As puppies embark into the social realm with other dogs, animals, and people, they must learn how to conduct themselves. It’s your responsibility to teach them these things while they are young so they can act properly as they get older. Take a look at these three valuable behaviors you should teach your pup to remain safe in various situations.
1. Leash Training
Large dogs that pull can cause serious injuries. Even small dogs should know how to walk on a leash. Leash training requires constant and positive reinforcement. Arm yourself with treats. Train your pup to respond to a particular sound or command by looking at you or moving towards you. Reward him when he does. Start with a loose leash, and when your puppy pulls it tight, stop, make the sound; reward him and start over when he responds correctly. Use this same method in different environments. Make sure to change directions during each session. Ultimately, with repetition, your puppy will learn to walk beside you with a slack leash. There are a few variations; all involve encouragement and rewards for learning to follow your movements and not allowing tension on the leash.
2. No Biting
Dogs have no hands and communicate naturally through their mouths. Observe them as they interact with each other, and they lick, mouth, snap and play-bite. Your puppy may tug on your hand or nip to get your attention. You must teach your dog at an early age that biting you or others is unacceptable behavior. Dog bites are considered a common type of personal injury but can have massive consequences for you and your dog.
Many states have adopted a no-tolerance policy for dog bites, and one infraction could leave your pup vulnerable to extreme restrictions (muzzling, double leashing, etc.) and you subject to fines. First, do not even engage with your puppy in play-biting behaviors. Use a bite deterrent if necessary. Rebuke your puppy from biting with a consistent and firm one-word command. Discourage aggressive tendencies such as growing and snarling. Socialize your puppy early, exposing him or her to various situations and different people. If your dog exhibits aggression towards people, a very serious problem, consider using a basket muzzle and obtaining guidance from a professional trainer.
3. Coming When Called
Of utmost importance is that your dog is automatically responsive to your voice commands, especially when you ask her to come. Use a one-word command to indicate come here. You can utilize a few different methods, but the idea is to encourage your dog to come to you when you issue your command. This may be by you walking backward to stimulate following or a highly desired incentive once your pup reaches you. You can use a leash as positive reinforcement in the early stages to tug your pup towards you if she ignores your command. Avoid repeating the command because it loses meaning.
Start training indoors in a highly controlled setting, and then move outdoors where there are more distractions. Most trainers recommend that you also teach a hand signal. Keys to successfully training your pup to come to you when called are an incentive in the form of treats, motivation or purpose, and never punishing her when she does reach you.
Training your puppy ASAP to walk politely on a leash, to be civil, and to come when called are all things that are essential to keep him safe and limit your liability for unexpected damages. Keep training sessions short and fun and trust your pup’s ability and willingness to learn.