Basic Training Commands

Formal training should not commence until a puppy is at least eight weeks old and fully settled into your home. He should be relaxed, and in good health. You cannot take him outside for training until his permanent inoculations are effective. You will be able to teach the sit, stay and down commands in your home, heel will follow shortly there after.

Some things to remember:

• ·         Never make training sessions too long – a puppy’s sessions concentration is short. Limit sessions to a few minutes. But you can have 2 – 3 sessions a day.

• ·         Never attempt training if you’re not in a good mood. The moment you feel frustrated end the lesson, or take a few moments to gather your composure.
   
• ·         Always end lessons with success, not failure. It doesn’t matter what that success is, only that the puppy realizes it has pleased you and gained praise.
   
• ·         Discipline teaches a puppy only what is not wanted rather than what is. This is only learned by successes. Always place the most emphasis on that the puppy does right, not what it does wrong. Praise should be lavish, discipline and corrections minimal.
    
• ·         Training sessions should be free of distraction. As the puppy becomes more advance, move into situations where there are distraction. The puppy leans, by degrees, t cope with these.
   
• ·         Remember, your puppy is an individual some are more placid or shy than others, and will need a softer tone of voice and greater patience.
    
• ·         Do not hold training sessions immediately after your puppy has eaten, or been playing, but shortly before.

“Formal training should not commence until a puppy is a at least eight weeks old and fully settled into your home. He should be relaxed like these pulis and in good health.” 

The Sit Command

Kneel down and call the puppy to you. Place him in from of you with one hand on his chest, the other over his hindquarters. Apply gentle pressure to the hindquarters. Apply gentle pressure to the hindquarters, at the same time saying “Sit” in a clear, firm tone. Praise him lavishly when he is seated. Move to another spot and repeat the exercise. However do not repeat the exercise too many times in one session or the puppy will get bored. Repeated over a day or two, at regular intervals, the pup will soon be proficient in this command.

                Once the puppy is obeying the command, call him to you and stand in front of him, rather than kneel. Practice till the puppy is proficient. Finally, repeat the exercise while you are seated in a chair. Using this three stage process (kneeling, standing, and sitting) the puppy is taught to obey the sit command regardless of your position. He will eventually take up this position whenever he is called to you, not even needing the actual command.

This puppy's are ready and willing to learn all you have to to is teach them!

Sit-Stay Command

Only when the sit command Is understood should you move to the sit-stay. A six foot lead will be useful place the puppy in front of you and use the sit command. Now move backwards a few feet. As you go say “Sit”, at the same time hold your right hand in front of the puppy’s face, palm forward. The moment the pup attempts to follow you, repeat the command. If it is ignored do not continue to use the command. Rather, say nothing and move towards the puppy. Repeat the sit command. Now start backwards again. Repeating the original sequence note that no discipline or corrections are used, repetition, patience and praise for success, are much better methods to use. 

Once you can move backwards to the length of the lead with success every time, you can then walk forwards, turning your palm to face the dog as you say the command and begin to move. When this is achieved, walk back to the dog, and praise him. The final step is to walk to the e end of the lead, turn, call the pup to you and give him the sit command. End with lavish praise.

Your puppy will find the sit one of the easiest commands to master. Remember, practice makes perfect :D

The Down command

This command is initially difficult for most dogs to accept because it’s a very submissive position for them to assume. The bolder puppy will display the most resistance. Once he realizes there are no negative effects, the puppy will accept the command like any other. There are a number of techniques used by trainers to teach this command: they fall into two basic categories. There are those where pressure on the lead, underneath the puppy’s neck, forces him to the ground, and there are the paw and leg methods which involve pulling the front legs forward while applying some reassure to the shoulders. In the paw method, the accompanying hand signal must be taught understood. This author prefers the paw method because it usually encounters the least resistance and it is a less threatening action to a puppy.

The down command is the most difficult for puppies to master because it is such a submissive position.

               

Once the puppy performs the down command every time, you can slowly  build up the time he stays in position. do not, however expect a young puppy to stat in any position for more than a few minutes. Your puppy's ability to do this will develop as he matures, and with regular practice.

