Please Note:
These
training tips are what we use at Kazlo Siberians to train our puppies. Everyone trains puppies and dogs with
their own philosophies and we have found that these training ideas work for us. This information is intended to help new
owners gather the information they need in order to develop a good relationship
with their new puppy/dog. Our
training tips are not posted to intend that other training philosophies do not
work, we can only recommend what works for us. We hope you find them helpful.
Introduction to Puppy Socialization
Puppy socialization helps you develop a good relationship with your puppy by giving you skills for training and problem-solving. The goal is a relationship in which your puppy regards the human members of its family with trust and respect. Consistent behavior regarding your puppy's actions will allow your puppy to gain trust in you. An action that is praised in one situation should never be punished in another situation. Your puppy will learn to respect you by your thoughtful decisions regarding your puppy's life.
We emphasize reinforcing good behavior so it is more likely to occur again. A puppy has a short attention span so it is not expected that your puppy will understand and obey every command with accuracy in the beginning. Precision comes with experience and maturity. The tools you will learn to teach your puppy will be useful knowledge that you can use throughout your dog's life. Training should continue as a part of your dog’s life. It provides mental stimulation and opportunities for strengthening your relationship with your dog.
Basic Dog Training Principles:
- Your new puppy is learning all the time, so train all the time! When your puppy runs to you, bend down and help him/her sit. This will train your puppy not to jump.
- Food is a good motivator for dog training. Small food treats are recommended.
- Train your puppy in short training sessions of no more than 10-15 minutes each. Training can be 2 to 3 sessions throughout the day or integrate training into other activities. For example each time you feed your pup make him/her sit first before giving food.
- Fun is the key word. Keep your training sessions fun and exciting for the puppy. Stop any training session if you are feeling angry or frustrated. Never hit your puppy.
- Expose your puppy to as many different, positive experiences as possible. Include a variety of people, places and things in your puppy's life.
- Consistently reward good behavior as much as possible. Teach your puppy right from wrong. Reward for correct behaviors.
- Use your puppy’s name right before any command, ex: “Buddy, come!”
- Do not leave your puppy unsupervised. Prevent problems by confining your puppy when you can't supervise its actions.
- Touching your puppy’s feet, ears, nails and looking inside their mouth is always an important part of socialization. Desensitizing your puppy will make for a less fearful pup.
Positive
& Negative Reinforcement
Focus on reinforcing good behavior rather than reacting when you catch your pup in the act of doing something bad. Your puppy will respect you and be less frustrated when it is learning good behavior by positive reinforcement. There are a lot of ways for your puppy to be wrong. Help your puppy by teaching him how to be right. Be patient.
Become aware of how your puppy is responding to what you do. We often teach undesirable behaviors in our puppies by unintentionally reinforcing or punishing inappropriately. Observe your interactions with your puppy carefully.
Positive reinforcement can be in the form of praise, or a food treat. To strengthen a behavior the positive reinforcement must arrive at the instant the puppy is doing what we want to reinforce. For example when your pup jumps up on you, you should look him/her in the eye, say “off and his/her name” and push the pup down off of you. Then you can tell the puppy to sit and praise. This is all positive reinforcement.
Remember that your voice and hands are positive motivators to your puppy. So be sure to enforce your actions. When you are praising, your voice should be enthusiastic, sincere and positive. When your puppy makes an error, this is where you can apply negative reinforcement. You should NEVER use the puppy’s name when correcting a behavior. Your hands should always be used in a positive manner. Never strike your puppy under any circumstance.
Name Recognition and Attention
Use the dog’s name often in a pleasant voice and with a smile. Be sure to let the dog know you are happy with him when you use the name. Never use the name with a correction. When you would like to get your puppy’s attention and he/she is not responding to name recognition, get creative. A poke on the behind will usually get the pup’s attention long enough for you to give another command, praise or whatever activity you may be doing. Try using a word such as “ready” or “watch” and when your pup looks at you, respond with a smile and “good boy/girl”.
With eye contact you are trying to teach your puppy that in order to get something she wants she will need to look away from the desired object and look at you. Patience is important. If the puppy is distracted reestablish eye contact by name recognition and positive reinforcement. Puppies learn eye contact easily. You should try to increase the duration of the eye contact with your puppy each session.
