Training Puppy Tips: How To Train Your New Puppy
If you want to train your puppy in the most efficient way from the start, there are two methods for training your puppy which you need to pay close attention to. They are becoming the alpha dog and positive reinforcement. I will explain each of these methods in this article, and show how you can leverage them to create your own efficient puppy dog training system.
When a new puppy comes to your home, you need to understand dog psychology and the dynamics of the dog pack. Dominance is a crucial dynamic within a pack of dogs. There is a hierarchy within a pack of dogs and at the head is the alpha pair. They will not allow any other dogs in the pack to breed.
The alpha dogs eat first and take a higher vantage point when sleeping. This is why dogs like to sleep on beds or sofas.
If you want to set off on the right foot and avoid behavior problems in your puppy, you absolutely must position yourself and your family as the pack leaders or alpha dogs in your home. To do this, you shouldn’t allow your puppy to get onto the bed or sofa.
At meal times for a couple of weeks at least, it’s good to get the family to eat something (like a biscuit for example) just before you give the puppy his food. You should make it look as if you are taking the food from the dog’s plate.
You should always behave in a calm and assertive manner. Having dealt with the idea of being the pack leader, we need to introduce the concept of positive reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement means that you reward a desired behavior in your puppy or dog and ignore an undesired behavior. Negative reinforcement and punishment are not recognised as effective methods any longer by virtually all dog trainers.
Small treats, praise and affection can all be used for positive reinforcement. It is so important that you don’t reinforce undesired behaviors in your puppy. One of the main reasons that unwanted dog behaviors occur is that owners reinforce these behaviors without realising it. Please be aware that you are training your puppy or dog whenever you spend any time with him, not only during training sessions.
For example, if your puppy jumps up at you when you come into the house, and you immediately give him affection, you are training him to jump up. Whenever he engages in an undesired behavior, you must not give him any attention - just ignore him. This means you should look away or turn away and not give any attention. This method may be difficult for you to accept and this is the reason many people fail in training their dogs.
You will find that positioning yourself as the pack leader in your home forms a bedrock for all your puppy training and positive reinforcement gives you a method to encourage the correct behaviors in your puppy and to avoid potential dog behaviour problems.
For more information on training your puppy, visit the Training Puppy Tips website.