Understanding Behavior

In this chapter you will come to understand some of the reasons your puppy behaves as he does. An understanding of behavior will make you more able to train him, and better qualified to pinpoint the sources of some common problems. We will explore patterns of behavior and their consequences. Unfortunately, in many cases, an owner who has no understanding of behavior will reinforce inappropriate behaviors through poor discipline techniques. Invariably they compound the problem and created confusion in the dog’s mind. 

 Before we discuss the key aspects of pet psychology, there are two phrases that you should keep in mind: Violence (otherwise known as hard discipline) is never an option. Although it may overcome the immediate frustration of the owner, it never does anything to solve the dog’s problem. The only certainly of inconsistent discipline is negative side effects. If you are not consistent in training, your dog will be inconsistent in his behavior.

Pet Psychology

The first eye aspect o f pet psychology is reinforcement. Reinforces are any stimuli serving to enforce a given b behavior. A primary reinforce is a stimuli, such as punishment, or petting, applied at the time of a behavior. A discriminatory reinforce is a stimuli that replaces a primary enforcer, but has the implication of the primary. “No” and “Good Boy” are the examples most commonly used, however, here the words are only part of the stimuli the tone of voice, together with facial and body expressions, are equally as important. Your size, coupled with the tone of y our voice and facial expression, leave the youngster in no doubts about your meaning.

“Gaining an understanding of why your puppy behaves the way he does will make it easier to train him and pinpoint the sources of any difficulties”

  Generalization of Puppy's Behavior

Generalization may itself apply both positively and negatively. For example, your puppy goes to the vet and is subject to a painful treatment, the vet wears a white coat. Some days later you visit a friend who is veering a white coat, and the puppy shows instant fear. The original source of the fear, the pain resulting form the treatment, at the vet’s office, has been transferred in the pups mind to color of the clothing. You might unwittingly chastise the pup for his fear of your friend. In so doing, you reinforce that fear.

Generalization is one of the singular most difficult behaviors to overcome because; anything in the environment may become a potential source of negative generalization. The best way to minimize the risk of negative generalizations is to try and ensure that the puppy is never placed in a situation that you know may result in fear. For example, do not wait until the puppy has a problem before visiting the vet. Take him in for a check-up, that way he’ll become accustomed to the environment under generally non-stressful conditions. Therefore, when presented with a difficult situation the puppy will experience less anxiety and will not associate the veterinarian’s office with pain and fear. Likewise, never take a puppy that is unfamiliar with the hustle and bustle of a busy town center into one without first getting him familiar with people and traffic under less busy conditions. Everything is new to a puppy; by taking things slowly you are ensuring all the generalization’s he makes will be of a positive nature.

“Generalization is one of the most difficult behaviors for a puppy to overcome because anything in the environment may become the source of a negative generalization. A watchful eye should prevent your puppy from encountering any situations in which this would be possible.”

Your Puppy’s Temperament

“A puppy reared in a loving environment with his mother and siblings already has been given a good start in life. This will ensure your puppy’s easy adjustment to his new family.”

Before a puppy is brought into your household, sit down with your family and discuss a puppy’s training needs. Write these down so you will have a reminder, of what was agreed. The list should include behaviors deemed acceptable. This list will be a useful reference to check progress and highlight matters needing extra attention once the puppy arrives. It wild also help you get more involved with the puppy, taking satisfaction from the results of your efforts. Once the puppy does arrive, revise your training objectives a needed. Is their a special behavior in which your puppy needs extra attention? Playing close attention to your puppy’s personality and behaviors will help you decide on proper training methods. 

“A puppy’s temperament is very important in deciding what training methods you will use. Careful observation will determine your puppy’s personality traits.”

