A Positive Approach to Dog Training

By the time your puppy has been weaned and is ready to join your family, his experiences with his mother and litter mates have taught him much of what he needs to know about “being a dog”. Now, as he joins his new home, he will learn about living in a home and playing with his human family. Carefully channeling your puppy’s play toward appropriate toys and teaching him how to play gently and to respond to basic commands can prevent the development of behavior problems and will help your new puppy become a well-behaved family member.

Training Methods

Like all other animals, dogs learn through experience. If a behavior results in a pleasant and enjoyable experience, your puppy will tend to repeat that behavior in the future. Likewise, animals avoid repeating behaviors that result in unpleasant experiences. The best training procedures for puppies rely primarily upon positive reinforcement for desired behaviors and management of the home environment to prevent problem behaviors. Puppies can quickly learn to walk on a lead, come when called, wait at the door without bolting, accept handling and grooming, and greet without jumping up. Most communities offer puppy training classes that teach these manners and also provide valuable opportunities for puppies to socialize with other dogs of the same age.

Keep a Few Toys for "Special" Training

Select a few toys you can use for retrieving or tug games with your dog and put them away in a special place that your dog does not have access to. Bring one of these toys out when you are training or playing with your puppy and put it away again after the play has finished. The “novelty effect” of this approach will increase your puppy’s interest in the toy and allow you to use it effectively for training your puppy to retrieve, to give when commanded, and to redirect nipping to toys.

Did You Know

Dogs respond to many types of rewards. A variety of positive reinforces (rewards) can be used with dogs. The most effective are small food treats (use dog treats, not human foods), petting, praise, and an opportunity to play a favorite game. Because every dog is an individual and has specific preferences, experiment and find out what things are most enjoyable to your puppy.