3 Important Tips to Remember on Puppy Training
There are as many ways to raise a puppy as there are to raising
a child. In fact, one way per family in general! But most of us
agree that when it comes to children, certain things are
universal and undisputed. Here are three things that a lot of
people just do not think of when it comes to raising their dogs,
however. How many times have we heard, "My dog just won't listen
to me", or "He just won't behave!"
1. Dogs do not understand English until we teach them.
The thing we all love about puppies the most is the way they
live for us, the way they focus all they have on us, the way our
lives become theirs. in the beginning, they study us to learn
our body language, our facial expressions and our language.
Until we teach them the English language, it's all they have. If
we say, "Wanna go out?" one day, "Have to go potty?" the next
day, and, "Hafta pee?" the third day, if they DO figure out what
we want, it is because we have picked up the leash and moved
toward the door with a happy face! If you want to speed up his
training by three-fold, teach him YOUR language. Pick a command
for EACH behavior and stick with it. Tell all in your family to
use the same words and commands, and your puppy will amaze you
at how much faster he learns.
2. A young puppy's metabolism is racing along faster than we
think. The younger your puppy is, the faster he is growing, the
more food and water he needs to fuel his metabolism, and the
more often he has to go potty. Do not punish your puppy when he
makes a house-breaking mistake. These are YOUR fault. Your
puppy's age in weeks and his breed size determine how often he
must go out. Once an hour is not too often for a large 6-week
old puppy, especially if it is summertime. Dogs love the
exciting smells outdoors, so there is no excuse to not have him
housebroken by 7-8 weeks of age. Right after a nap, after he
eats and after grooming are the key times, and he will signal
you. If he is happily chewing a toy and gets up suddenly with
his nose to the floor, move quickly! And every time he goes
potty outside , praise him to high heaven! "What a good BOYY!",
"GOOD go potty!" and the like. Dogs love our happy faces, and
they will do anything to get it.
3. Dogs live for our facial expressions and body language.
Because of this, the worst punishment you ever need to give your
dog is a scowl and to turn away from him. You can see his tail
fall down and his face get so sad. He will learn the lesson, I
guarantee it. But his attention span is only 3-5 minutes, so do
not scorn him any longer. Love him up and give him your happy
face again. Physical punishment is never necessary. Use
consistent commands and loving praise and he will know what you
want of him before you know. He will become a master of your
body language and facial expressions in no time at all.
Naturally there are many aspects of training your puppy well.
Loving kindness works just as well for puppies as it does with
children, creating a happy, well-adjusted and obedient dog for
life. These three important tips, used consistently with
confidence, will start him well on his way.