Archive for the ‘Puppy Training’ Category
Bond and Trust – The Human–Dog relation basis
The basics on building a trustworthy relation to your Puppy
Dog training is particularly based on a functional communication between the human being and his dog.
The tie between you and your dog isn’t there right from the beginning, but has to be developed with lot of love, devotion and consistency. The Puppy, having stayed with his mother till now, needs to receive this love, protection, contact and rules from you from now on, and of course his basic needs, like feeding, playing, sleeping and cuddling need to be satisfied.
The Puppy still needs to learn a lot, and gain experience every single day. Doing so he will of course face situations that might be scary or disturbing and this is exactly the point where the Puppy needs to trust in you. Together the two of you will face those troubles, find irritating objects and situations, and the trust that is built in those moments will strengthen the bonds between you and your dog a little more every day.
A good relation will further on be the cornerstone of your education, as the dog will only be following your wish if he feels motivated by you and has developed those bonds.
Now how can these ties be developed?
The Puppy’s phases of development
Phases of development
The Puppy passes through several stages of development after birth.
Vegetative phase (1. and 2. week)
In this early stage eyes and ears are still closed, and the sense of smell is poorly developed.
Transition period (3. week)
Now the palpebral fissure and outer acoustic meatus open up, still the Puppy is not able to see. Vision is not developed before the 17th or 18th week. The same applies for the sense of hearing. Did the Puppy so far solely sleep and drink, he’ll now be able to notice his siblings and adjacencies.
Filial Imprinting (4 - 7. week)
Eyes, nose and ears are fully developed. In this period the Puppy ideally becomes acquainted with various impressions like humans, noises or visual impressions. He consciously notices his environment und gets to know his social partners. While playing with his little brothers and sisters he will learn to find his position in the hierarchy and to test himself and the others. This is the period where personality and temper are stamped. Is a Puppy in this period kept isolated and without social contacts, it is very likely that there will be major problems with the dog’s socialization.
Puppy Potty Training
Potty Training
The first thing you want to do when a new puppy arrives to your home is to start the potty training. Potty training can be the most challenging and rewarding part of all puppy-training exercises. Potty training your new family member can be very frustrating at times, but can provide a lifetime of rewards. Being consistent while potty training will help your puppy develop a positive behavior.
The biggest challenge when potty training your puppy is to recognize your puppy’s signals when it needs to go potty. When most people first bring home their new puppy they focus on the love & enjoyment their puppy will bring, but without effective potty training this novelty wears off and soon leads to other related problems. The time spent potty training your puppy will be well worth it, both for you and your dog. When potty training, keep in mind that puppies, like humans, tend to flourish when phrased and are rewarded for their efforts.
Crate Training
Crate training your dog
Crate training a dog can be one of the most beneficial aspects of successful instruction. Crate training not only helps ease your mind when you are away from home, but it is also of assistance in potty training.
A crate for your dog will become his sanctuary. Whether or not you chose this as a home for him when you are gone or as a bed at night, it is important to make the crate experience a positive one. The crate should become a comfort zone, and should be used consistently when leaving or sleeping. Crating your pup when you leave home will put your mind at ease knowing that he will not be chewing or soiling the rest of your home. It is also comforting to know that your dog feels safe and relaxed until you can return.
Dog commands
The Commands
How do you get your commands across to your apprentice?
Firstly there are your voice and language. It is said that there are people bringing home there Puppy, putting them to their designated spot and wonder why the command “down” is simply ignored. Isn’t that inborn?
Canines barely communicate acoustically. For them body language is equal to the human writing and language. To achieve his degree of master your best friend will only have to learn about 10 commands. Most additional are just a needless wastefulness. You may use terms that comfort you, but using the common commands makes sense for many reasons.
Before your dog does, YOU should have a good grasp of the commands you are going to use. First of all the dogs name (disyllabic, preferably with two different vowels, like Bella, Lassie, Ringo). Then “No”, “Come/Here”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “Down”, “Stand”, “Heel”, “Out/Let Go” “Fetch” and “Track”.
Those words are called commands, and maybe this is the reason why most dog owners use them and act like drill sergeants.
Train your dog to Sit!
Training your dog to Sit!
The command Sit! would be one of the first and easiest you want your dog to learn and memorize.
Whenever a dog hears his feeding dish being handled, or his leash being taken from its place it knows what’s going to happen. So the Puppy is very early able to understand the connection food - cup, or walk – leash and anticipate the outcome. This is exactly what we are going to take advantage of.
The moment the Puppy sits down by himself we say “sit”. Repeatingly using the sit! command whenever the Puppy sits down will make your dog connect action and command. As with the cup and leash example the dog will sit down although the command is happening before the action taking place. Of course the Puppy will only sit down if not “disturbed” by something of major importance.
You may start to back your command after a few days of practice, by gently pushing your dog’s croup down with one hand and keeping his head up with the other. In doing so, we repeat the command >>sit<<, >>sit<< with a comforting voice. Should the dog sit for about 5 seconds, this should be followed by exuberant praise and visible exaltation.
Your body language and voice must be a clear signal to your dog, that it has just achieved something world-shaking.
Getting your Puppy used to drive in a car
The Puppy and the car
It seems that most dogs are as addicted to riding in a car as their human partners, but this fact does not obligatory apply to the little Puppy.
Some Puppies seem to have the same problem with the acclimatization to this kind of locomotion as little children. Puppies tend to throw up quite easily on a car ride, as in many cases their last meal does not date back that long, or their sense of smell is simply irritated by gas and oil malodor.
As soon as your new Puppy got used to his new home and is feeding well, get your pet used to riding a car. Firstly you might just sit in there together and have a little play time. The second step is to start doing short rides. You better do this with a second person to distract the little dog for the time of the journey. Drive very slowly and a good option is to stop at a park or meadow for a play time or a short walk.
Chewing and Digging Dog
How to deal with chewing and digging
Dogs have the innate sense to chew and dig, thus demolishing some of your most precious possessions. Chewing and digging are activities that help your dog relieve stress or anxiety and combat boredom. This behavior is normal, but can be stopped with simple preventative measures.
For the young puppy that is teething, be sure to have a lot of puppy bones and toys on hand. Teething puppies also love chewing on a frozen washcloth and they even make puppy teething rings that owners can freeze. If you catch your pup chewing on a shoe or other inappropriate item, promptly take it from your dog and replace it with a suitable toy. Once you teach your dog what items he can and cannot chew, it is important to switch up his toys so that he does not get bored with the ones that he has.
