If you intend to train a
puppy in obedience, make sure that you understand the inherent
difficulties in the job and how to overcome these difficulties.
Obedience training for a puppy is something like parenting a
child where you must employ the same care and love that you
would give to a newborn baby.
Obedience training for a puppy is much easier than training an
adult dog because their capacity to learn and readily bond with
you has not been blunted by a previous owner. This allows you to
teach your puppy the proper behavior from the very beginning. It
is also easier because a puppy has not yet acquired bad habits
or has a bad behavioral history.
Take for instance, the often encountered problem of teaching
your puppy not to jump when greeting visitors The puppy should
not be scolded, at least initially, when he jumps on visitors,
as this is part of a young dog’s nature to be friendly, but he
should be given treats instead, once he learns to respond to the
command "sit".
It is considered best to begin serious obedience training of
your puppy between the ages of seven to twelve weeks, although
potty training should begin a little earlier. By this age the
puppy will have bonded to you and be more receptive to your
commands and his capacity for understanding will be more
critical.
If you teach your puppy the right way of socializing, then
aggression and fear should not arise in subsequent behavior.
Whatever the puppy learns during this period will automatically
influence the rest of his life. Seven weeks is the right age to
teach the puppy social behavior as his brain activity is almost
similar to that of an adult dog and has the capacity to learn
and understand complex behavior.
Correct obedience training of the puppy requires proper
preparation from both you and the puppy. It is important that
you begin with a proper mind set and understand that you are
starting out on a difficult journey where love and patience will
be required in abundance. Training a dog and modifying his
behavior requires repeated stimulus linked to specific commands
as Pavlov demonstrated all these years ago.
It is important to begin obedience training with the three
simple basic commands "sit stay come". It goes without saying
that these commands should be taught in that order and only when
sit is fully understood and always obeyed should the puppy be
conditioned to learn and obey the next command. Always attempt
to make each lesson a fun time for both you and the dog.
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Keep in mind that the main purpose of obedience training your
puppy is to prevent behavioral problems developing in the
future. It should also be remembered that young pups have a
short attention span and tire easily, so it is wise to keep
obedience training lessons short and reward your pup with treats
to keep him focused and looking foreword to his next lesson.
There will be many moments of frustration and just as many
moments of joy during this journey of mutual understanding, but
the end result will make it all worthwhile. A well behaved dog
makes for a happy dog and just as important, a happy owner.
