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."