Firstly congratulations on your new puppy/dog - exciting times! One the questions that we get asked frequently is to provide top tips for training your new dog/puppy. We have summarised these below and hope that this helps with your new dog/puppy
Top Tip One - Keep it Short and Sweet
Keep your training sessions short and fun. Your new puppy/dog will not have the capacity for long training session, and you will find that they may become distracted and their mind starts to wander. Hence, it's much better to have several short sessions. Remember that your dog is young and still learning, so you may have to repeat the same training sessions several times - this is normal, and all dogs learn at a different pace, very similar to us! Some dogs find somethings much easier than others, so just because your friends dog, or a previous dog picked things up faster/slower don't be alarmed if your new dog/puppy works at a different pace.
Top Tip Two - Always Reward Correct Behaviours
Sounds obvious but make sure you always reward when your dog gets it right. You wouldn't go to work without wages, so why should your dog? Letting your dog know that they have got it right is a key part of the training process, this also acts as an incentive to keep giving you the correct behaviour. We always start our dogs off with clicker training, but if you would prefer not to use clicker training, then no problem :) However, we suggest that you have a word for when your dog gets it right, such as 'yes' or 'good' etc - the reward (either a toy or treat depending on what your dog prefers) should immediately follow the praise command.
Top Tip Three - Be Consistent
Being consistent when training your dog is key. This helps your puppy understand what is right and wrong. You should not allow something one day, and then not allow it the next day (as an example). Its also really useful to use the same words for both the 'command' that you are asking and the 'reward' that you are giving. This helps gain confidence with your puppy and will lead to faster and more consistent results
Top Tip Four - Start Early
In the early months of your dogs life their brain is like a sponge, and still growing and developing. Therefore, starting to shape your dogs behaviours as soon as they come home, will certainly help set the foundations for a happy and relaxed dog in all circumstances. Remember the above tips to keep your training short, consistent and reward based
Top Tip Five - Patience is the Key
Remember to be patient when training your dog, as mentioned above all dogs learn at a different rate, and its important to patient with your puppy and not reprimand them when things don't always go to plan.
One thing you can guarantee is that your puppy will make mistakes, the same as we all did as we went through school. Reprimanding your puppy will actually hamper your training vs encouraging the training. The more you praise your dog for getting things right, the better results you will see
Top Tip Six - Enroll in Puppy Classes
Puppy classes are a great way to get further help and advice with your puppy, as well as introducing them to the wider world in a safe environment - helping them get used to other people, different environments and other dogs
We hope you have enjoyed reading our Top Tips for Puppy Training blog post.
Happy training!