How to train your puppy from the experts
If you have recently acquired an adorable and irresistible puppy ball of fluff, or are considering getting one, you should plan to begin training immediately. Eight weeks may seem young, but the most receptive age for training a puppy is between two and four months.
Your puppy may look small, but you really can’t start training too young. Like children, puppies are sponges, they absorb everything and learn quickly. Just make sure that the training sessions remain fun and that the positive and negative experiences or impressions can last a lifetime.
Even at this young age, puppies have that “I want to please my human” thing, so you have that going for you!
Serious business disguised as fun and games
Dogs naturally like to have fun. Training should be fun for your puppy.
Consider this: Even as adults, working dogs do what they do for fun. Canine Sergeant Adam Witherspoon, who has trained hundreds of police dogs, says: “It’s a game for dogs. They succeed at a task; they receive a reward.
It’s amazing what a dog can learn to do, and it all starts in childhood!
“Make training fun!” It doesn’t have to be exceptionally long, but make it fun for you and your pup every time,” says Samantha Jonker, dog training instructor at Animal Behavior College.
The emphasis on fun coupled with your puppy’s natural desire to please makes it easier to teach obedience basics like “sit” and “focus” – the first two most important lessons. You really want your puppy to be able to focus all of his attention on you. Plus, this little puppy sitting and eagerly looking at you with his big brown eyes will melt your heart.
Before you start
It is crucial to understand the importance of timing in training. You want to reward your puppy the moment he does what you want. Mark the behavior with a treat or a “Yes!” » However, if your timing is not good, you risk reinforcing the bad behavior.
Your puppy will quickly learn to repeat any behavior that will earn him a reward, so you will need to think like your puppy. For example, if he asks for a treat and you give him one, what has he learned? “If I cry, I get a treat!” »
Sit!
This is one of the simplest commands to teach your puppy. While she’s standing in front of you, hold a treat above her head so she looks up. In doing so, his little bottom will sink to the ground and as soon as he hits the ground, you will say, “Yes! and let him enjoy it.
Don’t anticipate. Wait until his hips touch the ground.
Repeat this five or six times with the treat, then try it with just the hand motion (keeping the treat in the other hand to reward her when her butt hits the floor). Keep your tone light and positive.
Repeat this several times during short sessions. At that point, she will associate sitting with the treatment and start sitting a little longer. Now it’s time to start adding the “sit” signal.
When adding the cue, it is important to time it to when she begins the seated movement. Again, don’t anticipate, but don’t wait for his rear end to hit the ground either.
Repeat several times, remembering to keep your tone cheerful and your workouts short!
Socialize your puppy
Socialization involves exposing your puppy to new experiences and places and helping him feel comfortable around people and animals other than those in his household. Don’t wait until he’s older; the younger he is, the more receptive he will be to accepting something unknown. Don’t throw too many things at him at once.
“Socialization is very important, both with other people and with other dogs,” says Jonker. Be sure to give your new puppy the opportunity to meet new people and other dogs regularly and reward any good behavior you see.
Without this opportunity, your puppy may turn away from people or, even worse, begin to show aggressive tendencies out of fear.
“A group training class for puppies or beginners is a great place to become familiar with other dogs and learn good manners,” adds Jonker. A win-win!
Interested in puppy training? Are you wondering where is their puppy training near me?
If you would like to learn more about training puppies or are considering becoming a dog obedience trainer, College of Animal Behavior can help. ABC’s online dog obedience program can teach you everything you need to start your career in about a year.
You will benefit from an excellent program developed by professional trainers and each student will have a program manager to support you along the way.
After completing your online work, you work with a mentor trainer in an externship setting and volunteer your skills at an animal shelter. This way you will have plenty of practical experience by the time you get your dog trainer certification.
To speak with an admissions counselor, call 800-795-3294.