Living with an untrained pup in your home can be quite the challenge. Although it may seem daunting to start training your new furry friend, it doesn’t have to be! To get started, here are 7 easy tips to start encouraging positive behaviors right away.
Use Positive Reinforcement
With every lesson you teach your pup, the best proven method of training uses positive reinforcement. Whenever your pet listens and follows along with a command, you should reward them with treats. At MAI, we use healthy 100% freeze-dried beef liver cookies, belly rubs, and/or lots of verbal praise. You should always praise your dog immediately after they follow a command to reinforce the desire to keep doing it. If they expect a treat or praise after properly sitting down, they will listen for that command more often!
Ignore Bad Behavior
Part of positive reinforcement training also includes ignoring the bad behaviors that your puppy does. Now, that doesn’t mean you should let them bark all night or eat up the furniture, however, during training sessions, avoid giving treats and rewards during negative behaviors. And once they follow a command properly, immediately give them a reward. The idea is to show them that doing bad behaviors will not receive any reward, but following the proper commands will. This reinforces the desire to do so again in the future.
Build Trust
And even if they mess up, forgive them. Disciplining a dog harshly can lead to distrust and even trauma. This makes it harder to bond with them in the future. Fear is not a useful long-term teacher for any animal. Give them hugs and pets! Showing that you forgive them by giving love and affection will affirm their trust in you, especially when they do something wrong. This is how you can have a higher chance of them listening to you in the future.
Building up this trust with your pet will reinforce positive behaviors. One way to work on this in your daily routine is to spend quality time with your doggy. Giving toys and puzzles, playing fetch, walks in the park, and cuddles are all fun ways that excite your pet. Strengthening the bond with your dog improves trust and love they have with you, making it optimal for easy training and recall.
Schedule a Routine with Simple Commands
To create a structure for expectations and positive behaviors, use a schedule that stimulates the dog’s learning. This quickly gets them used to their environments and people on a regular basis. A routine might consist of daily walks at specific times and meals at a specific time. Regular training could even be cycling simple commands such as “sit” and “down” right before giving a meal or treat.
Always use short commands! Trained canines can sometimes have a huge vocabulary of words that they recognize, but the easiest commands that most dogs learn are short and simple. Single words such as “down,” “come,” and “sit” all are simple sounds that are distinct and clear which make it much easier for your buddy to memorize. They will also recognize these commands easier in loud, distracting environments such as outside or in bigger groups of people.
Enrich with Toys!
A dog’s brain is complex and the desire for new experiences is much like a human’s. To enrich this natural curiosity, try giving new toys or puzzles to play with on their own so they can stay stimulated even when you are away. Bringing them to parks or walks around your neighborhood will also expose them to new environments which is extremely enriching. Meeting new people will also make them more comfortable with strangers which will lead to less barking at guests that visit your home.
Using these techniques, you can quickly start teaching your pup positive behaviors as soon as they first arrive in your home. Although these are not an exhausted list of tips for training, they provide a good foundation for most dogs and allow you to start somewhere no matter how crazy your puppy is!