Training A Puppy In 3 Easy Steps

Say My Name!

If you're the proud owner of a new puppy, you likely spent quite a bit of time trying to come up the perfect name. Teaching your puppy his or her name is perhaps the most critical first step in training. If you want to teach anything, you'll have to have your puppy's attention. Getting your puppy to watch you for training cues begins with having her learn her name.

Puppy training is all about creating, and then rewarding the right behavior, and that right behavior should always drive the treat wagon. The best treats are the small, soft treats. You don't want to fill your puppy up on treats, you just want to hold her attention with a small treat and the prospect of more. Treats are easier to keep handy if you use a pouch with a drawstring close. Milling through the plastic bag causes you to lose valuable time, and causes your puppy to lose interest. Have the clicker and the treat bag ready to go!

The Name Game

1. Start in a quiet area during a time when your puppy is rested and focused.
2. With your treat bag and the clicker in hand, call your dog's name and wait for the response. 
3. If your puppy looks at you, use the clicker for reinforcement and immediately give her a treat.

The desired response should always be followed by immediate click and positive treat reinforcement.

But what do you do if your puppy doesn't look at you? What you are aiming for here is an interaction based on hearing her name once. Repeating the name over and over or more and more loudly is not the answer. Wait for a few seconds, allow your puppy to wander or play and then try again.

Repetition IS success in training your puppy to do anything. However, only positive behavior should be rewarded. If your puppy doesn't look at you or grabs for the treat, don't reward that. Be extra careful that you are only praising the behavior that you want your puppy to keep.

Train With Patience &  Consistence

It takes patience and stamina from both you and your puppy, and consistency is the key to successful training. Younger puppies can take only 3-5 minutes of focused training. The older they get, the longer the training sessions can become. It's well worth it to spend a week just cementing the name game. Your puppy's response to hearing her named called will not only direct the training, but it will also help you establish a really strong connection to your new puppy.

Basic Tools For Successful Training

Pet Botanics Puppy Training Treats
These treats by Pet Botanics are great because they are small enough to keep your puppy's interest without filling her up too quickly. They come in many different flavors, and my puppies love them all. Unlike hot dogs or other human food, these are balanced so that they will not upset a puppy's new digestive system. More importantly, they taste great, and that's a real benefit when you want your puppy's eyes glued on you!

Clicker Training For Puppies & Dogs
Using a clicker may seem like an unimportant addition to puppy training. However, if you're at all familiar with Pavlov's Theory of Classical Conditioning, you can see how using something as common as a little clicker can help to not only cement puppy behaviors, but also speed the training process along. Classical Conditioning applies to humans as well as puppies. Think about how conditioned our own responses are at the movie theater. Have you ever sat through an an entire movie without a snack or a drink? That's Classical Conditioning at work at work! If you want to make dramatic headway in your dog's training, invest in a few clickers. 
Here's a great link for reasonable priced clickers at Amazon. 

Treat Training Pouch For Clickers and Treats

Finally, having a pouch allows you to store treats and be ready for those quick five minute training sessions. It also keeps your clicker handy so that everything is easily accessible, making training more consistent. Training doesn't have to be long or involved. Those few minutes before work or during commercials in the football games are all it takes to have a puppy that is well-trained, responsive, and happy. 

by Jacqueline Ballard

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