things a lot of people fail to take into consideration when acquiring a new puppy is that their now small cute puppy will soon grow into a full sized dog. So you should always take into account the full size your puppy will grow into and whether you really have the room for that particular sized dog. Another point is do you have a big enough garden or back yard for your puppy. When toilet training your puppy it is a good ideal to designate an area of your garden or back yard that is a bit secluded for your puppy to do his business so you can train him to always go in that area. This is especially important if you have children as you do not want your puppy to relieve himself all over your garden.
As long as you take into consideration the above points and are realistic about the potential problems and hard work involved, then having a new puppy will be a lovely and enjoyable experience for you and the whole family.
If you would like help with training your unruly puppy you can get some Puppy Obedience Training here
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Sep 14, 2009 | | house training puppies, puppy obedience training
One of the best pieces of advice for your puppy obedience training plan, is to beware of teaching your puppy bad behaviour. Of course you are probably thinking, why would I be teaching my puppy bad behaviour, are you mad? Of course I am sure you would never intentionally teach your puppy bad behaviour, but if you stop and think for a moment, maybe you are teaching your puppy bad behaviour without realising it.
What seems like cute behaviour in a puppy is not so cute when he is a full grown dog, so if you are letting your puppy get away with certain behaviour, then maybe you should think about it more carefully.
Are you allowing your puppy to jump up at people when they come and visit you? Maybe you also let your puppy jump up at you when you come home from work. This may seen cute and funny now but when he is a full grown dog it may not be so funny, especially if he is a large breed of dog. It would not be so nice for your visitors to have a great big dog jumping up at them. He could one day send your granny flying or knock her over and he could scare young children too by jumping up at them. So if your puppy does jump up at people it would be a good idea to stop him now while he is still a puppy.
Having a new puppy means lots of fun and games. Perhaps you are running around with your puppy and maybe playing chase with him. If you are playing chase and your puppy is running away from you, what would happen if you were in the street and he slipped his leash and there was traffic around? So it is essential to teach your puppy to come to you on command. When you are out with your puppy there could be all sorts of danger around and if you puppy is not trained to be obedient and follow your commands you could be heading for trouble when he is a full grown dog.
It is not only puppies that need obedience training, their owners may also need training too!
You can get more Puppy Obedience Training Tips here
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Sep 12, 2009 | | puppy obedience training
House training your puppy not to chew the furniture or for that matter any of your possessions should be an important part of your puppy obedience training plan. Puppies love to chew and at some point you may find your puppy is chewing on your furniture or other things that they shouldn’t be chewing. Of course puppies need to chew to exercise their jaws and help with the teething so the best way to prevent your puppy from chewing up your possessions is to give him lots of suitable puppy chews and toys to play with.
If you do find your puppy is chewing up your possessions or chewing on your furniture, instead of shouting at him, make a loud noise to distract him and then offer him something suitable instead like a puppy chew or rawhide bone. When he takes the chew or bone in his mouth, give him lots of praise. This will reinforce his good behaviour instead of focusing on his bad behaviour.
You should take responsibility for your possessions now that you have a puppy in the house, so make sure you don’t leave your things laying around that would tempt your puppy. Puppies love to explore with the mouths, so remove clothing, books, remote controls etc out of your puppy’s reach.
If you have to leave your puppy at home unsupervised it is advisable to put him in his crate if you are crate training him or else put him in the kitchen or laundry room where there is nothing he can chew up. Make sure he has some suitable toys and chews to keep him occupied while you are away.
If you do find that your puppy has chewed something up, like your best shoes for example, don’t yell at him and tell him off because he won’t know why you are yelling and shouting at him. If you think he knows he has done wrong because he looks guilty, it is really because you are shouting at him and looking angry. Your puppy won’t realise you are angry because he has chewed something up. So the best thing to do is to ignore what he has done wrong and in the future be sure not to leave things laying around that may tempt your puppy.
Remember puppies get bored easily so make sure you give him lots of exercise by taking him for regular walks. Play games with him and get him to fetch the ball, this will give your puppy mental as well as physical exercise.
If you would like some more information on house training your puppy, you can find out some more Puppy Obedience Training Tips here
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Aug 29, 2009 | | house training puppies
Some people may think that puppy crate training is a cruel method for training a puppy, because who in their right mind would want to be shut in a crate or a cage. But dogs are den animals and they like to have a safe place of their own where they can sleep or just be left alone. So if done the correct way crate training is a very good method for training your puppy.
