Giving your new puppy the best start in his new home and family is a sure fire way to set him up to succeed as a happy and well adjusted dog in the future. It may be surprising that an incredibly large number of dogs that are surrendered to shelters and rescues are due to behavioral problems that could have easily been prevented with a strong foundation of early training, socialization, and helping the puppy to develop into a trustworthy and reliable companion. Raise your puppy right and you’ll be amazed at the lifelong bond and trust the two of you will have together.
Punishment-Free Zone!
Your home should be a safe and comfortable place for puppy to reside. He should be free from fear and pain, and this means no punishment! Instead of getting angry at your puppy for chewing up your shoes or eliminating on the carpet, it is time for you to do some learning on how dogs learn! Puppies are especially sensitive and punishing them not only teaches them to fear you, but it teaches them to not trust you as well. Dogs do not learn the same way humans do, nor do they understand human language. It is up to us to show them what we do want them to do, what is expected of them, and to reward for these wanted behaviors and prevent the unwanted behaviors.
Consider that punishment and even the word ‘no’ is never an option for you when it comes to training and interacting with your puppy. Instead, take the advice from scientists BF Skinner and Ivan Pavlov on conditioning your puppy to want to do the right behaviors! This takes the stress out of training for the both of you, moves you closer to the end result of a trained puppy as well as helps your pup learn faster. When your puppy is punished, he may not associate the behavior he had just done with the punishment, but will instead associate you with the punishment. So, next time he feels the need to do this unwanted behavior he will just make sure he is not within your eyesight! This makes curbing unwanted behaviors much, much more difficult to curb later on.
It Starts Immediately!
Training your puppy should begin the moment he becomes yours! Puppies need boundaries to respect, and should never be given free range of the home until they are fully trained and trustworthy to be on their own. This can take weeks to months, or even their first full year with you. Each puppy is different! During this time he will learn to trust you and depend on your choices to keep him safe. Because of this, it is greatly important and useful to begin basic obedience training and rewarding calm, relaxed behaviors.
The first things a puppy should learn is to sit or stand quietly and calmly to gain attention. This is easily done with clicker training in a matter of a couple of sessions. Simply sit with him on the floor and ignore him until he is being quiet and calm. Click your clicker and reward him with a treat, petting or play so show him that this calm behavior is what gains him the positive consequence. This prevents jumping up on you and others for attention when he’s an adult! Furthermore, he should also learn to sit, lay down, stay and come when called within his first month. Many of these are just as much about his safety as it is about good manners and obeying your command.
And early, strong foundation in obedience means faster training as he grows up. Leash training as a young puppy is especially important, as you can teach your dog that walking next to your is the best place to be and watch as it become habit for him as an adult! You can show off your well behaved and happy dog to the neighborhood while others are being dragged by their canines during their daily walks.
Building trust with your new puppy through training is one of the most important aspect of your first week together. You must teach him that positive things come from you, be it his dinner, treats, play and learning new things. Your trust through training will impact the life you two will have in the future as you decide to take training classes at your local kennel club, meet others on your walks every day, or decide to compete in agility competitions. It is that trust that will govern his behavior and his ability to follow your commands as reliably as possible!
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