Puppy training tips:
The puppy training tips described here are based on positive reinforcement training techniques used by professional trainers across the world. You too can use these simple, easy hints at home with your own puppy.
Here you'll learn some of the basic principles of positive reinforcement training. Use these training hints to teach your puppy to come when called, sit and stay, and walk nicely on a lead - you will even use them to house train your puppy and teach him not to chew the wrong things. On this page: How long should I spend on training my puppy? How long should you spend on training sessions and how often should you train? Rewards What rewards should you use in training and how should you use them? Putting it all together! Put together all you've learned so far in these puppy training tips and get on to training your puppy! How long should I spend on training my puppy?Puppies, and even adult dogs, have notoriously short attention spans! But it's also true that they learn better in short bursts, rather than long sessions. This is good news for you because it means you don't have to spend hours training your puppy! Two or three 5-minute sessions on most days of the week will be fine for most purposes. 
Once you've mastered the puppy training tips outlined here and in the lessons, you can use any spare time in your day (waiting for the kettle to boil or the toast to cook!) to very quickly ask your puppy for simple tasks such as 'sit' or to look at you when you say his name. Don't try to cram a week's worth of training into one session. Both you and your puppy are likely to get bored and frustrated. Even if you miss several days of training, stick to very short sessions. You'll be amazed at how quickly and easily your puppy learns using positive reinforcement and the puppy training tips we introduce here. RewardsPositive reinforcement training is based on rewarding your dog when he does the thing we want him to do. Here are some handy puppy training tips for using rewards. There are three main ways you can reward your dog for the right behaviour. Food treatsMost dogs love food! So food in the form of a small, tasty treat is often the quickest and easiest way to reward your dog. For training purposes, keep on hand small pieces of food that smell strongly to a dog. Tiny cubes of cheese, cold sausage or cold roast chicken are all useful. The smellier the better! And the treats should be small and soft enough for the dog to eat very quickly - you don't want to have to wait while Rover munches on a large biscuit before you can give him another cue! Remember that you're not trying to supplement your dog's normal diet with these treats. Keep them very small and if you have a day with a lot of training in it, reduce the amount of food he gets in his main meal. If you prefer, you can use some of his daily kibble ration as a treat instead. Toys or playMost dogs love to play, so a quick game with a special toy or a romp with their owner can be a great reward and motivator. Don't use your dog's ordinary, everyday toys in training. Use a special toy that you bring out only for training purposes. PraiseAll dogs love to know they have pleased their master so enthusiastic vocal praise, and patting or rubbing the dog's ears, will also reward your dog. For training purposes, your praise needs to be over the top and extremely enthusiastic. The dog should know that he has done something really special and out of the ordinary when he gets something right in training. So if you plan to use praise only as a reward, turn it up a notch! It doesn’t really matter which of these rewards you choose - and in fact you will probably use them all at different times as you train your dog - but it is best to stick to one or two. Make sure you can give the reward quickly. Remember, when using any of these puppy training tips, timing and consistency are the key to successful positive reinforcement training. Jackpot!When your puppy does something really well, why not give him a jackpot reward? A jackpot reward is given when the dog performs some task faster or more accurately. You can 'jackpot' by using a special treat not normally used in training (for example, you usually reward with cheese or sausage but jackpot with roast chicken) or the praise goes on for longer and even more enthusiastically. Once your puppy knows a jackpot could be on the cards, he'll be extra keen to earn one! And as always with these puppy training tips, remember timing and consistency. Next stepsYour next step should be to read Clicker Puppy Training - it tells you about how to use a clicker or a marker word to let your puppy know when he's done something right. This is a crucial part of puppy training. More training at PuppyPrimer.comOne of the simplest ways to get started on training is by teaching your puppy his name. Yes, it sounds obvious and even too easy but even if you have an older dog, or you think your puppy already knows his name, it's a handy way to start teaching the dog to recognise rewards and markers. We will step through how to use all these puppy training tips in each of the lessons shown in the left hand column. Top tips from an expertFeeling a bit overwhelmed? Don't worry! Training a puppy is not really that hard - if you keep some key principles in mind.
This video illustrates what I'm talking about. It features the well-known dog trainer, Dr Ian Dunbar. It's a bit long but it gives you a great overview of what training a puppy is about - reward the right behaviour, not the wrong behaviour. Go back to How to Train a Puppy |