It is important to choose the right size of crate for your puppy. Choose a crate that is big enough for your puppy to stand up and turn around in. If you choose a crate that is too large, your puppy will use part of the cage as a bathroom and sleep in the other part. This will defeat the object of the crate, so if the crate is too large, partition part of it off and you can remove the partition as your puppy grows. Dogs will always avoid going to the toilet in the same place as they sleep, so crate training your puppy will help with puppy toilet training.
You should begin by placing the crate in a quite corner of the living room where your puppy can see family activities or else he may feel too isolated and lonely. Put a blanket in the crate and make it cosy for your puppy. Put in a couple of his toys and a puppy chew or two. First of all leave the door open all the time and let him go and in out as he pleases. After your puppy has got used to the crate and is comfortable going in there, close the door for a minute and then open it again. If you puppy starts crying and whining when you close the door, wait for him to calm down and then open the door and let him out. Gradually increase the time with the door closed and just stay in the room so your puppy can still see you. Later on close the door and walk out of the room for a minute, then come back in the room and open the door. This way your puppy will know that you will always come back to open the door and let him out of the crate.
When you feel your puppy is comfortable being in the crate with the door closed, let your puppy sleep in the crate overnight. Open the door for him first thing in the morning and take him outside to go to the bathroom.
Make your puppy’s crate a safe haven for him where he feels secure and comfortable. Leave the door open during the day so he can go in and out of his crate whenever he wishes or to have a queit nap.
Never put your puppy in the crate as a punishment or he will associate his crate with negative feelings and will not enjoying going in there.
When your puppy is crate trained he can be put in his crate for short periods of time when you have to leave him in the house on his own. You can also put your puppy in his crate for car journeys as this will help to make him feel safe and secure when travelling.
If you need some further help with your puppy, you can get some more Puppy Obedience Training Advice here.
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Aug 23, 2009 | | puppy crate training
One of the first problems you will encounter with your new puppy is puppy chewing and biting problems. Biting and chewing is of course normal puppy behaviour. Everything is new and exciting to your puppy and your puppy is very curious about his environment and will explore everything with his mouth. Puppies also need to chew to help them with their teething problems, so always make sure your puppy has lots of suitable chews and toys to keep him happy and prevent him from chewing up your possessions. Some people make the mistake of giving their puppy an old slipper to chew but I would advise against this because how is your puppy to tell the difference between your old unwanted slipper and your brand new designer shoes! So if you do not wish to come home one day to find your best shoes all chewed up, it is prudent just to give your puppy proper puppy chews and suitable puppy toys to play with.
When puppies are still being weaned by their mother they learn to play-fight with their siblings and during these games they will often nip and bite each other. Puppies are just like children in this respect and playing and fighting is great fun for them and teaches them to how to interact at the same time. But of course as part of your puppy obedience training plan, your new puppy must learn that it is not acceptable behaviour to bite.
A good method to prevent your puppy from biting and to show him that it is not to be tolerated, is by using the Startled Surprise Method. When you are playing with your puppy and he nips or bites you, cry out OUCH!!! very loudly and stop playing with him. Your puppy will be very startled and will probably stop biting. If he does stop biting, praise and reward him. If he continues biting, you must simply get up and walk out of the room. Wait outside the door for a moment or two and then go back into the room. If you puppy is very naughty and he continues to bite you again, then simply repeat the process and walk away from him and go out of the room. You puppy will be dismayed at being left alone in the room and after you repeat this process a few times he will get the message that biting is not acceptable behaviour.
So when your puppy bites or nips you and you yell OUCH!!! and he stops biting, remember to reward and praise him. You should always praise your puppy when he does things right and give him treats and rewards. This is a much better and more humane way to carry out puppy obedience training. Yelling, shouting and getting angry with your puppy on a regular basis will only lead to your puppy growing up to fear you or dislike you. Puppies love to please and owning a puppy should be a pleasurable experience for you both. So make training fun your puppy. Be patient with your puppy, praise him, love him, reward him and you will be rewarded too with his unconditional love, loyalty and affection.
If you would like some more help with training your puppy you can find more puppy obedience training information here
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Aug 20, 2009 | | dog training, puppy obedience training