The needs of one puppy may be vastly different to those of another. Every puppy is an individual. In some cases, much depends on how the previous owners treated the youngster. His inherent nature is also a minimal factor. A puppy reared in a loving environment, free   form any physical discipline, will be totally different from one where the owner was short tempered too quick to use. Punishment when the pup was other than an angel, a puppy raised in a kennel environment, were he had little contact with humans swill lack the all important imprinting essential to a pup  needing to socialize in a human world. He may not have received poor handling, but he will be nervous with people because he is unfamiliar with them. He may appear in some ways to be a formerly mistreated puppy. The testing of puppies advocated by some trainers to establish a pup’s personality bold and shy. Average and so on is not as foolproof as they claim to be they may be indicative of previous background, or health, as much as true character. It is better t assess what you have in front of you, than make an assumption that the pup has this or that nature and must always be treated on that basis. Your puppy is not unlike a child. What he is as a youngster can change dramatically by the time he is mature. The environment he lives in. and the way he is treated and trained, are the most influential factors in determining the adult he turns out to be.

The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. ~Samuel Butler

The First Few Nights of your Puppy

Unless your puppy is already familiar with sleeping on his own he will miss his mother and siblings and whimper or howl when left alone. If you do not want sleeping on your bed to become a habit, do not allow your puppy to do son now. Instead, provide a dog bed with warm blankets near your bed, a wind up ticking clock may be helpful if placed near the bed. It simulates the heart beat of his former bed mates and will soothe him. If the puppy whimpers resist the temptation to go to him. As long as the pup is warm and well fed you can be confident that the problem will cease within a day or two as the puppy becomes familiar within his room and surroundings.

Collar and Lead Familiarity

During the time bonding is taking place; it is a good idea to familiarize the puppy with his collar, choke chain, and lead. No attempts should be made to train, simply to accustom your puppy to the feel of these, and of the restraint a lead creates. Place the collar on the puppy before playing he will soon forgets he’s wearing it. After a short while remove the collar. Repeat this process over a few days and the collar will become a neural object. Never leave a choke chain on a puppy unless you are present. Once the pup ignores the collar you can attach the lead and walk around the room letting the puppy go where he wants. Do this when he is quiet and when there no distractions. After this has happened a few times you can encourage the pup to go where you want by calling him to you while applying the gentlest of tugs on the lead.

“Training can be a wonderful way to bond with your puppy. “

Never drag the puppy. Always coax him. By this gentle process the puppy will learn in a matter of days to walk with you without bucking and pulling. This will be especially beneficial one you commence housebreaking, as well as during training exercises.

            As you can se3e from the examples discussed so far, training can be introduced very gradually as the puppy bonds with the family. There is no pain, or even discomfort, yet the puppy is already being taught to associate simple words with action, as well as learning appropriate behavior through encouragement and restraint.

“Training can be introduced as a puppy bonds with his family. There is no stress involved, yet the puppy is already being taught by encouragement and restraint.”

Beginning Education

If your puppy is old enough to have been weaned and separated from his mother and siblings, e's old enough to begin his education. This does not mean formal lessons. Rather, you will be training by restraint, and by encouraging appropriate behavior. The word "No" will be well used, but should never take on a harsh tone at this stage. The fact the puppy many not appear to react o the word does not mean it isn't registering in his mind in relation to unwanted actions.  If you see the puppy doing something naughty, never rush at him. his will frighten him into running away from you, the last thing you want. Instead, walk clamly to the puppy, say "No" the lift him up at which point he will probably to wash your face, which is fine.

" A Puppy is never too young to begin his education. This does not necessarily mean formal training. At this point, you will simply be encouraging appropriate behavior."


There are several other behaviors that are important not to encourage. First, if you do not want your puppy to sleep or play on your furniture do not let him play on your lap while you are seated. Kneel on the floor. Secondly, no dog should get into the habit of jumping up.

" Do not ever encourage the development of a puppy's bad habits. Once he is a grown dog begging for food at the dinner table will not seem quite so amusing."

When the puppy attempts to jump at you step backwards so the attempt fails every time. Finally, do not feed your puppy tidbits from the dinner table, while you are having dinner. This can develop into a bad habit which, in is extreme form, results in stealing from the table. To avoid those doleful eyes and wagging tail, place the puppy in another room while you eat. The Temptation for both of you is then removed.

