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Make training FUN
for both yourself and the dog..
This is a time to teach and bond.
Anyone remember Barbara
Woodhouse ?
<giggle>
"Gooood boy"
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We are not going in-depth with training methods as each dog is different
and the subject itself can take an entire Web Site.
Here are a few basic training tips and advice for the most common issues
of introducing a new puppy into the household.
If we refer to the puppy as a 'he' its nothing sexist, just easier.. :-)
Try to keep 'Training' informal and think of it as 'Behaviour Shaping'
!
Brief History of Wolf /
Dog
Firstly a little about the origins of the
dog to help you understand what you are dealing with.
The forebear of the dog is the wolf. All canines - wolves, jackals, foxes,
coyotes, etc have a strong 'family' sense. They live in 'packs' and have a
strict 'pecking order'. The dog has existed for thousand of years and even
today it retains many of the behaviours of its ancestor.
Taking one dog from a litter does not alter that instinct. It is still a
pack animal. The difference now being that it is no longer in a canine
pack, but a human / canine pack. To the dog we are just another animal.. A
complicated one, that acts differently, but still an animal.
In the wild the Sire (father and pack leader) and Dam (mother) of the pup
teach correct behaviour and discipline.
With a dog the pup usually only has the Dam and the breeder to teach
it, and this teaching is limited.. This is where the new family have to
take over. To become the new pack, and more importantly the new pack
leader !!
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The Early
Days / Weeks
The most important weeks to you, as a
owner of a new puppy, are weeks 7 to 16 (known as the socialisation
period).
The first days of a puppy's life in a new home are quite
daunting for him. Suddenly he is ripped away from his mother and
litter mates, and placed in strange surroundings with complete
strangers and strange smells. The household routine is different,
and at night he is alone and in the dark.
So what can we do to make him feel safe and secure again ?
When you first collect the puppy, place him in the car where you
want him to travel. i.e: a box or a crate, or a blanket behind a
seat etc. Many people have the puppy on the lap of the front
seat passenger, and have it there for many journeys until it gets
too big or inconvenient. Then the wonder why it barks, moves about
and tries to clamber back into the front when you place it elsewhere
in the car. This is not only a nuisance, but also dangerous whilst
driving.
Try to collect the puppy when you
have a some days free to spend time with him.. perhaps a weekend off
work.
Give him lots of cuddles and attention, but don't spoil him rotten..
Start
as you mean to go on !!
As much as possible, introduce the puppy to the lifestyle that it is
going to have.
Do Not think of the puppy as a' baby' other than for the
housetraining and initial settling in.
During these early weeks the puppy is going to develop mentally
rapidly and it is programmed to learn. Avoid any severe frightening
experiences as things happening at this stage stay forever.
(Re-homing is not a severe frightening experience although it may
seem that way!)
Tip: When you arrive home don't take the puppy immediately into
the house, even if you have excited children waiting. Take him to an
area of the yard or garden that you want him to use as a toilet.
After the journey he will probably want to go anyway, so have it
happen in the right place, and not on your carpet!
*
Ask the breeder for some of the food he has been fed on, and don't
change his diet straight away. If you must change his diet, do it
slowly, mixing in a little of his original food with the new food
(see Diet)
Make his bed in the kitchen (this saves the lounge carpet during
house training!) and keep his bed, food and newspaper (for wee-ing
on!) close together (see Housetraining)
*
At night leave a small light on. Also a radio on low will help him
think he is not alone. Taking a blanket to the breeder to get the
smell of his litter mates on is also a good idea.
He will cry at night, and this can last anything from a few days to
a week or so. DON'T be tempted to bring him into your bedroom unless
you want him there permanently. This is where you feel cruel, but
its best to leave him or go to him as few times as possible. He will
soon learn that you will go back to him in the morning.. Trust me
!!
Perhaps its also a good idea to buy the neighbours a bottle of wine
at this time too !! ;-)
* As with a new baby, its also a good idea to get down on all fours
and see the house from the dogs view (seriously!!).. and then move anything that
you do not want broken, knocked over or chewed !
DO NOT give in to him with anything that you do not want him to do.
