Early Days Puppy Training Advice
Early Puppy Training
Puppy training should start as soon as your puppy sets paws in your house. This will ensure that your puppy will grow into a well-trained dog that’s a joy to have in your family. Puppies are capable of learning from a very young age and begin to do so before you even bring them home, such as learning lessons from their litter mates and their mother. Training your puppy will not happen overnight but by teaching young dogs the rules of the house and appropriate doggy manners from the get-go, you will be giving your puppy a great start in life. When you teach your puppy good habits from the beginning, you will save yourself the time and frustration of having to retrain or correct any bad habits they pick up.
Social Skills for Puppies
One of the first things you’ll want to do is socialise your new puppy. The vast majority of behavioural cases I deal with stem from a lack of, or poor socialisation. Between the ages of 8-12 weeks, your puppy develops the crucial social skills that are going to affect him/her all their life. Socialising young puppies teaches them to be well-adjusted and capable of dealing with mild stresses without becoming over anxious. Lack of socialisation can create nervous or fearful dogs which can manifest as aggression. One of your number one priorities is shaping social skills by exposing the pup to all sorts of people, sights, sounds, going for car rides, and other safe activities where the pup will not be exposed to Parvo and other harmful viruses. Remember all dogs are different, throwing them in at the deep end can often make them more fearful, so ensure you carefully plan your socialisation program and keep a constant eye on your puppy to assess how they are progressing.
Establishing Leadership
Another area that you’ll want to work on from the start is establishing your role as leader. In all social structures there is a leader and it should be you. By teaching your puppy to respect and listen to you, you will in turn gain your puppies respect, making training easier. Puppies and dogs without an established leader are left to make their own decisions, this can often place them in a position they would rather not be and in turn lead to anxiety and other related behavioural issues. Establishing leadership over your puppy doesn’t mean your puppy should be afraid of you nor does it require you to force your puppy into submission. Strong leadership means that your puppy looks to you to provide for direction, guidance, boundaries, limitations, and physical needs.
Basic Puppy Training
As soon as you get them home you will want to begin basic puppy training, such as potty training, crate training, bite inhibition, not jumping up, not to dig, chew furniture, to sit. Irrespective of how cute you think the puppy is, try to imagine them as a grown dog and see how the behaviour they are exhibiting as a puppy will manifest in an adult dog!!! Young puppies require consistency, direction, and will need to practice what they’ve learned over and over, perhaps hundreds of times so a lot of patience is key. When you are training your new puppy, always remember to:
Praise your dog for good behaviour.
Teach them an approval marker (good, yes or a clicker) so that they can easily recognise when they are doing the right thing.
Teach them a NO marker, so that they know they behaviour they are exhibiting is incorrect, follow this with a quick approval marker once they do what you require.
Handle your dog by petting, patting, holding your puppy, touching paws, mouth, etc. so the puppy gets used to being handled and restrained.
Teach your puppy simple commands to obey and expect him to do it. No praise or treats until he does.
Give your dog permission to play, get in the car, eat the treat – whatever it is teach them to look to you for approval.
Be consistent and don’t change the rules midstream. For instance, if the sofa is off limits, it is always off limits because by allowing the dog on the sofa ‘sometimes’ will only confuse your dog and teach them to ignore your commands.
Correct behaviour quickly, as the puppy is doing it. Never hit a puppy, don’t hold grudges, lose your temper, or otherwise create fear.
Never give commands unless you are prepared to follow through.
No matter how difficult you find it, learn to ignore attention seeking behaviours such as whining, barking, nudging. Ignoring means no vocalising, no eye contact and no physical contact.
Give your dog structure, guidance, and love every day