Puppies are cute and cuddly, so when you decide to bring a dog into your family, chances are you choose a young, lovable canine with boundless energy. Raising a puppy is enjoyable but it also requires a lot of time and energy. If you want your puppy to grow into a friendly, well-behaved dog, you need to start laying the groundwork now before your pet has a chance to learn a lot of bad habits. Here are three tips to help you teach your puppy how to behave appropriately.
Set Boundaries
Just like toddlers, puppies need to learn boundaries. The more consistent you are with the rules, the faster your dog will learn. However, you also need to take your dog’s breed into consideration. If you choose to adopt a dog that is bred for hunting, he or she may not react well around smaller animals such as cats, and no amount of training will correct that issue. Focus on behavioral boundaries such as jumping or chewing. Puppies need to chew, so if you don’t want your new pet to destroy all of your shoes, try to create healthy chewing habits by giving your dog plenty of chew toys. This teaches your puppy what is and isn’t acceptable when it comes to chewing.
Be Patient
It takes a lot of time and energy to train a puppy the right way. You can’t expect your new pet to be fully trained within a week. You’ll have to spend months correcting unwanted behavior and rewarding good behavior, so it is important to keep your expectations realistic and be patient throughout the process. Focus on each behavior your dog masters rather than how far he or she still has to go in training. If you’re trying to crate train your pet, expect him or her to whine for the first few nights while adjusting to the new rule. Once that behavior has been mastered, give yourself a little space to enjoy the accomplishment instead of getting frustrated that your pet isn’t completely housebroken yet. If you try to speed through the training process, you will only get frustrated with the results, so take each hurdle one at a time.
Enlist Professional Help
If you don’t know how to approach training a puppy or you just don’t have time to train your new pet the right way, it is a good idea to hire a reputable dog trainer. Some trainers do the hard work for you, while others simply guide you through the process so you are more confident in what you are doing. Training classes can be a great way to bond with your new pet, so don’t be afraid to ask for help if you need it.
Training a puppy is a lot of hard work, but if you do it the right way, you will have a loyal companion that is friendly and well-behaved for many years. If you have decided to bring a puppy into your home, use these three training tips to mold your pet into a well-behaved dog.