Dogs like to live in packs.. The new family is his 'pack' and you
must be 'top dog'! Be firm but loving. He will enjoy being trained
and will reward you with his loyalty.
Most of all remember that he is a baby and try to understand how he
must be feeling in this initial settling in stage. It will not be
long before he thinks of you as the best thing since chopped liver
!
* Introduce the puppy to as many things as
possible that he will have to live with, i.e: The vacuum cleaner,
mop, radio, television, washing machine etc (that can be fun when
he tries to chase and savage the mop!!)
Introduce him to other family pets or take to a veterinary
puppy socialising session to meet other animals. Puppies
introduced to cats at an early stage will accept them as part of the
norm..
* Put a collar on him and let him get
used to wearing it, even before he has had his vaccinations and can
go outside. The puppy may scratch at it from time to time, but will
be easily distracted.
A Puppy has so much to learn in such a short time.
Play Fighting
Puppies play together and do a lot of play fighting. This isn't
aggression, its a learning experience. Testing themselves and
getting some exercise, just like children! If you watch puppies play
you will see a number of dog behaviours - stalking, chasing,
tracking, hiding, pouncing etc..
You can 'play fight' with your puppy. Its a game he understands.
Extend you finger and thumb like a 'beak' - this is your 'bite'. Use
both hands and you have two 'bites'. Any puppy can cope with
fighting two others. Three are too many.
When you puppy 'attacks' your hand you can 'attack' its rear with
your other hand - as he turns to retaliate the second 'attacker' can
come in and 'attack' the back of his neck.
Be careful though as a puppy has got very sharp teeth. Roll him over
onto his back and pin him down - it is the submissive position. Your
puppy is learning that you are bigger and stronger than he is ( and
therefore Top Dog!) .
When dogs roll onto their backs it is passive submission. Puppies
often do it to get their tummies tickled :-) and it quickly becomes
active submission.
Don't overdo the play fighting and don't let it become
serious fighting. Stop if the puppy starts to get
serious.
If he growls, listen it it. You will soon learn the difference
between a serious and a play growl!
When the puppy's bites hurt yell 'ouch' and 'No' let him know he is
biting too hard. You need to control that bite. With some
puppies it may be necessary to stop the play for a few minutes.
Introduce the word 'gently' to control the 'bite' and over the
weeks the puppy will learn to mouth without
hurting.
Words
Puppies / Dogs learn certain
words over due course of time, but they communicate by body language
and sounds i.e: facial expressions, looks in the eye, in addition to
their barks, growls etc.
Learn to use three voices. To give a command make it matter
of fact. (Adjust tone to suit the dog). To praise use a soft
/ light voice. To reprimand use a deeper, even growling, voice.
A dog does not understand sentences.. so something like "come
on Poppy dear. come to mummy" will go totally ignored as the
dog thinks "what she on about". Keep instructions
simple. One word even, and adjust the tone accordingly. Looking
at the dog and one word "come" or at the most "Poppy
(to get the attention) Come". Use body language to signify what
you want, in this example, pat your knees or point to the floor in
front of you.. Don't use different words for the same
command, and don't change body language for that command.
Don't
confuse the dog.
Socialising
Its a great pity that at a time when your puppy is
most receptive to learning, he cannot be taken out due to the
vaccinations. However, you can take them out in the car . Carry them
to where they can meet people, i.e: carry them to the school to pick
up the children, or a supermarket etc. A lot of people will stop and
and stroke him even if he is tucked inside your coat. |
**
Positive Training **
Reward Good
Behaviour. Have tiny titbits ready, and I mean tiny! I like to use
pieces of cooked chopped liver (dog loves it!)
Call the puppy to you quite a lot (remember, no long sentences)
"Brewster, come" is sufficient. Give
him a titbit and praise with a soft voice "Gooood boy" (Anyone
remember Barbara Woodhouse ? <giggle> )
Teach him to sit, lie down, stand etc on command.. Use single commands
"Sit" "Down" "Stand" etc.
Remember to use each command word exclusively for one thing!
Progress to teaching him to stay in these positions "Sit,
Stay". Call him after short varying periods on time, and praise. When
he is older and can go out, repeat these exercises in various locations
and circumstances i.e: traffic, children etc (make sure there are no other
dogs or distractions). Slowly introduce distractions as the training
progresses.
