Pet Insurance

Everyone LOVES a new puppy! They are so much fun and they’re cute and adorable and sweet and who doesn’t love that precious puppy breath? Well, those things are wonderful and make for a very loving time with our puppies. The good news is that your puppy trusts you. And, he will count on you to teach him everything he needs to know to be a domestic and socialized pet.

By now, you’re probably wondering what are the best ways to train this sweet puppy with the big, sad eyes. There are several different ways to train a puppy to follow commands. In fact, anyone you ask will more than likely have different suggestions for you. To help you understand all of this, and to help you find what will work best for you, just remember some very basic principles:

First of all, you MUST be consistent! When you decide to start training your puppy a basic command, let’s say for instance, “SIT,” then choose the one command you will use whether it is “SIT,” “SIT DOWN,” “SIT NOW,” etc. and stick to it. Just as important is the way you administer your command. If you say “SIT” in a firm, solid voice, then you need to always say “SIT” in a firm solid voice. If you vary the command or the way you say it, (i.e. a low voice vs. a solid, steady tone or a high-pitched voice vs. a solid, steady tone), all that you will do is confuse the puppy. Poor puppy won’t know what to do! So, stay consistent!

Another method of success when training your puppy to do new commands is to be full of excitement and love. When puppy does something right, PRAISE HIM, PRAISE HIM, and PRAISE HIM! Puppies love all the positive feedback and lovins’ they can get! Does that mean an occasional treat for your dog is bad? Of course not! They love being rewarded with love, praise and total acceptance, but they really love a dog biscuit or a meaty treat of some kind - whatever their favorite might be. Research has found that dogs that are trained with a treat for everything get to the point that they can’t, or won’t perform the command without the benefit of a treat. And sometimes, they’ll want to perform the command just for the benefit of the treat. Keep ‘em guessing about what they may get, but always reward them in some way!

So, you’re having loads of success training your puppy now and you go into the living room to find he has chewed on your favorite shoe! YIKES! Well, the first thing you should do is remove the shoe from the puppy, make eye to eye contact with him and FIRMLY, tell him “NO!” You should never ignore bad behaviors; then they become acceptable. But above all, you must NEVER strike, hit, kick, shove or abuse your puppy in any way. All that accomplishes is that the puppy loses all of the trust with you that you have worked so hard to build.

If your puppy doesn’t trust you, then he’ll be responding to your commands out of fear, instead of trust and respect. Nobody wants that! Additionally, you increase the risk of dog attacks if you have hit your puppy during training in the past. Should someone else try to get your dog to follow a command, the dog may associate it with the abuse he received during training and this will elicit an attack. Dogs just want to love us and please us and this method of correction is never a good idea.

So, when training your puppy, be patient! Remember to praise him frequently and to continue to praise him, well after he’s mastered the command. No hitting, screaming at him, or abusing him – that will ruin his trust immediately! After you must correct your puppy for a bad behavior, take the time RIGHT THEN to show him again how to follow the command correctly. Then, he gets a pat on the head and is more open to learning. He will definitely try harder next time and will be very efficient at it in no time. So, squeeze ‘em up right now and love your puppy! He’s going to love you, unconditionally, for the rest of his life! This animal truly is…..man’s best friend.