Puppy Training: Do's and Don'ts

It’s hard to think of anything that could bring more joy to someone’s life then a cute little fuzzy puppy. They're so adorable and perfect…..that is until your puppy uses the new living room rug as a bathroom and the kitchen garbage as a lunch buffet. There are many joys that a puppy can bring to your life, the trick is to be prepared for the other times.

A puppy learns based on the outcome of its actions, because of that you have to learn to reward good behavior and create a punishment for bad behavior. A puppy much like a child does not know the difference between what acceptable behavior is and what is not. When your new puppy destroys the morning news paper, he isn’t trying to cause any trouble, he’s just looking for a good time. The trick is to let him know how to have a good time while still following the rules, and it can be a lot simpler than it seems.

It all starts with understanding that your puppy is learning everything for the first time right in front of your eyes and that it’s up to you as a “parent” to walk him through his first steps. You have to teach him what good behavior is and what bad behavior is, and the best way to do that is to reward him when he does something good. You can even create different kinds or rewards, such as a treat (but remember to keep it healthy), a trip to the dog park, or just some good old fashioned loving. Not only is this a great way to train your puppy but its fun for you too.

One of the important things to remember when training a puppy is not to get into the routine of just punishing bad behavior. One of the easiest and most effective ways to train your puppy is by rewarding him for doing the right things. No parent likes to say no to their child all the time much like no pet owner constantly enjoys disciplining their pets. So instead of jumping on the bad things, do the opposite and jump on the good things throwing tons of love for playing with a chew toy instead of a slipper. While this is a great training tool that is all that it is, one tool out of many. Don’t let it go to your head. Be sure no matter how good your puppy has been that you still discourage the bad behavior when it happens, and it will.

There is a difference between bad behavior and wanting attention. If your dog is running in and out of the room barking while you’re trying to watch a movie he might just want a couple of minutes of attention before curling up and sleeping on your lap for the duration of your film. If this type of behavior annoys you one thing you can do is ignore it and your puppy will learn it will get him nothing. It’s important to learn not to punish this type of behavior; after all he just wants some of your attention.

One thing to remember when training your puppy is that much like he will seek out rewards for good behavior from you he will also learn to create his own rewards in the form of unguarded food plates, interesting garbage bags, or remembering just where to dig in the rose bushes out front for that interesting smell. If your puppy learns that acting a certain way within your environment will get him certain rewards he is all the more likely to repeat that action. You have to be aware of what rewards he is creating for himself and take those away.

One of the best ways to teach your puppy that something is bad and to stop is by using a verbal command. It is very important that while doing this you never use your puppies name while scolding him, you only what him to associate that with himself and you don’t want to scare him. Remember to be consistent in the word also; don’t start off by saying no and ending up by saying hey, keep it consistent. Choose a word that you can say with out getting or sounding angry but while sounding authoritative. I know that can sound confusing but again you don’t want to scare your puppy, you just want to let him know what he’s doing is bad. Don’t yell just try to sound like a boss when you want an employee’s attention in a meeting; sharp, direct, and to the point. Once you catch him doing something bad and let him know it, remove him from the scene of the crime and focus his attention on something else. As your puppy gets older he will begin to remove himself from trouble simply by hearing your command word without you having to remove him.

Another method of punishment is by using the time out, which can be anything from a trip to the carrying case, the bathroom, or simply being taken away from the rest of the family for a couple of minutes. This is a good method but be sure to only use it sparingly, a couple of minute will do fine.
Remember while training your puppy that patience is the key. When you see him doing something wrong don’t just jump to the worst punishment in the book, be gradual. Let him know he is doing something wrong and take him away from that distraction. If he goes back to it in a minute or two verbally let him know he has done something wrong again and take him into his timeout area for a couple of minutes. After a while your puppy will learn right from wrong and again don’t forget to give him lots of love and praises for doing things right along the way because after all he’s a puppy and that’s what he disserves.