I remember the first days when I got my puppy: he was adorable and I felt so enthusiastic that he will grow to be a beautiful and well-behaved dog, or at least I was hopping that it will be this way! And then I realized that it’s not going to be that easy. So, I started reading books and asking specialists or other pet owners for advice, any time I had an opportunity. I am very thankful for the support I received because things have become easier for me and I have managed to accomplish my goal regarding my dog. I am now proud to say that I am parenting a well behaved dog!
How did I manage to have a well-behaved dog? Let me start from the beginning.
First of all I taught my puppy that I am the leader and he has to respect me! Therefore he has to obey me all the time.
Keeping your puppy busy will keep him away from doing bad things! I had created for him a schedule which contained training sessions, play times, time for rest, eating time and many other things that gave me the chance to closely supervise him, but also to bond with him.
Making the training sessions seem fun brought me two advantages. One is that my puppy was really into the lessons, willing to learn, and the other one is that it helped us bond.
The secret is to use positive training methods because yelling, hitting or punishing your dog will only scare him, just be calm and patient with him and try not to bore him. A training session shouldn’t be longer than 10 minutes and more than three times a day.
The attitude is very important during the training lessons! The tone I was using was firm, however without yelling.
While the basic commands such as “sit”, “stay” or “down” might sometimes keep your dog out of trouble or even save his life, the command “NO” is not less important. I taught my puppy that he is not allowed to do certain things, like mouthing, barking and the list could go on as I am sure that you agree with me on this.
If you spoil your puppy too much, he will disobey you in time. Therefore I have taught my puppy that he has to earn my attention by doing positive things. I was praising or rewarding him each time he was learning a command.
Avoid confusion! Try to associate your puppy’s name with positive things by calling his name whenever you want to pet him or to take him to a walk or to do anything fun. This way my dog comes whenever I call his name. Another way of confusing your puppy is to use the command “sit-down” instead of “down”. You want to teach your puppy to lie down? The word for this command is “DOWN” – try not to add other words.
Timing is very important! Every time I caught my puppy doing something bad, the message I was trying to send to him was that what he has done was unacceptable. This is a way of correcting his behavior.
Bonding is very important for your relationship with your pup! My puppy understood that the time spent with me is fun and he is happy when he’s around me and he is looking forward to going to the park or any other place now as much as he did in the past.
Food training, house breaking, crate training and leash walking are mandatory! And each puppy should master them.
These are 10 easy to follow tips which I have successfully used. Turn them into rules and you can be as proud of your dog as I am!
Terence Young – For more dog obedience and training tips and ideas visit: obediencedoggytrainingdotcom