Train Your Puppy

Puppies are cute and fun, but that doesn't mean easy to care for. Aside from feeding, grooming, exercising, playing with, taking to the vet, and all the other things you must do with a puppy, one of the most important is training. No, not just house training, and not just cute tricks. Obedience training your puppy is very important. Trained dogs stay safer, happier, and more well behaved. One option is to sign your puppy up for obedience training, or, you could train your puppy by yourself.

Steps

 * 1)  Find a reward. It is nearly impossible to train a puppy without some kind of reward involved. Most puppies respond well to food rewards. However, be aware that when training with food rewards or "treats," you should use small treats (even pieces of regular dog food work!) Feeding large biscuits each time you give a reward will soon make your dog unhealthy and overweight. If you don't have access to small treats, break up a regular treat into smaller bites. Some puppies respond better to toys. You can reward a dog that loves fetching by throwing the ball each time he does something correct, or another dog by playing a quick game of tug-of-war. However, toy rewards take up more time, can get the puppy too excited and rough, and may get boring after a while. Another method, often used later in the training is to simply stroke the dog. Puppies love your attention. Aside from one of these rewards, you need to give the puppy verbal praise. When a puppy responds correctly, praise him in a high pitched, kind voice.
 * 2)  Sit! Nearly every dog knows the sit command. If you want your dog to be obedient, safe, and able to learn more complicated tricks, you must teach the sit command first.
 * 3) * Have a treat ready to go. You should use a treat to teach this command, unless your dog doesn't like food rewards. Your puppy should be on a leash.
 * 4) * Hold the treat in front of your puppy's nose. While gently pulling the leash up, move the treat upwards, keeping it by your puppy's nose.
 * 5) * Hopefully, your puppy will follow the treat up, automatically landing in a sit. If not, gently push your puppy's rear down. As soon as your dog lands in a sit, say "Sit!" Then give a treat and praise.
 * 6) * Repeat the steps frequently. Be patient. Some dogs take longer to learn than others. Once your puppy begins to recognize the word sit, say it just before your dog actually sits. With time, patience, and practice, your dog should eventually learn to sit on command.
 * 7)  Lay Down! Once your dog learns to sit, he needs to learn to lay down on command.
 * 8) * Start with your dog in the sitting position. Once again, have a treat ready. Your dog should be on a leash.
 * 9) * Hold the treat where your dog can see it, in front of his nose. You may want to kneel so you are lower to the ground. While gently applying pressure by pulling the leash down, move the treat slowly unto the ground.
 * 10) * If this doesn't work, apply slightly more pressure to the leash. Pull the collar downwards, while moving the treat. Once laying down, say "down" and give the reward.
 * 11) * Eventually say "down" right before the puppy lays down. Practice and eventually your puppy will learn how to lay down when he hears the command.
 * 12)  Stay. This is one of the most important safety commands. Your puppy must know how to stay in one spot. This is important when taking walks, playing outside, greeting other people and dogs, etc.
 * 13) * Keep your puppy on a leash. This time, do not show him the treat, but keep it ready to reward him when the time comes. Have your puppy sit. Firmly, say "Stay." Hold your hand in front of him in the top position. Your hand should be where he can easily see it. Until your pup has learned the command, do not move your hand. It will help him stay focused and get the message.
 * 14) * Very slowly, while maintaining eye contact with the puppy, take a small step backwards. If the pup begins to move, say in a sharp, loud voice, "Ah ah!" That will get the pup's attention and let him no he has done something wrong. Do not be upset, he does not yet know the command. Instead, firmly but gently put him back in the same place, once again in a sit. He must be in the same place. Otherwise he will think that he can get away with moving forward even in a stay. Repeat the command and try again.
 * 15) * When the puppy stays, say "Okay!" and let him get up and come to you. Praise him and give him a reward.
 * 16) * Continue practising the command. Once he has learned the command, gradually move farther distances. Eventually, you may be able to try dropping the leash (only in an indoor room!) walking in the opposite direction, sitting down, spinning around, making a noise, etc. (These are very tricky, so don’t except your pup to be able to do them right away. They take time to learn!)
 * 17) Come! This is another important safety command. You need to have control over your dog and know that he will come to you when you ask.
 * 18) * Keep your pup on a leash. Tell him to either sit or lay down. Take a few steps away and kneel down. Have a favorite toy with you. Encourage your puppy by saying his name in an excited voice. Do not apply pressure to the leash. Show the pup his toy. Pat your knees. Continue to talk in an encouraging voice.
 * 19) * When the pup begins to come to you, say “Come!” Praise and reward him.
 * 20) * Continue to practice this, gradually making it harder. Once your pup knows the command, try calling him while he’s playing.
 * 21) End the training session. Each training session should last no more than 10-15 minutes. Try to keep the sessions full of new, fun things. Add fun little games to the sessions. If you begin to get frustrated, end the session.  However, try to end on a good note, with praise and rewards. This way the puppy will look forward to the next training session. If you see the dog begin to get bored, distracted, and frustrated, end the session and take a break. Try to stay committed to a 15 minute session every day, so the puppy will learn new commands faster.

Tips

 * It is okay to start training at a young age! Puppies will learn faster if they learn early on.
 * If a pup has a short attention span and is getting bored during a even a short session, include games during training. These can include hiding treats and telling your puppy to find them, playing fetch, and any creative, fun game you and your dog will enjoy.
 * After teaching basic obedience commands, try some fun tricks such as paw, beg, speak, play dead, etc. You can read more about these online or in books.
 * Keep training sessions inside until the pup knows the commands better, and is more focused and calm. Then, move outside, with more distractions, but keep the pup on a leash or in a fenced area for safety.

Warnings

 * Be gentle and careful when pulling on the leash to help guide your puppy into a new position. (sit, down)Do not yank the leash, simply apply slight pressure so the pup knows what to do. If the puppy begins to struggle or choke, stop and gently push down the pup's rear instead.
 * Do not feed too many treats in one training session-especially to a small, young puppy