House Training
· Provide your puppy with scheduled meals. What goes in on schedule comes out on schedule.
· Keep your puppy on leash or bring him to an enclosed area for his trip to the potty. Don't let him use this trip for play time.
· Make your potty trip different from your trip for going on a walk or going to play. Especially avoid going for a walk if your puppy does not urinate or defecate. Your puppy may learn to "hold it" until he knows for sure that a walk will follow. Return to the house if the trip outside was not successful.
· Reward urinating or defecating with a treat or a walk.
· Always take your pup to the same spot to urinate or defecate.
· Associate a word with the behavior by using it just before or during the action. Be sure to pick a word or phrase that does not crop up in normal conversation!
· Take your pup out after sleeping or napping; eating; or after 10 minutes of play.
· Confine or closely supervise your pup to prevent mistakes.
· If your puppy does have an accident in the house, calmly pick your puppy up and bring it to the place where you want it to go potty. Punishing your puppy for going potty inside can give her the message that he/she should not go potty in front of you.
· Clean up any indoor accidents with a cleaner that removes the odor as well as the stain.
· If your puppy regularly has accidents in the same location indoors and you are sure the area has been properly cleaned, start to feed your puppy there. Dogs eat and go potty in different locations, so your puppy will tend to avoid going to the bathroom where he/she eats.
Puppy
Socialization Checklist
A puppy needs positive reinforcement. Positive experiences for puppies are a foundation for molding confident, friendly adult dog personalities. The goal is for your puppy to show no fear in new situations. Puppies that exhibit fear should not be comforted. Soothing talk and stroking a fearful puppy can be perceived as praise and may increase the fearful behavior. The correct response is to ignore the fear and YOU approach the object and act relaxed. If your puppy is still fearful, move away until the pet is acting friendly and confident again. Then act very relaxed. Move slowly closer and praise in a happy tone. Once your puppy shows no fear about the situation, check it off your list. Continue socializing your puppy throughout the first year of its life.
- Examine teeth, paws, tail, ears
- Walk puppy on sidewalk near mailbox
- Exposure to other animals such as dogs, cats, horses (always keep your puppy on leash)
- Wheelchair, baby stroller
- Allows you to groom with a soft brush
- Vacuum cleaner
- Go inside pet store, practice commands
- Walk on a leash in a crowd
- Give a hug for a slow count of 10
- Campfires, fireplace
- Dog obedience class
- Dog show
- Agility tunnel
- Mail person
- Roller blader
- Delivery person
- Person wearing a hat
- Person holding an umbrella
- Person in a costume
Puppy
Training Goals
Restraint and Handling
Willingly accept handling, grooming, cooperating for examination, nail trimming,
ear cleanings. Use lots of praise
when practicing handling.
Housetraining
Eliminates on command such as “Get Busy” and only in approved
areas. Confine with frequent access
to the outside and reward results.
Socialization
Allow all members and guests to handle dog’s food and toys. Start by offering extra food treats and
petting and handling during meals and toy play.
Biting/Mouthing
Yip and cry if your pup bites hard and stop playing for several seconds,
then start over.
Owners Learn How to Praise
People unintentionally reward bad habits, and fail to praise good
habits. Be conscious of what
behaviors you want to encourage.
Reprimanding as Punishment
Inconsistent punishment is much worse than no punishment. Follow a quick verbal correction with a positive
command such as sit, and then praise the pup for sitting.
Attention Training
The dog must pay attention to you in order to receive commands. The dog must understand that the owner
has the right to give instructions.
Creating a Positive Chewing Habit with a
Toy
Prevent house destruction and recreational barking. Make a toy interesting by rotating toys,
adding food smells, and praise with any interest.
Walking on a Leash
Dogs should not drag behind their owner or pull ahead when on leash. Use the “Easy” command.
Preventing Jumping Up
Never greet a dog who jumps up.
Ignore the dog by turning away.
Reward with praise once the puppy is not jumping on you. You can also use the “Off”
command.
Other Commands and Waiting Before Going In
or Out Any Door
Practice Come, Sit, Down and Stay with everyday interaction. Also, dogs should be taught to
“Wait” to go in and out of doorways. Use a leash and when the dog tries to
escape pull the dog back and use the command “Wait” and then
release with “OK”.