When out walking make a point of stopping at kerbs (even if there is no
traffic) and command the dog to "Stay" or "Wait" , and
look to see if the road is clear to cross. If clear command the dog to
"walk".
Note: If you intend to exhibit the dog Do Not train
him to sit as soon as you stop walking, as in the show ring this could
disqualify you!
Take you time - Don't try to rush
things. Puppies learn at different rates. Work within his
capabilities. You are aiming for the 'final product' and will not get this
in a 6 week training course! Most importantly make training FUN for
both yourself and the dog.. This is a time to teach and bond.
Most dogs have a fantastic nose (sense of smell). Make use of this by
hiding something with your scent on and letting him find it. Make it
obviously easy at first and increase the difficulty over time. You will be
amazed how much fun your dog will get out of this 'game'. Be sure that the
puppy always finds the article, even if it means cheating a little,
and always reward his success.
Discipline
When a puppy does something naughty, perhaps chewing something,
and you see it doing so, you have the perfect opportunity to teach
discipline. I don't not mean harsh or severe punishment, but letting it
know the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.
Offering
Paw
The behaviour of
young puppies is somewhat predictable. Certain things they do can be
annoying to us humans especially if we do not realise what is going on.
Many pups 'offer a paw' to make contact with us. This can hurt if they are
a bit too rough or have sharp claws, but the action is a 'submissive' one
House Training
As mentioned earlier.. Start by letting the puppy live in the kitchen (Not
very hygenic I know, but at least it doesn't ruin the lounge carpet!).
Keep his bed, food bowl and newspaper close together. Puppies cannot
'hold it'.. He is a baby
and when he thinks about having a wee he has already done it ! He will
need the toilet on waking up, and after being fed (hence the reason for
keeping everything close together!)
When you first get up, greet the puppy, then put him outside. He will be excited
to see you and this may start him urinating.
Take him to an outside area where you want him to do his toilet, and stay
with him. When he has done his stuff, praise him and reward with a titbit.
You can eventually train your dog to go on command if needed, but be
careful what command word you chose ;-) (and don't choose a word that is
in common use in the house!) To do this use a command word as the
dog starts to do his business. He will soon learn that "perform"
(or whatever word) means he has to wee.
If the pup does not 'perform', take him back inside and then try again
after a few minutes.
Overnight, put some newspaper on the floor, near the door where you want
him to go out. Gradually reduce the paper as the dog improves.
*
Put him outside at regular intervals and especially after feeding (he will
not bark to go outside at
this stage..) Make a habit of taking him out through the same door,
so that he knows the routine, and will one day go to that door when he
needs to go to the toilet, so watch out for that.
If you see him about to perform where he shouldn't, call his name firmly -
you may just stop the action - use "outside" command, then put
him outside where you want the toilet to be. Wait with him, then praise
when he has done his stuff.
If you are too late and the pup has made a mess - take him outside - and
return to quietly clean up the mess.
Tip: Turning around in circles is a sign that he will go to the toilet (goes
back to the wild and checking for snakes in the grass before the act!)
Praise him if he does his business outside or on newspaper.. IGNORE any
accidents elsewhere (would you like your nose rubbing in it if you pee-d
yourself by
accident !!)
Gradually, over the weeks, move the newspaper closer to the backdoor and
eventually outside. Put some soiled paper where you want the toilet
to be, during the day. The smell will attract him.
On average it can take up to 6 months to house train a dog to be clean
during the day, and longer to go throughout the night.
Unfortunately about 10% of dogs eat their own faeces, some dogs eat ANY
faeces. Although humans find this disgusting, to a dog its quite
acceptable.. Yuck !!! It is not a thing you can 'cure' easily - if at all.
Cleaning up quickly can help prevent it.
Lead Training (see
also 'Positive Training')
Having got it used to wearing a
collar we need to attach a lead to it and teach it to walk without
pulling. Don't delay. This can start prior to vaccinations by walking
around your own garden!
More
training advice soon. please visit again. Thankyou
If you have any
training tips..Or just want some advice..
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