Playtime

All puppies love to play and should be encouraged to do so, kneel down or lay on the carpet so the pup can clamber over you, roll over, and snuggle up to you, all are important to bonding. Allow your puppy to play how he wants to within reason, but do not encourage behavior that has already been deemed unacceptable. Play should not consist of shredding paper, or rummaging in the trash bin. If these things occur, simply lift your puppy up and say "No' in a gentle but firm voice as you move him away. This is a gentle discipline involving no punishment. The word no is being used and conveys your displeasure. When playing, try to avoid overexciting your puppy this may lead to instinctual play habits such as nipping. Instantly, and softly say "No". remove your hand and bring the game to an end for a few moments. Always provide a puppy with things he is allowed to chew on, like a Nylabone so he has things to bite on during his teething period.

" All puppies love to play and should be encouraged to do so. Playing with your puppy is an important time of bonding and closeness."

Try to remember your puppy is still a baby, rough play should have its limits. Do not play roughly with the puppy to the point of frightening him. Do not hide and suddenly jump out at your puppy in order to startle him.  It serves no useful your puppy more cautious.

Bonding with Your Puppy

The degree of affection existing between any animal and his owner is a result of their time spent together. The greater the amount of time spent, the stronger their bond will be. Training is often a bonding experience for dogs and their owners. In fact, your success will depend on how strong the bond you have established is. During the bonding period you will be gently establishing your authority as the pack leader and parent, as well as establishing what is and is not acceptable.

Talk and Touch

While you should use a minimum amount of words for specific training commands, the reverse is true when bonding. The more you talk, the more the puppy will gain an understanding of the tone of your voice as a communicative indicator of your mood. Stroking and touching the puppy is also an essential part of the bonding process. 

When talking, do so in a soft voice, the puppy will find your voice soothing. As you talk, stroke each part of his body; in particular, stroke the ears, tail feet and underbelly. Chest scratching is always enjoyable, as is rubbing area just anterior of the tail. Gently lift the lips and touch the teeth – not an inspection, just a quick look. This is all part of the subtle process that builds confidence in you. By observing the pup’s reaction to being touched in various places you will learn if he has any negatively sensitive areas. Most dogs have at least one area that they do not like to be touched. You must consistently focus attention on this area your dog’s needs trust you in all things. 

“The degree of affection existing between any animal and his owner is a result of the time they spend together. The greater the amount of quality time spent, the stronger the bond.“

Handling your Puppy

The way you handle and play with your puppy is crucial to his trust in you. If you do not treat you puppy gently he will recall his contact with you as unpleasant. Never pull on a puppy’s ears, legs or tail. Never pull on the loose skin around his neck, or lift eh puppy up by this. When lifting the pup, always place your hand under his chest and bring the pup up to your chest. This way, he will never feel discomfort or insecurity. Do not let children lift the puppy by his front legs so his body is dangling. Always supervise any situation in which your puppy will be held. If you need to restrain your puppy while he’s on the ground place one hand in front of his chest, the other over his shoulders an effective way to stop him without his feeling threatened.

"The way you handle and play with your puppy is essential to his trust in you. If you do not treat your puppy gently he will recall his contact with you as unpleasant. Always handle with care."

Consistency is Everything when you discipline you Dogs

" Today's training methods, used consistently with patience will produce a happy and well adjusted canine companion. "

Once you have determined the house rules for your puppy you must apply them consistently all of the time. If you allow even the smallest infraction to continue, unwanted behavior will surely able to shape the mind of your puppy more easily than while he's a baby. It is always much easier to prevent a problem than finding a cure although it may be difficult because you love your puppy so much, you must take action when necessary. Do not allow affection, or sentimentality, to override your common sense, or his educational needs. You must at all times, take on the role of parent. As soon as you realize an unwanted behavior is developing, act on it. The puppy must do what he's told, it is your responsibility to be sure these things are conveyed to him in a kind and consistent manner.

