Be Consistent When Training Your Puppy

After the pup has a good idea of what you want him to do, begin to ease off using tidbits every time. Do not let yourself use tidbits as a bribe. It is very easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if you give a puppy a treat he will be good. But from the dog's viewpoint, it looks like you are treating him as top dog and whatever he wants to do is okay with you.

So only use tidbits when you are teaching a specific thing and only long enough to be sure he has learned it and associates the act with the word for it. Then ease off to the point of stopping the use.

Do not expect overnight results: Puppies learn in spurts and starts. One day he may know absolutely everything and perform to perfection. The next day it is as though he never had a moment's training. Too many owners make the mistake of thinking that if their puppy does it right once or twice he knows it forever, but it really takes hundreds of repetitions for a puppy to learn something.

A puppy or a dog needs at least one month of consistent daily repetition before any action becomes a part of his routine. Train the pup consistently for one month, then continue for one month longer than you think is necessary. Then you can expect him to know what you are talking about, but you must continue daily use of the commands, using an occasional reminder when the pup is having an "off" day.

Be consistent: There is a wide range of individual approaches to working with a puppy. Each person will be guiding his own puppy to live in harmony with the lifestyle of that particular home. Similar to raising children, there are many different learning environments that can, each one, be successful. The key to success is to be consistent in your demands and your discipline.

Puppies need feedback: A puppy learns by getting feedback from his owner. Praise him so he will know when he has done something right. Otherwise he will never learn what it is you want him to do. Then he will get confused because you keep nagging him and hollering at him and he does not know why. He will turn into a hyperactive nervous wreck. So let him know when he has done a good job.

Hands off: Keep your hands off the puppy as much as possible except to pat in praise. It may be necessary once in a while to manipulate him with your hands, but this should be the exception. It is easy to get into the habit of constantly grabbing, pushing and pulling. A puppy is not learning unless he is actually doing the action himself.

This is why it is so important to guide him into doing what you want. The actions (sit, heel, come) that he repeats under his own power quickly become a part of his conditioning and he will begin to repeat them willingly.

If you take all the previous points into consideration, you are automatically teaching your puppy to pay attention. By adhering to his physical and psychological needs, you will find that he will respond to you and you will be well on your way to building a good puppy-person relationship.

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