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Training your new puppy the right way
By Barry Gilbert
Puppy training is very important, whether you are
training your first puppy or your 20th. Properly
training and socializing a puppy is vital to making it a
valued member of your family and your community.
In some ways training a puppy is easier than training an
adult or adolescent dog. One reason is that the puppy is
essentially a "blank slate", untroubled by past training
techniques and other issues. In other ways, however, the
puppy can be more difficult to train than an older dog.
One challenge to training a new puppy is that puppies
are more easily distractible than adolescent and adult
dogs. Everything is new to a puppy, and every new
experience provides a new chance for distraction. For
this reason, it is best to keep training sessions short
when working with a puppy, and to end each training
sessions on a positive note.
It is also important to allow the puppy plenty of time
to play, and to interact with other puppies and dogs.
Socialization training is vital to making your new puppy
a good canine citizen, as dog aggression is a growing
problem in many areas. A properly socialized dog learns
how to play properly with other dogs, and overly
aggressive play is punished by the other dogs in the play
group.
This type of play learning is something that happens
among siblings in litters of puppies. As the puppies
play with each other, they learn what is appropriate and
what is not. Inappropriate behavior, such as hard biting
or scratching, is punished by the other puppies, by the
mother dog, or both.
Unfortunately, many puppies are removed from their
mothers and sold or adopted before this socialization has
fully occurred. Therefore, puppy play sessions are a
very important part of any puppy training session. Most
good puppy preschool training programs provide time in
each session for this type of dog interaction.
Introducing your puppy to new experiences and new
locations is also an important part of puppy training.
Teaching your dog to be obedient and responsive, even in
the face of many distractions, is very important when
training dogs and puppies.
One great way to socialize your puppy both to new people
and new dogs is to take it on a trip to your local pet
store. Many major pet store chains, and some
independent ones as well, allow pet parents to bring
their furry children, and these stores can be great
places for puppies to get used to new sights, sounds and
smells. Of course you will want to make sure the store
allows pets before heading over.
It is important for puppy owners to structure their
pet's environment so that the puppy is rewarded for good
behaviors and not rewarded for others. One good example
of this is jumping on people. Many people inadvertently
reward this behavior because it can be cute. While it is
true that jumping can be cute for a 10 pound puppy, it
will not be so cute when that puppy has grown into a 100
pound dog.
Instead of rewarding the puppy for jumping, try
rewarding it for sitting instead. This type of positive
reinforcement will result in a well behaved adult dog
that is a valued member of both the family and the
community at large.
This type of reinforcement can also be used in potty
training the new puppy. For instance, teaching a puppy
to use a unique surface such as gravel or asphalt is a
good technique. The theory is that the puppy will
associate this surface with going potty, and therefore be
reluctant to use other surfaces (like your kitchen carpet
for instance) as a potty.
About the Author
Barry Gilbert
Our Dog Obedience Training Secrets TRANSFORM Your
Dog's Behavior Problems! "And puts an End to the
Stress and Annoyance of Your Dog's Behavior!
http://www.auctionbusinesssite.com/dogs/
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