Puppy Obedience Training
Are you the new owner of a rambunctious puppy that you can not control? The solution is simple: puppy obedience training. Training a puppy is relatively easy as long as you have plenty of patience and a program to follow. Of course, the easiest way to train a puppy is to go to puppy obedience school. Puppy obedience schools are very good because your puppy will get professional training and also get to socialize with other dogs. It is important for the puppy to become comfortable around other dogs and not become overly aggressive. However, there is a higher cost involved with going to a professional trainer.
If you decide to train your puppy by yourself, then there are some basic commands that have to be taught first. Those are: sit, come and stay. It is important for the puppy to learn these basic commands so that more advanced commands can be taught. It is important not to get angry with your puppy or it will become scared of you and not perform the commands. Puppies are like small children and need to be encouraged with positive reinforcement.
The sit command can be taught by saying the word authoritatively and then pushing the rear end of the pupply to the floor. Practice this a few times and the dog should begin to respond without having to touch the dog. Be sure to praise the puppy for good performance.
The come command can be taught by calling your puppy at different times throughout the day. The puppy will become used to your voice and out of curiosity will usually come. Be sure to praise the puppy and possibly offer a treat.
For the stay command, have the puppy sit and walk a couple of steps away. Tell the puppy to stay. Come back and praise him and then walk further away. If the puppy stays, come back and give lots of praise. Continue this while getting further away each time. If the dog does not stay, go back to a shorter distance. Continue to give praise and offer treats for good performance.
It is important to be consistent and maintain the same behavior for your puppy. Another method to train your puppy is by using a shock collar. Treats will work for training your puppy initially but they may lose their effectiveness. Shock collars work by using a negative consequence. If the puppy does not perform the proper command, he will receive a vibration or shock from the collar. After several weeks, the dog will become conditioned and perform the proper command. Different size dogs will need a collar with different power levels depending on their weight. A German Shephard will need a more powerful vibration than a poodle. Each dog will respond differently to the stimulation so the collar can be adjusted accordingly.
In summary, puppy obedience training can be accomplished in several ways. Whether you use a professional trainer, do the training yourself or use a dog training shock collar, it is important to remember that consistency and positive attitude are very important to the successful training of your dog.