Training Your Puppy

A new puppy in the house is always a pleasure - that clumsy bundle of fur that looks up at you with his big 'butter wouldn't melt' eyes. He happily plays tug-o-war with you, makes you laugh when tumbles over his own feet and chases just about anything that moves.

Yes, puppies are gorgeous. But there's also another side to the story. They pee on the carpet, chew the furniture and as soon as you open the front door, out they run, straight into the road narrowly missing being hit by a car. Puppies can - and indeed do - bring turmoil to a home.

It's important that basic training is started as soon as the puppy arrives in your home and although you may think that an eight week old 'baby' isn't going to learn much, nothing could be further from the truth.

There are two types of training that puppies need: behavioural and obedience. Behavioural training is used to teach puppies not to climb on furniture, beg at the table, pee on the floor etc. Obedience training is used to teach him commands that will allow you to control him. The most important of these are sit, stay and come.
Negative Reinforcement

During behavioural training it's necessary to tell a pup 'no' in a strict voice whenever he chews the table leg, jumps on the sofa, or barks at the postman, but because puppies aren't emotionally mature, they can easily be damaged by any kind of aggressive correction, whether verbal or physical. Never shout at your puppy for inappropriate behaviour and never allow yourself to lose your temper.

Physical punishment should never be used, regardless of your dog's age.
Behavioural Training

When teaching a puppy what behaviour you expect of him, consistency is extremely important. NEVER allow a pup to sit on the sofa or lay on your bed unless you intend to allow him to do so as a fully-grown dog. By allowing a certain behaviour one day and not the next you'll do nothing more than confuse your pup which will ultimately make him more difficult to train.

Whenever your pup embarks on an unwanted behaviour, move him away and tell him 'no' in a strict tone. When you eventually see him move towards the object of his desire (a table leg that he likes to chew, for example) but remembers that he mustn't, give him lots of praise for being good.
Basic Obedience Commands

Sit - This is the first command your puppy should learn and is very easy to teach. Have a small treat ready (you may have to break up dog biscuits in order to make them small enough), kneel in front of your puppy and get his attention by saying his name. Hold up the treat (it's important you use a treat he recognises) and firmly say 'sit' as you slowly move the treat over his head. His natural reaction will be to sit in order to keep his eye on the treat. If he doesn't, help him along by gently tucking his rear in whilst repeating the command 'sit'. As soon as his bottom touches the floor, tell him 'good dog' and offer the treat.

Use the sit command at every opportunity, such as before feeding, when putting on the leash and when going out of the door.

Stay - Have your pup sit and then hold your hand in front of him like a stop sign while you repeat the word 'stay' as you gradually move away from him. Don't move too far to start with, a couple of meters is more than enough. Once he's learned not to follow you, gradually increase the distance between you until your able to move out of the room without your pup following.

Come - Probably the most important command of all as a well learned 'come' will give you complete control over your dog, making walks and visits so much more pleasurable.

Put your pup in the 'stay' position and then call him to you. When he comes, reward him and give him lots of attention. Gradually increase the distance from which you call him to come and then call him to come during play sessions, again offering a treat and more play for obeying.

Work on the 'come' command until your pup comes to you immediately he hears the command, regardless of the situation.

Your puppy should always be released from a command by saying 'free dog' or 'ok' or something similar. This should then be followed by a period of free play with lots of petting and attention. Never let your puppy decide for himself when to leave the command position.

All dogs respond best to training when they're slightly hungry and this is especially so for pups. However, it's important that you keep your puppy's training sessions short as his attention span isn't as long as that of an adult dog and training should never be allowed to become boring.

It's also worthwhile enrolling your pup to take part in puppy classes as not only will he learn the basic commands, he'll also have ample opportunity to socialise with other dogs, something that will hold him in good stead later in life.

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