The Power of your Voice


" The most powerful training tool you have at your disposal is your voice. The mere tone of your voice will be adequate enough to discipline a puppy "

"Spare the rod and spoil the dog" and " You sometimes have to be cruel to be kind" two phrases that hold no place in the training of a puppy let no one convince you otherwise. Present knowledge of canine psychology finds that harsh disciplinary methods of dog training applied in the past are being relegated to history, and with good cause. Today's alternative are no less effective, and carry far less risk of negative side effects if used consistently, regularly, and with patience.
     The most potent training tool you can implement is the power of your voice. Whatever the size or breed of your puppy, it will , as a pup, be small in relation to you. This fact alone places you in a very authoritative position. The mere tone of your voice will oftentimes be adequate to discipline a puppy. During actual training sessions, restraint, correction, and your voice, will be your prime training tools.
    Your voice, in praise and admonishment, will vary in tone and volume. These subtle changes will achieve more for you than all the training aids put together. It is the most ongoing form of communication you can develop with you dog. Use it wisely and it will enable you to achieve great things with your newly acquired canine family member.

Praise and Discipline for your Puppy

Your puppy learns appropriate behavior through successes that should be rewarded with praise and inappropriate behavior thought correction. The severity of discipline applied to a puppy should be minimal - only what is required to suppress an unwanted behavior. Anything more is excessive and unnecessary. The level of discipline can always be increased, but once excessive discipline has been used, negative side effects will occur. Remember, training should be a bonding experience for your and your dog.
From the outset, you must be clear about what behaviors you consider acceptable. Failure to do this can result in confusion and problems as the puppy matures.

For example, many owners encourage a puppy to engage in a tug-of-war game with a slipper after all, you are only playing. However, what you are doing is encouraging the puppy to hold on to things and try to win the tug-of-war game.

Will you be so happy to engage in this when the pup has a vice-like grip on your shoes, or clothing? If you don not want your puppy to sleep on chairs or your bed, don't allow him to do so while he's a puppy. If you do not want him to jump up on people when he is an adult, don't encourage him to do so. This does not mean your puppy shouldn't be allowed to do "puppy things," but exercise care in what you actually encourage him to do. Encouragement is a from of praise. It conveys to the puppy that it is acceptable to this or that. Let him have his own toys- items such as a ball, or Nylabone, things he will not confuse with items you do not want him to grow up regarding as toys. Play appropriate games, but try not participate in games in which he is encouraged to bite on your clothes, body, or anything else.

 If you don't want your puppy to sleep on the furniture be sure to give him his own comfortable bed or place to go to when he wants privacy. Respect his privacy and teach your children to do likewise. If you do not want him eating a bone on your living room carpet don't let him start doing so. Take him the kitchen every time he appears in the living room with a bone; and then praise him when he settles down to eat in in the kitchen.

Learning by Stimuli

All life forms react to stimuli- which is any thing. or action, that elicits a response- in one of three predictable ways. Reaction is either positive, neutral( passive ), or negative. In some situations there is no neutral situation. For example, when walking your dog and you tell him to stop, he either stops or keeps going, there is no potential for a neutral reaction. If the dog stops your reaction will be either positive (praise), or neutral you do anything. If he does not stop, your reaction will be negative you physically bring the dog to a halt. These reactions to stimuli are a vital part of the learning process. Continuing with the example, logic tells you that your dog would rather come to a halt and gain praise halt continue walking and elicit your displeasure.

" Your puppy leans by a combination of observation, hearing, reacting, memory and instinct."

If your dog keeps waling in this situation it may be because he has not grasped the notion that when you stop he is expected to stop in which case you have failed to communicate the needed response to a given stimuli. Or because he is ignoring your stopping action because something ahead is more appealing than the discomfort he associates with your displeasure. However, if you praise the dog one time for stopping, then discipline him the next time, you should not be surprised if the dog becomes totally confused. You must never react in two opposing ways to the same situation. Your reaction to an action of the puppy must always be positive or negative, never both. If this happens, you deny the puppy the opportunity to learn which action is expected of him. You become a poor teacher, and will end up with a poor pupil. There are no untrainable dogs, just lots of owners unable to train them.

