Sit! Roll! Run away? Best behaviour hacks for your new buddy!
Bringing home a new fur baby is a joyous and heart-warming occasion, but it comes with some important responsibilities and setting ground rules from day one is key to your puppy growing into an even tempered and obedient dog. When your excited and possibly somewhat trepidacious pup arrives into your space, it is likely that they will be distracted and a little overwhelmed. Nervousness can lead to destructive behaviour, so it is essential that a puppy training program focused on obedience and good behaviour starts as early as possible.
Your new puppy is eager to learn and eager to please, so they will lap up your attention and their excellent capacity for learning will reward your efforts. Whilst you want your pup to be part of your whole family, one single person to play the role of teacher initially will be helpful. This will assist with one of the key rules for your dog training – consistency. English is not their first language, so it is important to use the same words for the same commands repeatedly to get the message through. When a puppy has multiple teachers, it is harder to keep the language and instruction consistent, so confusion may result, and the learning will take longer.
Not only will your words matter, but your new puppy will be sensitive to your tone and the variations in your voice. Try not to shout but use different tones such as short and sharp instructions for puppy training commands, and use your ‘happy voice’ when you are praising them.
Your attention and affection are great rewards for your puppy, but you may also be tempted to use food rewards to encourage good behaviour. Food rewards do work well but remember that we also want to balance their dietary input. Try and choose something small and low calorie that your puppy likes for puppy training. Simply taking one of the kibbles from their daily ration works well and is easily on hand. Remember you will need lots of repetition to link the food reward with the behaviour you are trying to instil, and your fur baby will get tired from all this learning! Spread out any training attempts over a few short sessions each day so your eager pup is more alert and attentive, and you will soon be celebrating that sought after on command ‘sit’!
To help you in your quest for admirable obedience, we highly recommend puppy school for your new pooch. This will ensure that your at home training techniques are optimised and also helps to socialise your pet with other dogs. At VetMed, our 4-week puppy training course covers all aspects of puppy ownership and is run by qualified Delta Dog Trainers – the very best Sydney has to offer. Our dog training classes are fun, positive and focused on rewarding desired behaviour, encouraging your dog to enjoy the training sessions as much as you will, and give your pup the best start in your new life together!