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What You Need To Know In Training Your Puppy: Part 3

Dennis — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 20:19:56 +0000

After the pup has a good idea of what you want him to do, begin to ease off using tidbits every time. Do not let yourself use tidbits as a bribe. It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if you give a puppy a treat he will be good. But from the dog’s viewpoint, it looks like you are treating him as top dog and whatever he wants to do is okay with you. So only use tidbits when you are teaching a specific thing and only long enough to be sure he has learned it and associates the act with the word for it. Then ease off to the point of stopping the use.

Do not expect overnight results: Puppies learn in spurts and starts. One day he may know absolutely everything and perform to perfection. The next day it is as though he never…

Using Vocabulary That Your Puppy Can Understand

Dennis — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:02:35 +0000

A dog or a puppy absolutely thrives on consistency. This is true all the way from finding and sticking to the right kibble to deciding what is and what isn’t acceptable behavior. Consistency makes a pup very, very much happier and more secure than the bouncy kind of life many of us humans prefer.

Maybe you’ll have to have periodic family councils to hammer out just what kinds of canine behavior are and are not acceptable to various members of the clan. By all means get it straight among the human members of the family; otherwise, if you are unpredictable and all pulling in different directions, the puppy will end up a confused mess, and it will be your fault. Once you have agreed on what goes, enforce the rules. “Oh, let her do it just this once,” is a sure way to wreck the training program and confuse the pup.

Your…

Using Rewards And Punishments In Puppy Training: Part 1

Dennis — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 20:39:04 +0000

Puppies and dogs learn new things or change their behavior only if the undesirable behavior is punished or the desirable behavior rewarded. We can reward a dog for performing certain tasks on command, such as sitting, lying down, or coming, with simple petting, affection, and praise. You can also use rewards for coming when called, for sitting when strangers arrive at the door rather than jumping up on them, or for going to rest on his bed when people are visiting.

For rewards you can use reinforcement such as petting or verbal reassurance like saying “good dog.” Another reward is food treats, if given judiciously, especially foods the puppy really enjoys such as a piece of meat. It is not our position that using food treats to train puppies “spoils” them, because the treat may simply be phased out by giving it less and less frequently, while retaining the praise…

Training With A Clicker

Dennis — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:19:31 +0000

Clickers are a fun and fast way to speed up your puppy’s learning process. Clicker training relies on behavior shaping principles that mark desired behavior.

To begin, get ten treats. Click and treat; before you are finished, your puppy will be happily alert to the sound. Now use the clicker for training and to encourage good habits.

1. House-training: When your puppy eliminates in the right area, say “get busy.” Click the instant he finishes; then treat and praise warmly.

2. Jumping: When your puppy jumps, look away, Click, treat, and pet him after all four paws are on the ground.

3. Chewing: Anytime your dog is chewing an appropriate object, click, treat, and praise.

You can iron out everyday frustrations with the clicker. Use it to encourage silence, to train him to ask to be let out, to create a positive association to kids, and more. Also use a clicker to teach basic commands…

Training Tips Before You Bring Home Your New Puppy

Dennis — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:46:40 +0000

Many dog owners make the mistake of giving commands in long sentences that only another
human being would understand. You get certain inflections in the dog’s bark or whine, but only another dog understands “dog talk.” Why should you expect your dog to understand all the words you use? True, your pet will love to hear you talk. Still, it is your tone that reaches and pleases him.

In his lifetime a dog comes to recognize many words, but he can be a well-trained, obedient pet by knowing just a few. He must know: “Come!,” “Out!,” “Stop it!,” “No!,” and “Down!” To them, add “Walk?,” or “Want to go for a walk?,” “Get in your chair!,” “Go to bed!,” or some such command to direct action, usually taught with a gesture or by actually lifting the dog to the indicated spot. Of course, he soon knows “Good dog!” or “Bad boy.” If…

Teaching Your Puppy To Sit

Dennis — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 20:52:35 +0000

The “Sit” command is an easy way to have your puppy show off his good manners. He can sit
when visitor comes, when you meet a friend out walking, when you are preparing his dinner, or when he has to wait for just about anything. It is also one of the easiest exercises to practice because you can ask him to sit whenever and wherever you like. A Sit is especially good for little everyday things, like having his leash attached.

The command is to say his name and then “Sit!” All commands should be preceded by the dog’s name; that is to get his attention so he knows you are not talking to anyone else. Puppies are proud to have a name. It is when they reach adolescence that they, like other teenagers, pretend they do not hear you. Any time you see the puppy about to sit, quickly say, “Sit,…

Teaching Your Puppy To “Leave It”

Dennis — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:16:10 +0000

There is one command that your puppy needs to learn for his own protection, and that is the safety command of “Leave it.” You are out for a walk and puppy comes upon a roadkill or carelessly discarded garbage. For the sake of his health, you command, “Leave it!” and you will need to enforce it with a gentle snap-and-release of the leash. If he does not hear (or understand) the “Leave it” command, get his attention followed by “Leave it.”

This one is so important that at four to six months of age you can even use an entrapment as a teaching tool. When the puppy cannot see you do it, plant a piece of trash, maybe an empty cereal box, on the floor and stick around until the pup goes to investigate. As he goes to sniff it, shout “Leave it!” and as he retreats at the force…

Teaching Your Puppy To Come

Dennis — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 20:22:33 +0000

Teaching a young puppy to come when called starts off perfectly. The puppy learns his name and that people use it when they want to give him something fabulous like dinner or a new toy, so he comes running. Well, he soon learns it is not a perfect world. He may hear his name called to come in from outdoors just when he is having fun or while enjoying a nap.

The biggest, the number one mistake people make with this command is to say “Come!” when there is no possible way to enforce it. The puppy only has to disobey a few times when he hears “Come!” and you have taught him (and he has learned) that he has an option. He can come, or not.

Never give him that choice. Only call “Come” if the puppy is on his way into your outstretched arms, or on leash so you can…

Teaching Your Puppy To Come And Fetch

Dennis — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 21:13:27 +0000

In teaching your puppy the “Come” command, position yourself several feet away from him. Kneel or bend down, say his name and then come, at the same time you are clapping your hands. Repeat this several times if necessary to get the puppy to come to you. As the puppy begins to understand this exercise, and as you begin to get his attention more easily, move back a few feet farther.

Do not make the mistake of calling him from a distance of twenty-five or thirty yards when he is not paying attention to you. If you do that and he ignores you, you are teaching him that it is okay to ignore you. You are defeating the purpose of puppy pre-training, which is to pattern him to pay attention to you and to do what you ask of him.

Another great activity is the “Fetch” command. Even if you…

Teaching Your Puppy “Stand”

Dennis — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:53:22 +0000

When you give a dog any command, you have automatically assumed a dominant role and put the dog into a submissive one. Standing is a somewhat dominant canine posture, whereas the Sit and the Down are submissive canine positions, so it is sometimes difficult to teach a naturally submissive puppy to Stand when told. Given the command “Stand,” many dogs will obey, but quickly lower their tails, ears and head – all submissive body language. Be gentle and patient. A perfect puppy Stand has four feet on the ground (that’s the hard part), but it’s also nice to see the head up and the tail wagging. Don’t worry if at first your puppy would rather be a clown than stand still. Eventually they all grow up.

Let’s say your puppy Rufus is learning the word “Stay” which (fortunately in this case) sounds a little like “Stand.” Whenever you catch him standing…