The Learning Process

Your puppy learns by a combination of the following: observation, hearing, reactions to stimuli, and memory recall, as well as instinct. Instinct is something every animal is born with- a subconscious involuntary ability to react in a given way without having to apply any conscious thought to the matter. It is a safety valve, a means that helps all animals to survive when they have no previous experiences to draw from. Instinct can be overridden by memory because it gives the animal alternative choices based on the consequences of past actions. In the absence of experiences, an animal will always react in an instinctive manner.

" Training your puppy will be much easier once you fully understand how your puppy learns."

Common Mistakes in Beginning Training - Before training your puppy understand that your weaknesses can effect a pup as he matures into a dog. The most common error is to assume the puppy fully understands what you say. He is able to associate certain word sounds to required actions. The toone of the voice, and facial expressions, are also important in helping the puppy to understand the requirement of the word, and its context.

For these reasons, words, used in training should be short, never sentences, Hand signals must always be quite clear and distinct from any other signal that might convey a totally different requirement. Another concern is inconsistency. If a given behavior pattern is or is not acceptable there must be no variation in your reaction to it. You cannot allow your puppy to sleep on a chair one day, but not on the next. You must never call your puppy to you and then apply discipline, having given praise on other occasions. Also, remember you can not discipline a dog in the present for something done in the past, and expect he will associate the discipline with the most recent thing he did- usually coming to you. These common mistakes are the recipe for a confused dog. Unfortunately many owners seem unable to understand these realities, and unwittingly make training more difficult.

How Your Puppy's mind works

In many societies today pets are held in high esteem considered members of the family. From an early age we are, through fables, stories, movies and books. encouraged to believed the character in them can talk and think as we do. The proof of this can be heard in things many dog owner say.  Example include.: " He didn't mean to do that, " "He knows he shouldn't do that," " He understands everything I say. " Somewhere along the line we forget that our dog is not  human, and therefore doesn't think like one.

In order to successfully understand your pet, you must clear your mind of the tendency to a apply human thinking to your puppy. Instead, accept him for what he actually is- a once wild animal. A successful trainer will merely modify, or channel, your puppy's natural inclinations and behavior patterns into those acceptable in a human society. Luckily, dogs fit in very well with human families because they mirror, in many ways, the lifestyle of the wild dog's social structure- he will merely begin to see the family as his pack.

" To successfully understand your pet, accept him for what he is. "
Remember, when you take a puppy into your home you are expecting him to live by your rules, not those he would live by in the wild. Surprisingly, even today, dogs still rely on instinct more than we would expect. Making your puppy a good family member may take some time, but with patient training and plenty of tender loving care, your puppy will strive to please you.

" Dogs fit in very well with families. She will begin to view the family as her pack. :) "

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Dogs have held a place in Human

Dogs hold a place in human history equaled by no other animal. They have worked with humans as the centuries have come and gone. However, because of your tremendous familiarity with dogs, many owners assume they know how to train them without understanding the way they think and learn. Alas, the folly of such an assumption is clear from the growing numbers of animals abandoned by irresponsible owners each year. 

There are then those owners who recognize the tremendous pleasure that can be derived from a highly trained canine. they invest a great deal of their time into studying training techniques so their dogs will fulfill single or multipurpose roles, shepherding, hunting, advanced obedience tests, rescue work, and the like. Most owners are everyday people who are true dog lovers and want a pet to share their lives with. They are responsible and want a pet that will be " man's best friend." Unfortunately, they accept a relationship that, in many areas, falls well short of what it could be if they would take the time to properly train their canine companion.

Training a puppy does not take a very long time-perhaps a few months. In that time, the cute little bundle of fun and mischief you first took home will develop into a wonderful pet that will be your pride and joy. Without proper training your relationship with your dog will be unfulfilled for both of you, as well as, at times, upsetting, embarrassing, and downright frustrating,! Just a few problems commonly seen in dogs can be corrected quickly and kindly in the first few training sessions. You will be surprised to find that a formerly unruly family member will suddenly become a model citizen.