Getting a new puppy is always a fun experience for a family. They are always so adorable, playful and fun that it can be hard to remember that they will grow up to be an adult dog someday. If we want them to be well-behaved dog citizens as an adult we need to start training them while they are still puppies.
Of course, the most crucial training is likely the housetraining. It can be the most annoying if it is not completed but there is also leash training, and the training to come, sit, lie down and stay. If you dog is going to be a well-behaved adult dog these are also important.
It is crucial to have your dog learn these basics and there are some consistent things related to dog training that always work. All animals learn better with positive reinforcement as opposed to negative reinforcement. Your dog wants to please you and make you happy and he will do anything to achieve that. However, if you give him negative reinforcement he will be fearful and less likely to respond to you the way that you want him too.
As you are training your dog make sure that you enforce the good behaviors with treats, affections, verbal praise and more. Your most oft-used reinforcement mode should be verbal praise. Praise your dog almost every time but give him treats only once in awhile. If he gets a treat every time he will come to expect it and too many treats can be bad for his health and your pocketbook.
Also, if you remember from your high school science classes about Pavlov’s dog and classical conditioning, you will recall that constant reinforcement was not nearly as effective in replicating consistent behavior as intermittent reinforcement, meaning if your dog knows that there is always a treat at the end he is less likely to respond after awhile, but if he thinks there may be a treat but he does not know for sure, he will do it every time and the behavior will be cemented in.
When you train your dog use hand signals in addition to voice commands. After awhile teach him to respond to just one or the other. This can come in very helpful in different situations.
The least you will want to teach your dog would be to sit, lie down, come, and stay along with leash training. You may also +want to include some behavior training if you have your dog out in public frequently or if he is especially rambunctious and hyperactive. Well-behaved dogs are a joy to own and in order to be a well-behaved adult he needs to be well-trained.
Training your dog will strengthen the bond between the two of you and both you and your dog will enjoy that advantage for a long time to come.
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