Owning a puppy can be a wonderful experience, though it also involves a fairly significant amount of responsibility. Training a puppy is crucial, especially in the first few weeks that you bring your puppy into your home. Puppies are very impressionable, though can become stubborn and independent if not trained properly. Engaging in a training program with your puppy is a very important part of pet care, and will set the foundation for the rest of your puppy’s life with you. Here is some advice you can refer to when training your puppy.
Though many people may not realize this, a puppy’s first week in its new home is one of the most important parts of the training process. In this first week, a puppy will establish a general set of rules, boundaries and observations about their new home. As a dog owner worried about proper pet dog care, this is your first chance to ensure that your puppy understands your general house rules. In addition to this, the first week is your chance to establish your puppy’s place in your “pack”.
During your puppy’s first week in your home, try to familiarize your puppy with all of the items in your home that are related to daily routines. If you plan to crate-train your puppy, be sure to have the crate placed and ready as soon as your puppy gets home. Try to have your puppy’s food and water bowl placed in a designated area, and a specific sleeping area (such as a dog bed) set up. Having all of these things in place before you bring your puppy home will help your puppy to be much more comfortable in your home.
When engaging in training with your puppy, the first thing you may want to do is to teach your puppy their name. It’s best to also do this in the first week that you have your puppy, since it may become significantly more difficult as time goes on. After your puppy learns their name, the next step is to teach the command “Come” or “Here”. This can be done by repeating the phrase “(Puppy’s Name), Come!”. Associating your puppy’s name first with the “Come” command will help your puppy understand that their name is separate from the command, but hearing their name should still mean that they give you their complete attention. The “Come” command can be taught by positive reinforcement, and by giving your puppy a treat when they obey this verbal command.
Positive reinforcement can be used to teach your puppy most of the basic training commands, such as “Sit”, “Lie Down” and even “Heel”. Treats are a very important part of positive reinforcement training, since they teach your puppy that they will receive a reward when they obey your commands. However, the most important aspect of training a puppy is patience. Even though your puppy may take a bit of time to understand basic commands, you need to continue to portray a loving, patient attitude towards your puppy.
