Your interactions with your puppy after the first meeting can be considered training. Puppies have the advantage of being too young to develop any negative habits; they ally a blank slate. In other words, you are responsible for teaching your little furballs everything they need to know about being a member of your family. Consistency, tolerance, and positive reinforcement are indispensable to successfully training your new puppy, the objective being to foster a loving relationship with your pet and instill healthy habits.
To get the best out of your pup, you need to know which training methods work best. This includes the dog owner mindset and the essentials for keeping a dog happy, healthy and housetrained. With the following tips, you can navigate puppy training and raise your new pet to be a healthy and happy part of your family.
- House Training
One of the first things you should work on with your new puppy is house training, which means toileting in the right spots. Start housetraining as soon as possible, or even before you bring a new dog or puppy home. Select the area for toileting and the door you want them to use to exit the elimination area. Consider where to keep the litter box or turf area on a balcony, patio, or backyard so you can easily monitor your dog’s toileting habits. Once your puppy goes to the right spot, reward them. A stroll across the neighborhood can be a pleasant treat!
No matter how well your toilet training attempt is going, mistakes and accidents are a natural part of the learning process. Prompt cleanup following a mishap is essential to ensure pets don’t return to that same area in the future. To thoroughly eliminate any lingering smell or mess, contact local dog poop service professionals for help. Because dogs have an especially sharp sense of smell, leaving residue behind can lead them back to that specific spot repeatedly – so make sure you take extensive measures!
- Crate Training
While many people see crates through the human perspective of being “caged up,” dogs are inherently den animals, and most prefer being in small, confined spaces. They feel safe in a crate, and if taught to use them from a young age, it can help alleviate anxiety.
Crate training is crucial for a well-mannered puppy who doesn’t destroy things and relieves itself outside. With a crate, your puppy can have a secured space that exclusively belongs to them.
Dogs eventually enjoy spending time in the crate more if they associate it with appreciation. So make the crate a part of enjoyable activities where your pup can enter and exit the open crate at their discretion to help achieve this. When playing fetch, for instance, you can throw the ball into the crate or hide treats inside for the puppy to find.
- Bite Inhibition
Bite Inhibition entails educating your puppy to use their teeth gently. It is all about controlling your pup’s behavior in social situations. However, it does not always apply to predatory behavior or playing with objects.
Startling and redirecting the young offender is a reliable method for developing bite inhibition based on existing puppy-littermate interactions. When pups nip too hard, they usually respond with an “Aaarp!” sound. Take this opportunity to quickly provide them with something suitable to chew, such as bones, toys, or stuffed animals. This can be done while their behavior remains paused, teaching them that biting people isn’t acceptable but gnawing on objects is encouraged instead!
- Positive Reinforcement
Remember the thrill you felt in high school whenever your parents paid you a few extra bucks for every good grade? That was an act of positive reinforcement, and you must admit it encouraged you to do even better.
In puppies, positive reinforcement emphasizes rewarding your pet for good behavior rather than isolating it for bad ones. You decide what you want your puppy to do and reward it with treats, verbal praise, and playtime when they perform the desired behavior. Because dogs strive to please, when you reward your puppy for correct behavior, it is more likely to repeat those actions.
- Teach How to Be Alone
Unfortunately, you can’t always be around your puppy.
Most people are too busy with work, errands, and other obligations to care for their puppies round-the-clock. Therefore, you must teach your pet that it is acceptable for them to spend some time alone. Dogs are social creatures, so they get stressed out when you leave them alone. They’ll get used to it, though it might be hard to handle. If you don’t act now, your pet’s situation will only get worse in the future.
- Socializing
Just like infants, puppies do not come into the world knowing how to act or interpret the world. You support their growth and development into amiable and self-assured companions. Well-socialized puppies are more prone to develop into amiable, approachable adults who are not unduly afraid or stressed out.
It is essential to keep in mind that exposure and socialization are different when socializing your pet. For example, your puppy might develop a lifelong fear of children if you let a screaming 4-year-old yank on its ears and tail. However, if the puppy meets several calm children and is handled nicely, it may grow to love kids.
Familiarize your puppy with a wide range of people, animals, places, and sights. It sounds so that they don’t not develop an adverse reaction to them as adults. Your puppy must be used to diverse handling techniques. This will make your dog more comfortable in settings like the veterinarian and groomer.
Conclusion
It’s essential to remember that every puppy learns at its own speed, so don’t give up if your pup doesn’t get it right away. Instead, you can use patience and consistency paired with a positive attitude to train them as loving companions. A well-trained pup is both content and self-assured; by providing them with the mental and physical stimulation of training sessions, they will live happier, more fulfilled lives.
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