When do you start training a
puppy?
I
start puppies in training from the time they enter a home. Canine Connection Training offers clients a free 30 minute consultation so that we can get owners
off to the best possible start. Puppies are learning from time they come home
so I like to create good behavior and try to redirect the bad behavior so it
does not develop into bad habits. I like
to think that my training philosophy is best summed up as: your puppy should not assume that anything good in their life is free.
If your puppy wants a toy, he needs to sit and be polite and the toy will be
tossed for a fun game of fetch. If your puppy wants to eat, he needs to be calm
and quiet and the bowl will be placed on the floor. If she wants to come out of
the crate, maybe a sit will open the door. Puppies are capable of learning a
great deal at a very young age so start having some fun and build that strong
relationship of trust and cooperation. Puppies need to work to get the good
things in life.
What kind of learners are dogs?
Dogs
are more visual learners rather than verbal. If you are teaching a sit, better
to be completely silent, and give a hand signal for a sit (example: treat in hand
raised over puppy’s nose and butt goes down on ground). Once your puppy is
learning to sit with your visual cue after a few days, you can transition to
using a verbal cue such as the word SIT. You would say SIT, just prior to
giving hand signal. If you are saying sit multiple times to your puppy, you are
just cluttering up the learning process. Dogs are much better reading our body language
than we are at reading theirs. How long does it take for your dog to realize
that you are leaving the house?
How do you stop a puppy or dog
from jumping?
Dogs
learn that jumping up is rewarding from the time that they are little. Many
owners tolerate a cute puppy jumping up to say hello. I always start puppies
off with a polite sit for any attention. If they have to earn attention with a sit
instead of jumping, it becomes an automatic learned behavior and not a bad
jumping habit. All your family members and guests need to know the rules prior
to entering the house so that they are not reinforcing jumping with attention…
positive attention or negative is all the same. If your puppy can’t control her
behavior, then she must be on a leash or in the crate until guests come in the
door and settle. It is wonderful if we can create situations in which puppies
can be successful in learning good behavior.
Invite some friends over to your house to help your puppy learn a polite
sit for attention. Always better to be proactive in training your dogs, rather
than being reactive.
Refrigerator Lists?
Think
of all the commands that your puppy should know and write them down as a list
posted on the refrigerator. If you want your puppy to keep the paws OFF the
counter, than the whole family should train that the paws are OFF the counter.
If you want to use the word COME, all the family should use the same verbal or
visual cue. If your dog knows that ALL doors mean that she needs to look at you
to be released to go out, your dog will be happy to oblige. Dogs love clear and consistent rules that
don’t change each day with each person in their lives. If the family decides
that the dog is not allowed on beds, then the entire family has to enforce the
rule. You will get an amazing dog if you
create rules and boundaries and your dog will feel confident and secure.
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