Puppy
Obedience Training!
Puppy
Training Articles
Chasing
Cars - 03/12/07
Training
your Puppy Obedince
Puppy
obedience training starts in the whelping
box. You have to depend upon the breeder
from which you purchase your puppy
to provide these basics. If you are
well acquainted with the breeder,you
are more likely to be able to positively
affect the early training of your
puppy. You will also be better able
to make an educated choice of puppy,
based on your knowledge of each individual
puppy in that litter.
Up to three weeks (21 days) of age,
studies have shown that puppies are
able to absorb very little in the
way of education, they are unaware
of much except mom, food and sleep.
Elimination is done by reflex at this
point. This changes between 21 and
28 days of life. Puppies begin to
leave the blankets and look for a
corner in which to eliminate. They
become acutely aware of their environment,
and are extremely sensitive to stimuli.
In fact, any experiences at this stage,
(to the negative or positive) will
more profoundly affect the puppy than
at any other point in its life. This
is where you and the breeder can help
shape your puppy's mind and life.
Crate
Training your Puppy:
Crate training and minor puppy obedience
training can actually begin at this
age. A large wire crate (big enough
to hold all the puppies) padded with
blankets is introduced to the whelping
box. Papers are layered on the floor
around the crate (as they were around
the blankets at the beginning). As
the puppies explore and roam, they
will choose to sleep in the crate,
and eliminate on the paper.
Puppies
can be handled and stacked at four
weeks, and it is great for them to
be socialized and handled starting
at this point. When stacking, remove
a puppy from the litter. Place the
pup in position, hold in position
gently for just a couple of seconds
using the "stay" command
quietly. Praise softly and release.
Make it a fun, play kind of thing.
Calling the puppies as a group, clapping
the hands and using a happy voice,
is an introduction to the "come"
command. This is effective as a pre-training
method if the puppies can be induced
to come to the caller by a second
party urging them forward gently,
and if lots of praise is used. They
can learn lots of basic skills at
4-6 weeks, which will save the owner
and handler (and also the pup) the
headaches and frustration that may
occur, if taught at a later age.
Vital ingredient in Puppy
Training:
It is vital that the puppy respect
the authority and dominance of the
trainer/owner early on, as well as
admire and love him/her. This means
that praise and consistency are vital
ingredients in the training recipe.
The following guidelines will help
foster admiration, respect and love
in your new obedience puppy once you
bring him home.
Puppy Obedience Training Tips
Don't
Use Punishment with your puppy:
Punishment as a training aid does
not foster the willingness to please
and excitement for work, which come
with positive re enforcement and treats.
Any negative stimuli should be limited
to using the word "no" and
blocking (using the hands) the puppy's
negative actions. Hitting and physical
abuse of any sort are unnecessary
in a young pup, and should not be
used unless under the most extenuating
circumstances in an older dog.
Use
Timing and Consistency with your Puppy:
Remember
that timing is everything. Coordination
of the trainers movements and corrections
is directly related to the ability
of the puppy to comprehend the lesson
he is being taught. It is important
to make him understand that the corrections
given are a direct result of his behavior,
and will not take place if he does
as the trainer wishes. For example,
if a puppy is given the command "come"
while in another room chewing on a
toy, he is unlikely to respond. If
no one brings him to the trainer on
the command "come" he will
learn the word "come" is
synonymous with "ignore."
On the other hand, the puppy is only
told "come" under controlled
circumstances, while on leash and
in the hands of the trainer. He is
gently pulled towards the trainer
with praise and learns that "come"
always means to approach the trainer,
and that to do so brings praise.
Reward
and Praise Your Puppy:
Directly
related to timing is praise. If when
given the command "come"
a puppy responds with the correct
action and is not praised, he quickly
loses enthusiasm and interest. Conversely,
when given plenty of praise and caresses
immediately upon correct completion
of a given command, he quickly learns
that the exercises are fun and profitable.
He also learns to duplicate the correct
action quickly in order to reap his
rewards faster. In this way, praise
and treats strengthen the understanding
and willingness of a pup to respond
to a given command.
Allow
the Puppy to Think for Itself:
Allow
a puppy the chance to act on its own
before forcing or using corrections.
Guiding a puppy is more confidence
building than using force. When a
puppy realizes that the trainer will
do the work for him, he has no motivation
to perform a given task on his own.
Given the choice between being hauled
around on the end of a leash and getting
a treat at the end, or having to pay
attention and work for a few minutes,
then getting praised, a puppy almost
always chooses the lazy way. Let him
work for the rewards and he accepts
it as a job he must do. As the puppy
progresses, he becomes more sure of
himself when he does not have to"lean"on
the trainer.
Work
for Short Periods with your Puppy:
This
is pretty self explanatory. Puppies
have very short attention spans. Keeping
sessions short (10 minutes) and doing
them frequently (2-3 time daily) ensures
that the trainer will have the full
attention of the pup, and that the
dog will not grow bored. Again, working
for short periods will be rewarding,
too. Do an exercise for as many times
as it takes to get it right, or close
to right. Once you get it right, STOP.
A puppy will learn that doing an exercise
correctly and quickly will be a reward
in and of itself, because it will
not have to keep doing the exercise
over.
Have
Patience and Confidence in your Puppy:
Training
a puppy requires patience and confidence.
Puppies know when the trainer is sure
of himself and what he is doing, the
information travels down the leash
to the pup as easily as electricity
down a wire. Lack of confidence can
be overcome by the trainer practicing
and working on his own, but will deter
from the pups ability to learn if
not dealt with. Patience is not as
easily learned, but if not used consistently,
impatience will cause fear and lack
of confidence in the puppy.
More
to come on Puppy Obedience Training...
Puppy
Training Articles
Chasing
Cars - 03/12/07
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