Basic Dog Training

Training a new puppy can either be a rewarding adventure, or an exercise in frustration. Which you get really depends more on how well you learn to handle you dog rather than how well your dog learns.  Training Poochy early will give you a great chance at a frustration free relationship with him down the road. Dogs are eager to please & will do anything to get a treat. All you've got to do to avoid ripping your hair out is give them achievable goals & reward them when they get it right.



Lets cover some basics that your dog should be able to grasp after just a few sessions. You can start these exercises at as young as 10 weeks but be patient with your dog. They may only be able to pay attention for a few minutes at first. It's better to train in many short sessions than a few long ones and be consistent! Always use the same commands and  signals or Poochy is going to get confused and confused equals frustrating.



A dog needs to learn its name and that its a good idea to pay attention when they hear it. So go to your dog & say his name. When he looks at you, give him a treat and say good.  Do this several times until he looks at you every time you say his name. Now he knows his name. Easy, right?



There's no need to worry how many treats he's getting right now, he'll get the picture long before he gets fat. The incentive is more important at this point. By following the treat with the word good,  Poochy will learn to associate the word “good” with reward. Before long you'll be able to drop the treats. A good dog & a pat on the head will be enough once training is complete.



Okay, now that you've got his attention at the sound of his name, you can build on it. Say his name & give a treat for responding again. While you have his attention, try saying sit while you brandish a treat for him. Hold it at his eye level so he won't try to jump for it. He wont know what sit means, but he wants that treat. Given a few seconds he should get antsy, trying different things to figure out what sit means. Once he sits down, give him the treat immediately & say good while he is still sitting.  If he's not getting it on his own in a minute or so you may need to give him some guidance by gently pushing his bottom down while you give the command. Then again, give the treat and say good immediately when he sits. Repeat until your dog sits reliably. Most of the time this only takes a few try’s. 



Now its time to teach come and stay- two very important commands for your puppy’s safety. Give your dog the sit command and a treat like before. Then tell him to stay while you walk a few feet away. A hand signal similar to stop, with your flat palm facing your dog, is helpful here, but if you use it, be consistent. This one could take a bit. Your dog knows you have treats now so he will want to follow you. It might be wise to hide the treats until he gets this one. Each time he does take him back to his spot, repeat the sit command, sans treat, and tell him to stay. The first time he lets you get a few steps away without following, count to five then go back and deliver his treat. Tell him good stay. Repeat this numerous times, going a little farther away for a little longer each time. When you can get across the room you've got success!



Now that your dog is staying, he needs to learn come. Use sit & stay so you can walk away from him again. Go back across the room and say Fido come! When he comes running, give him a treat & a good dog. If he doesn’t come running right away, show him a treat & he will. Again, repeat this several more times until he's got it.



There you go, that's the basics. These few simple commands will help keep your pet out of trouble and under your control. Make sure to practice them a couple times everyday. Dogs need consistency if they're to learn anything reliably. You don't want the day he forgets his lessons be the day he runs out into the street!