Puppy Training Vocabulary
Come – Teach your puppy to return to you from a distance
Sit – Teach your puppy to sit
Down – Teach your puppy to lie down
Off – Teach your puppy not to jump up on you, furniture, counters, etc.
Wait – Teach your puppy not to charge ahead. For example to “Wait” before entering or exiting a door or car.
Stay – Teach your puppy not to move and stay in an exact position until you release him
Heel – Teach your puppy to walk at your side without pulling
With me – Teach your puppy to stay with you at your side if he starts moving away
Quiet – Teach your puppy not to bark
Easy – Teach your puppy to do things gently such as taking food from your hand
Leave it – Teach your puppy not to touch or sniff things he/she should not
Drop it – Teach your puppy to release something it is holding in his/her mouth
Eh eh – Teach your puppy a sound instead of the word “no”. The sharpness of the sound will usually stop the pup from what he/she is doing
Get busy or go potty – Teach your puppy an elimination command.
Get your ball/chew/toy – Redirecting your puppy to activities
Go to bed – Teach your puppy bedtime manners
Watch
– Teach your puppy to look at you for attention
Come When Called
Teaching a puppy to come when called is an important exercise and can be a life saving one. Initially when you are teaching the command it is important to make sure that obeying is followed by something the puppy perceives as being fun. Avoid practicing come when you plan to clip your puppy's nails or other activities that your pup does not find very exciting or makes them uncomfortable.
There are several things you can do that will prompt your pup to come to you.
- In a high-pitched happy voice say your puppy’s name or clap your hands quickly
- Run away from your puppy while calling his/her name
- Start close to your pup so that she can see that you have a treat
- A big smile on your face is much more appealing to a puppy than a stern look
- Do not repeatedly call the puppy when you know he/she is unlikely to “come”
Teaching Your Puppy To Sit
Initially use a food treat to lure your puppy to the sit position. When your puppy is first learning a behavior reward often. Teach your pup that learning is fun. Hold a piece of food treat in one hand, between your thumb and index finger. Make sure your palm is open and facing the ceiling. Hold the food in front of your pup’s face at his/her nose level. Lift your hand with the food slightly above your puppy’s eye level, then bring that hand slightly over his/her head causing him/her to look up. As the pup’s head goes up, the rear should be going down into a sit position. Tell your puppy to “Sit”. Keeping your commands simple is easier for the puppy to associate the behavior. Using two words such as “sit down” can be confusing to the puppy because you are actually asking the puppy to do two different commands, sit and down. At this point the puppy should be putting his rear under him/her and not stagger backwards. As soon as the puppy sits, give immediate praise such as “Good girl/boy”. Then use the O.K. command to release your pup so that he/she will learn they are free to get up. You do not want to hold the food too high because the puppy will jump up for it.
Raise your standards as you work but don't raise them too fast. If you've
been luring the pup with food in your hand, take the food out of your hand and
lure him/her into a sit with an empty hand. Make it harder to earn a treat.
Have the puppy sit a little longer before giving the treat the following time. Take breaks while your pup is still
enthusiastic. Keep your sessions short. Use a lot of praise when your puppy
completes the command you have given.
Give a few extra treats for excellent performance.
Teaching Your Puppy To Lie Down and Stand
Teaching your puppy the down command can be somewhat tricky. There are some puppies that will only go into a down position from a sit position. This is not a good habit to form. You should be able to teach your puppy to lie down from either a sit or a stand position. Begin by luring your puppy into a SIT but DO NOT say SIT. Hold the treat between your thumb and index finger, palm facing the floor, in front of his/her nose. Slowly lower your hand with the treat to the floor. Your hand with the treat should be directly between the dog’s front legs and then move it backwards towards his/her chest. During this technique use the command “Down”. As the puppy watches the food, he/she will bring his/her head down lower to the floor and fold his/her body back and down to the floor. The puppy’s nose will follow the food. When both elbows and the puppy’s rear are on the floor, the task is complete. Be sure to give lots of praise then use a release command.
Another task to teach your puppy is to stand. While the dog is in a sit position, bring a piece of food directly to the dog’s nose. Gently move it forward, trying to have the dog stretch to get it. You do not want the dog to move his front feet. Rather he should lift his rear up to stand.