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When Should I Start Training My Puppy?

When it comes to taking on a puppy, one of the first things you should start to consider is what you need to do to ensure you have a well mannered, socialised and publically bahved adult dog. Owners sometimes if it is too early to start training their puppy, thinking “He needs to settle in” or “ He needs to get to know us”, however training your new pet should begin from day one. Starting to train your puppy early, setting boundaries and expectations will establish the rules discouraging your puppy to become a nuisance.    

 

Training Your Puppy

Some experts suggest that the first 16-17 weeks are the ideal golden opportunity to lay the correct foundations for your dog in terms of training (and we don't just mean getting them hooked on our natural treats!). Studies looked at the socialability of dogs with humans at different stages of their development; a 4 week only puppy only took a few minutes to pay interest in a human. At the other end of the scale they found a puppy at 14 weeks old , who had no previous interaction with adults, was too frightened to approach a human. This did not improve even after a week consisting of short daily visits. Encouraging interaction at an early stage can set the foundations for future relationships, particularly if the dog will be brought up around children.

Socialisation and interaction forms the biggest part of training a puppy and it is important to remember that training is not the responsibility of one person, it is the role of the whole family. Playing with a puppy is a great way to reward them if they behave well and they will soon associate the good behaviour with the reward of playtime. Using a small treat reward when your puppy toilets in the right place, respects your commands or displays positive behaviour, reinforces their behaviour and helps build this into their personality. Barker & Barker treats are the perfect reward, exceptionally palatable, low fat and low calorie, they are ideal for repeat rewarding.  It is also important to remember that there are occasions when you should not attend to each cry or whimper,  as they will soon connect the attention with the crying and do this more often. Naturally if your pet is distressed they should be tended to, but if they are whimpering because they have been told off, rewarding with mor attention will reinforce the behaviour.

Training For A Well Behaved Dog

Building a relationship with your puppy will also make obedience training that much easier, the other crucial form of training alongside socialisation. Teaching your dog commands such as ‘Sit’, ‘Lay’, ‘Rollover’ and ‘No’ will help with all future training. Again rewarding your dog with Barker and Barker treats is ideal when teaching these commands however dogs will also learn to anticipate what you are doing!

It is very important to start puppy training sooner rather than later. A well trained dog is a pleasure to be around.

Keep your eyes on our new Barker and Barker blog for lots of news on dogs, dog care, dog training, health and veterinary news and lots more!

Posted On: 31/01/2017

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