10 Most Important Tips To Train Your Puppies

All of us dream of parenting the perfect dog, a pup that well behaved and dependable.

This can come true if you train your puppy with care and dedication. Remember, puppies – just like children – learn from day one and need to be taught what is right, what is wrong, and taught proper socialisation.

Puppies need constant supervision and training. Training a puppy need not be an ordeal all you need to keep in mind are a few simple rules:

1. Until your pup is properly trained, you need to keep an eye on it at all times. Create a schedule for the pup to help the pup settle down quickly. The schedule must include things like hourly bathroom visits, eating times, rest periods, walks, play time, training, and so on. A pup that has a busy day has no time to be bored and get into mischief.

2. Teach the pup to respect you. Dogs live in packs and instinctively follow a leader. If you establish your leadership then training will become easy as the pup will obey you and not challenge your authority.

3. Use only positive training methods. Never shout at, hit, or punish a dog. It is not just cruel but can lead to behavioural problems.

4. Teach a pup that nothing in life is free. This is a system that is widely acknowledged as a useful training tool. If you practice this, the pup will learn that to get something like love, a walk, or treat, it must behave well.

5. Teach the meaning of “No!” from day one. Do not encourage behaviorus like jumping, mouthing, barking, or running out of open gates and doors. Praise good behaviour and ignore or walk away when there is bad behaviour. The pup will learn that if he misbehaves he will loose his companion/playmate.

6. To correct a behaviour, you must catch the pup in the act and startle him by rattling a can of pebbles. Once you have done this make him correct his behaviour and immediately offer him a treat and praise. Pups do not recall what happened earlier so scolding him after an event is of no use.

7. Always call/use a puppy’s name positively. Never say “Bad Milo!” or “No, Chester!”. This will cause confusion and the pup will think that if you call his name then it is something bad. The pup must associate his name with happy events like hugs, petting, walks, treats (like our Mikana Puppy Food!), and such. If this happens he will come willingly when you call out his name.

8. Create a training schedule that is short and sweet – for example, 10-15 minutes, thrice a day. Long lessons can be boring and the pup will loose interest in learning. Make learning fun and use trick training to teach commands like sit, down, come and so on.

9. Bond with the pup. The pup must look forward to spending time with you and not avoid you by running away or hiding. Be sure to socialise the pup early. The pup must learn to be around other animals, people, sounds, vehicles, and other activities. Slowly introduce the pup to everyday activities and sounds. Take him to the mall/park, introduce him to children and other pets, and make him unafraid of the vacuum and garden hose.

10. Learn all about training, leash walking, house breaking, as well as food training. These are lessons that every pup must master. Know about all the idiosyncrasies as well as peculiarities of your puppy’s breed this will give you valuable insights on how to successfully train your puppy.

As a pet-parent you have many choices. You can choose to train the puppy yourself or register at a professional training school. Training a dog has many stages: kindergarten, obedience training, doggy sports, showing and conformation, as well as other aspects like therapy dogs, hearing dogs, and so on. What level you choose to train depends on you as well as the learning abilities of your dog. As you know, different dogs like humans have varied talents. Choose well and both you and your pup will have fun times together.