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Training Your Puppy
Who can fathom the mind of a puppy? Squirrels
drive them crazy, garbage is their favorite snack and
immediately after chewing your one-of-a-kind, handmade
leather jacket into confetti, they can give you a look
of such innocent love and adoration that you forget all
about it. This kind of behavior can baffle and frustrate
even the most conscientious of dog owners. When you bring
a puppy home, she becomes part of your family; you need
to be able to trust her with your home, your belongings
and even your children. Managing your puppy's behavior
is the key to having a peaceful and loving relationship
with her.
To have a dog that makes a good, dependable companion,
you're going to have to spend time training them. There's
no other way for your puppy to know that chewing on an
old knotted sock is acceptable, for example, while chewing
on the sofa is not. She needs to be taught appropriate
behavior calmly, gently, and--most important--consistently.
As soon as you get your pup, you can start teaching her
how to listen to you, how to act around people and other
dogs, and generally to be the best-behaved dog ever.
The Alpha Owner
Though we'll never know exactly what your pooch is
thinking when she chases her tail until she gets dizzy,
we do have some insight into how dogs think about relationships.
Wild dogs live and hunt in packs. This is an important
model, because in every pack there are structured power
relationships between members. The alpha dog is the provider
for the pack. In a pack, nothing is given to a dog without
performing a task. If a dog learns that they can jump
up on the couch when they want, drag you down the street
on the leash and get treats when they beg for them, they
may decide that they are running the show. Puppies who
are given everything for “free” will start to
demand things and this can lead to aggression issues.
They may start ignoring commands, jumping up where they're
not supposed to jump, and protecting their food or their
"territory" with growls. In extreme cases, they
can begin biting.
In order to have a peaceful, manageable relationship
with your dog, it's important that you establish the position
that all humans are higher up in the hierarchy than them
in the beginning. Do not use physical intimidation to
establish human hierarchy. Physical intimidation can leave
a dog feeling threatened and defensive, and may even provoke
an attack. You don't need to raise your voice either;
shouting can also make dogs nervous and provoke aggression.
Aggressive displays of dominance aren't necessary. Most
dogs are perfectly happy submitting to a leader; they
actually gain confidence and a sense of security from
having someone to follow. A good pack leader projects
a sense of strength by using a steady voice and reacts
calmly to situations that make the dog nervous. The successful
pack leader also provides food, shelter, and attention
to the dog when she behaves appropriately. Having her
repeatedly follow your commands (sit, stay and lie down)
reinforces your position above her in the hierarchy. If
you're still having a hard time, ask your veterinarian
about special exercises designed to establish your position
in the hierarchy.
One of the main ways to develop your position in the
hierarchy is to start the “nothing in life is free”
training. This means that once a dog has mastered a skill
(like sitting or lying down) they must perform that skill
to get something she wants. For example if your dog wants
to go for a walk she must sit before you put her leash
on. If your dog wants to be fed she must sit and stay
until the bowl is put down and you have given her permission
to go to the bowl is another example. Making your dog
work for all of the things that she wants will help teach
her that you are the leader and that listening to you
will lead to rewards. It is very important that the dog
has mastered the skill and knows what you want before
you start the “nothing in life is free” training.
The Social Life
Socializing is one of the most important things you
can do to train your young dog. Puppies are like sponges--ready
to absorb all kinds of information about their world.
In the first months of their lives, it's your job as a
pet owner to teach them to bond with people and with other
dogs and to be comfortable in unfamiliar situations. This
is one of the most important things you can do for your
fuzzy friend. The less afraid your puppy is of strange
people and animals, the less likely she is to act defensively
and attack another dog or even a child.
The socialization of puppies begins between three and
four weeks of age (before most people bring their new
pets home). This means that some of the work is left up
to the puppy’s mother. If your puppy has been raised
by a careless owner or breeder, you may have an uphill
battle to fight when you get her home. Luckily, your puppy
will continue the socialization process until she is about
12 weeks old, so you have plenty of time to give her good
experiences. First of all, make sure she bonds with you
and your family. Show her that she can depend on you for
affection, food and gentle leadership. Between the age
of 8 and 12 weeks is the perfect time to enroll your puppy
into puppy classes. Puppy preschool will help socialize
your pup with other puppies in a safe environment. Most
puppy classes will require that your puppy has their first
set of vaccines.
Once your pup feels safe with you and she's had all her
vaccinations, you can introduce her to the big, wide world.
Take her to lots of new and exciting places--the park,
a friend's house or dog-friendly stores. Make sure she
has plenty of chances to meet kind people and play with
well-socialized dogs. Try to make trips to the veterinarian
fun, with plenty of petting from you and the friendly
veterinarian and technicians. It may be wise to withhold
food for a couple of hours prior to a visit to the veterinarian
so that they will be hungry and will want to eat treats
given by both you and the veterinary staff. Introduce
her to children, in a well-supervised environment. Show
the kids how to speak calmly to her and pet her gently.
If your puppy acting nervous in a new situation or starting
to bristle at a strange dog, try not to scold her. Raising
your voice will only make her tenser. Trying to comfort
her will backfire too. If she gets a lot of petting, cooing
and attention every time she's scared or aggressive, she'll
learn that reacting this way is a good thing. Instead,
remain call and talk to her in a steady voice that is
reassuring but not coddling. Try to focus her attention
on something else. Toss a ball or a chew toy to her, or
start playing her favorite game. When she gets absorbed
in the game and starts ignoring the people or the dog
that scared her, give her lots of praise. It is important
to take your time and don’t push your puppy into
situations where they are scared. Be patient, it may take
several tries before she is fully ready to take on the
scary situation. Baby steps will move you slowly to your
goal. Soon she'll associate the scary situation with fun
and playtime, and she'll become a canine socialite.
Think Positively
When most dog owners think about training their dog,
they think in negatives. They want their puppy not to
chew the furniture, not to piddle on the carpet and not
to jump up on guests. This can get a little confusing
from the puppy's point of view. Imagine you were a puppy
home alone and you spent most of your day chewing on some
loafers and spreading garbage around the kitchen. Then
you nap for an hour and meet your family at the door when
they come home. Suddenly they greet you with lots of yelling
of "No!" What did you do wrong? Was it the chewing
or meeting the family at the door? What were you supposed
to do instead?
The key to keeping your puppy from doing what you don't
want her to do is giving her a positive alternative--teaching
her what you do want her to do. It is much easier to teach
everything she can do rather than try to teach her everything
she cannot do. For example, if you see your puppy dancing
anxiously around the living room like she needs to go
out, quickly let her outside. Stay near her the whole
time she's out, and reward her with praise and a treat
as soon as she relieves herself. This teaches her that
going outside is a good thing. If you catch your puppy
having an accident on the rug it is important to get her
attention and take her outside immediately. Praise her
when she goes potty outside. If you catch your puppy chewing
on something you don't want her to chew on, distract her
with one of her "good" chew toys. Whenever you
catch her chewing on one of her toys, reward her. The
key to effective training--try to catch your puppy doing
something good, like sitting still instead of jumping
up or sleeping on the floor instead of the bed. Make a
point of noticing these behaviors and rewarding them with
attention, praise or treats.
Training is a gradual process and it can be a difficult
road to walk alone. It's vital that your entire family
agrees and commits to a training plan that you all respond
the same way when your dog misbehaves as well as when
she behaves perfectly. Remember to be persistent and above
all, patient. Your puppy's going to make a lot of mistakes
and may destroy a few of your belongings. However, she
is eager to please you. She needs your love, attention
and guidance to be the good dog you know she can be.
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