Essential Puppy Training Tips For New Pet Parents And Families
Many people get new pets for various reasons, such as companionship, health-related reasons, to teach their kids about responsibility, etc. A puppy can be an exciting addition to your family and has been a favorite pet for years. Despite this, being a puppy owner comes with a lot of responsibility.
Statistics reveal that about 95.5% of dog owners view their pets as part of their family. However, it’s essential to train them right to reduce the likelihood of them causing any injuries when they grow and to enable them to blend in easily with your family. Here are some practical tips to help you train your puppy.
Use positive reinforcement
This strategy is a common way of training your pet, but to do it right, you need to understand how to do it effectively and your puppy’s learning processes. Taking online puppy training courses can give you more insight on how to get started. You can gain access to such informative courses here.
With better understanding, you can encourage your puppy with incentives such as treats, compliments, patting their head, etc., whenever they’re on their best behavior and respond positively to training. This way, they’ll know which behaviors you encourage and which ones they should avoid as they’ll gradually be able to associate the various rewards with certain behaviors.
Set clear boundaries
Although your puppy is a part of your family, it’s still vital to set some clear ground rules, so your puppy has an idea of what they’re allowed and not allowed to do. For instance, you can have specific bowls from which your puppy eats, so they don’t eat from your kids’ plates. You can also show them areas where they can sleep, play, etc. It would help if you also let your puppy know which areas of your home are off-limits.
Additionally, it would be best to let your kids know what they can and can’t do with the puppy to minimize any risks, such as your child getting hurt from a bite, playing with a hazardous puppy toy, etc. As you set these rules, it’s essential to communicate them in ways that are easy to understand and ensure they’re always observed.
Introduce your puppy to baby scents and sounds
If you’re expecting a baby or have a little one around your home, it’s best to ensure that your puppy gets used to them as early as possible so they don’t react wrongly around your child. You can start by letting your puppy hang around some baby items, so they get used to the scent and feel. This way, your baby won’t seem like a stranger to them.
If you’re also going to let your puppy hang around your baby’s nursery, you must maintain good dog hygiene, so your puppy doesn’t leave any germs around. Remember never to leave your puppy unattended with your child, at least in the early stages.
Allow your puppy to socialize
According to experts, puppies build their habits right from the word go, making it essential for you to train them as early as possible to shape their growth. Socializing them is a great way to enhance their development. You can start by exposing them to different people and situations to know how they react in different scenarios.
For instance, you can take them to the park during your morning walk, so they get to meet new people, other dogs, etc. However, it would help keep them on a leash during the initial stages to keep an eye on them and reassure them if they feel overwhelmed. You can start with short walks or brief moments outdoors, till they eventually get used to it.
Give your puppy their own space
Although you’ll love to spend as much quality time with your puppy as possible, they also need their own space. As such, you can give your pet a place where they can sleep, play, or relax. One great way to do this is by crate training, where you teach your puppy to be comfortable sitting in a crate eventually.
There are a few factors you need to consider to help you choose the right one for them. The crate should be spacious enough to give them enough room to move around, and you should check it often just in case you need to clean it, replace their water, etc.
Giving your puppy their own space will help them adjust so that even when they’re on their own for short periods, they don’t feel abandoned or become aggressive. Additionally, it’ll help minimize any potential damage of items if your puppy loves to play with anything in sight. If you have kids, remember to let them know your puppy’s private space, so they don’t hang around it too much.
Be deliberate about your name choice
Believe it or not, the name you choose for your puppy can make your training more manageable. Usually, it’s easier to teach your puppy to respond when they have shorter names they can easily hear. The name you pick can also determine how easy it’ll be for you to emphasize it when you’re asking your puppy to do something. As you use their name consistently, they’ll gradually grow used to it and respond in no time.
It’s usually best to accompany their name with a short command such as ‘come!’, so they know what you expect of them. You should also affectionately mention their names while making eye contact with them, so they associate it with good things and not shy away from it.
Understand their body language
Understanding your puppy’s body language is essential in helping you determine how well they’re responding to the training and will also help you communicate better. Although puppies can’t speak, they have other ways of telling you when they’re experiencing something or are responding to something in a certain way, different from how humans react. There are many ways of identifying what they’re trying to say, such as barking, growling, whimpering, wagging their tails, etc., and these can mean different things at various times.
For instance, your puppy wagging its tail doesn’t always mean happiness. It could also mean they’re frustrated, depending on how quickly or slowly your puppy is wagging their tails or the direction in which they’re doing so. Their posture and their eyes can also give you great insight into how they’re feeling. Being aware of their feelings will guide you in the best way to train them.
Deter your puppy from jumping when they meet other people
As excited as your puppy can get when they meet other people, it’s best to discourage them from jumping as they grow older, especially when other people come around. Jumping may scare others and cause your puppy to hurt someone unintentionally. Therefore, whenever your puppy tries to jump in greeting, you can deter them by ignoring them or not giving them a response they’d have usually liked.
You can also get others involved in this process by giving them a treat they can give to your puppy whenever it doesn’t jump when meeting them. As you do this consistently, it’ll teach them not to jump up when they meet others. Additionally, you should discourage other behaviors, such as biting others, even if it’s playful. Alternatively, you can get them a few chew toys to prevent your puppy from damaging anything like your shoes, clothes, etc.
Live in the moment
As your puppy integrates into your family, you may occasionally forget that they’re not human. Due to their nature, you can’t use the same techniques you may have used to teach your kids something with your new puppy. As such, it’s best to teach your puppy the habits you want them to pick up immediately when the need arises.
Doing this is more effective than waiting for some hours to elapse before teaching them what you want them to do. On the other hand, you should reward them immediately if they exhibit good behavior. Doing so will enable them to associate it with doing the right things and build good habits.
It would help if you didn’t scold them excessively, as puppies are often not as conscious of their behaviors as humans are and have a short attention span. As you train them, you shouldn’t be so focused on getting it right that you forget to have fun with them, show them love, do enjoyable things together, and celebrate the little moments.
Training your puppy requires patience, consistency, and repetition but will undoubtedly pay off in the end. With these practical tips, you’ll be able to train your puppy in no time and make some great memories with them. It would help to remember that each puppy differs in how long they take to learn.
Keeping this in mind will make the journey more rewarding and manageable. If you can’t train your puppy on your own due to time constraints or other reasons, you can explore other options, such as professional trainers.