By KyLee Grandmaison
Getting a new puppy can be a exciting experience but sometimes it can be a challenge. Puppies are often hyper, impatient, and love to bite! If your idea of a dream dog is a faithful companion, you may want to start training early!
Much like a child, a puppy’s brain absorbs all it sees and hears, so early training should begin around 6 months of age. Is your puppy older? No worries, these tips will still work with just a little more patience–and lots of treats!
Basic training is a must for every puppy, this includes tricks such as sit and stay. Sit and stay lay the basic foundation for every new trick learned.
Make sure you and the puppy are in a enclosed room, away from any distractions so that all of the puppies attention is on you.
Remember to be patient. It will help the puppy understand you more if you don’t yell or scream when you are frustrated as this can potentially hurt the puppies ears.
First, grab the puppy’s attention and let them see the treat. Once their attention is on you, raise the treat above the puppy’s head. The puppy should eventually sit, once the puppy sits, give the treat to them and practice again.
Repetition is everything! Make sure you are constantly working on the trick so that it is reinforced into the puppy’s daily life.
Once sit is mastered, you can move onto stay.
First, make sure the puppy is sitting. Once they sit, start backing away from them slowly, step by step. Take your time, the puppy may get confused and not understand you, but do not reward them, make them sit again and try again. After many trials, the puppy should soon understand that it must sit and wait, until you give it the okay to come.
When we leave the house, we expect to come back to it the way we left it. Puppies will take any opportunity to chew on furniture when they can. One way to avoid this problem is leaving the puppy in a crate when you are out. At first, puppies may see the crate as a scary place, but with your help, you can make the crate a safe and comfortable environment.