Is this the first time you own a puppy? If it is, you may be worrying about how to take good care of that adorable little pet of yours. Here are my top 10 puppy training tips. Hopefully, they will help you out. :)
Tip 10: No unnecessary punishment.
Never punish your puppy, especially when you are unsure if your puppy has done something wrong. Some puppy owners just like to blame the dog for everything!
Tip 9: Start training immediately.
Focus and zoom in on the problem areas quickly. Don't let bad habits start to form. For example, if your puppy has the habit of urinating at the most inconvenient hour, come up with a potty training plan immediately. The longer you wait, the harder it is to train your puppy.
Tip 8: Use proven methods.
Talk to puppy training experts and seek out great advice. Don't resort to trial and error. If you do the wrong things, it's going to be hard to reverse the behavior.
Tip 7: Use verbal cues.
These are verbal commands. Train your puppy properly to follow these cues. Do it consistently, and regularly. After some time, your puppy will find it effortless to follow your commands.
Tip 6: Manage your own emotions.
Training time is always a test of your patience. Manage your own emotions properly, and don't let yourself flare up. If you lose control and fly at your puppy, your puppy will grow to be afraid of you. That's going to make training even more difficult.
Tip 5: Understand your puppy.
Every puppy has its own personality and characteristics. Pay attention to your puppy so that you can understand it better. The more you know about your puppy, the more effective your training will be. That's because you can easily adjust your training program to suit you and your puppy. For instance, if you are training a shy puppy, you must know how to make it come out of its shell. Otherwise, it's just hard to get anything done. The puppy may just keep hiding or running away from you!
Tip 4: Don't grow soft.
Your puppy may whimper, and your puppy may bark. But you can't soften, especially when you know it's the right thing to do. It's normal for puppies to bark especially when it's going through a temporary stage of discomfort. But you know what the training is for. Your puppy doesn't. So don't give in easily. Be there for the puppy, but be firm as well.
Tip 3: Make smooth transitions.
Don't expect your puppy to change overnight and become a super pup or something like that. Make smooth transitions from one phase to another. That means making small changes at a time. This approach may take up more of your time, but it will ease the pain that your puppy has to go through. If your puppy can't achieve a goal, scale back a little and try again.
Tip 2: Don't lose heart!
Persistence always pays off. In the beginning, things may start out by looking a little rocky. It always does, and that's common. But the important thing is, never give up! To say this in another way - have patience.
Top Tip #1: Shower your puppy with love, praise and reward!
This is my number 1 tip for you. Nothing beats this tip. If you want your puppy training to be successful, just base it on praise and reward. You are actually showering love on your puppy when you do so. Always have some kind of reward (like a dog biscuit) in your pocket. When you catch your puppy doing something right, just give him the reward.
Reward the right behavior, and the puppy will learn to do the right thing.
