In the first few weeks of welcoming new canine companions to your home, you can be overwhelmed. You will have to schedule veterinary visits, buy supplies and learn how to instruct your new canine friend. You can set the correct habits and ideals early in puppyhood as a dog owner by obedience training your puppy.
Puppies, thankfully, are continuously learning, sometimes from their surroundings, humans or animal socialization, and direct instruction; this establishes a fundamental basis for their maturity. Busy dog owners can get Georgia Pine K9 LLC dog obedience trainer in Georgia, GA for professional puppy training. On top of that, you can implement these essential training tips from home.
When Should You Start Training Puppies?
Begin training your puppy the soonest you have them at your residence; this is usually around eight weeks old. They can begin grasping fundamental training signals like stay, sit or come during this stage.
- Have Brief Training Sessions
When teaching puppies fundamental signals, use short sessions that do not go past 5 minutes. Also, avoid combined sessions that go beyond 15 minutes daily. Note that a puppy’s attention span is very short. Thus, ensure that your session ends nicely to make them eager for the next one.
- Be Patient And Keep Your Routine
Training your puppy can easily frustrate you because of their inability to learn fast and lack of attention. Do not assume that they will grasp everything on the spot. To effectively interact with your puppy, you should be very patient with them.
Furthermore, you should aim at maintaining a steady routine for your dog; this helps them to consistently stay on track. With a routine puppy plan that includes toilet breaks, meal times and play sessions, you can effectively fit puppy practice sessions. A routine will assist your dog to master its daily home schedule, providing it with structure, and fostering positive behaviors. With a schedule, you should be ready to start the following;
- Use Incentives During The Training Sessions
Motivate your dog using food and toys so they can accomplish most activities. As long as the incentive you provide them is tempting, your puppies will have the reactions that you desire. Do that by presenting your puppy with a treat, issuing an instruction, and showing them the treat to elicit the conditioned performance. For instance, you can hold food above your puppy’s nose moving backward to elicit a ‘sit’ response and by drawing food to the ground you can elicit a ‘down’ reaction.
On the other hand, when you bring treats back up it elicits a ‘stand’ response while holding food out at a range elicits a ‘come’ reaction. Moreover, when you hold treats at your thigh while walking, it can elicit a ‘follow’ or ‘heel’ reaction. Whenever you associate command words with activity and reward your puppy for every right reaction, your puppy will quickly understand what every command means.
- Frequency Of Commands
Consider administering instructional phrases first, then utilize treats to guide your puppy wherever you want them to be. At this stage, you can add vocal praise and give the dog a loving pat once they complete the tasks. These tasks are secondary extrinsic motivators, therefore, when your puppy doesn’t instantly respond to them, consider slowing down. Note that repeating the command only trains a puppy to acclimate to multiple commands before complying.
Should your puppy completely not follow the instructions, consider introducing a leash to assist you to get quick reactions. Some puppies may not understand the terms you use until later on. Therefore, your objectives should link words to actions
- Start Threshold Training
Begin by instructing your dog to remain sitting at entrances and crossings. Then go calmly past them; it will help to prevent them from tugging or lunging whenever they notice open doorways to other locations for new explorations. It essentially makes walking more peaceful.
- Impulse Training
You can teach your dog to control their impulses before meals. Simply keep them waiting for water or their food. Before you station your puppy’s bowl, command them to sit. As soon as they are comfortable, put the dishes down to relieve them from their sitting positions with phrases like “Okay” or “Ease.”
- Name Recognition
Teaching your dog to recognize its name is very essential and will undoubtedly be something you utilize for life with your canine companion. During engagements with your dog, repeat their name all through to draw their focus to you. You can reward them with treats every time they respond by coming or staring at you.