How To Train Your New Dog
When you first bring your new dog home, it can be an exciting time for both of you. Sometimes, your dog may even get a little too excited! You’re going to want that potty training as soon as possible, and there are other types of training you may be interested in as well. When potty training, always take your dog out the same door to use the bathroom. That way, your dog will know which door to go to when he (or she) needs to go outside. Always reward your dog for desirable behavior, too. That principle applies to more than just potty training, as we’re about to see.
Other Behavioral Training
Some of the other negative behaviors you may want to train your dog to avoid are jumping, chewing, and begging. A lot of people have had success filling a soda can half way with pennies and then shaking it when their dogs do these things. They don’t like that sound. Don’t allow your puppy to do things you won’t let them do when they’re full grown, either. It confuses them. It’s important to make sure your dog is getting plenty of exercise as well. That in and of itself will help reduce the frequency of some of these undesirable behaviors.
Basic Commands
Some of the basic commands you’re going to want to train your dog to obey include sit, stay, and come. Besides being some of the most useful things for your dog to know, the good news is that these are also some of the easiest commands to train. It takes a lot of repetition and positive reinforcement, but eventually your dog will learn to recognize these commands. Effective means of positive reinforcement include treats, verbal praise, belly rubs, and additional play time. Training sessions should be short and frequent, too. This is the kind of thing that should be worked on throughout the day.
The Fun Stuff
Some fun, but potentially less useful commands you can tech your dog to obey include things like speak, roll over, shake, and play dead. They are slightly more difficult to train, but your dog should still be able to learn them after a reasonable number of repetitions. To teach speak, find out what makes your dog bark to begin with, like a knock on the door. Give the command, knock on the door, and reward your dog for barking. Eventually, your dog will obey the command without the knock. Before teaching roll over or play dead, you have to teach lie down, which is similar to teaching sit.
Remembering What Really Matters
Some dogs may have more trouble learning some of these commands than others, and some dogs may never learn some of them. All dogs should be able to eventually learn at least the most basic ones, though, and there’s also one more thing that all dogs have in common: All dogs are loving, loyal and fun. That’s what really matters. Just because your dog may not be able to complete an obstacle course, or even shake on command, doesn’t mean he loves you any less.
