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The “puppy blues” are real, and every new puppy owner can struggle when things get challenging. Whether you’ve just gotten an 8-week-old puppy who needs constant care and attention, or you’ve added an adolescent or adult dog to your home, here are some essential dog training tips to remember as you work toward building your bond and your skills. You’ve got this!
1. A puppy is an infant dog, not a miniature adult. Adjust your expectations for your puppy accordingly, considering both their physical and mental limitations. Before you know it, that puppy will be grown up! Even young dogs or adults who are new to your home can feel like puppies for those first critical weeks.
2. Puppy- or dog-proof your house with baby gates, a crate, and/or a pen. Any time you can’t directly supervise, your pup should be in a safe place where they can’t get into trouble. Provide age-appropriate toys for chewing. You wouldn’t give a human toddler total freedom in your house, and puppies (as well as young or newly acquired adult dogs) need the same careful supervision. Eliminating opportunities for accidents and destructive behavior will get you through this phase with most of your stuff intact, which also helps make sure that bad habits don’t get a chance to take hold.
3. Dogs are not born understanding English. The dog you brought home two days ago has no idea what the word “no” means. Instead of expecting them to magically stop whatever it is they’re doing, show your dog what you want them to do instead.
4. Learn about dog body language. Your dog may not be able to talk, but they can tell you how they feel. Watch what your dog does and start to notice how they express their needs through their body language and actions. You can start to predict things (like when a dog needs to go potty) by carefully observing what they do and staying present. Dogs are masters of watching our body language, and we have a lot to learn about theirs.
5. Train with high-value treats. You will be amazed at how much harder your dog will work for a tiny piece of chicken breast, cheese, or liver, compared to even premium store-bought treats. Those may work in distraction-free settings, but when the job gets more difficult, you need to bring out the good stuff. Training treats should be soft, so you don’t have to wait for Rover to chew before continuing the lesson.
6. Catch your dog being good. It’s easy to get caught up in scolding when your puppy is getting into trouble, but rewarding your dog for being good lets them know when they’re doing the right thing.
7. They’re a dog, not a human. It’s their “doggyness,” not what we think of as their similarity to humans, that makes our dog companions so lovable. Dogs don’t think like humans. They don’t plot acts of revenge; they are just trying to do what makes them feel happy or safe.
8. Dogs do the things that we reinforce. Those behaviors you don’t like? We usually have ourselves to thank. Owners inadvertently reinforce all kinds of undesirable behaviors from our dogs, from excessive barking at the doorbell to counter surfing. Keep leaving food within reach on the counter, and your dog will learn that it’s worth their while to check for that plate of pasta or bag of chips.
9. Learn to be quick with treats and praise. If the treat comes more than a few seconds after your pup has done what you’ve asked, they don’t know what they did to earn it, or you may inadvertently reward the wrong behavior. Your dog is happy to take it the treat, but you failed to reward the specific thing you were teaching.
10. Always be happy when your dog comes to you, whether you called them or not. A common owner complaint is that their dog doesn’t come when called. Never punish your dog when they come to you, no matter what they did before. Call your dog in a happy, playful tone and reward big when they gets to you, with treats, a toy, or plenty of praise.
11. Keep a positive attitude. If you are getting upset, your dog knows it! Take a break, take a breath, and try again later.
12. Provide the right amount of exercise and mental stimulation. Bored dogs get into trouble. For young puppies, mental stimulation is just as tiring as too much physical exercise and is safer for their growing bodies.
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