Dogs Need Rules
Training a puppy with affection and consistency is the foundation of a peaceful and stress-free cohabitation between human and dog. The fact that they understand their place within the family and where the boundaries are from the beginning will not only help create a pleasant home environment but also ensure their healthy development. Dogs are animals accustomed to living in packs, requiring rules and routines to feel psychologically well. A careless or insecure owner who gives excessive freedom or behaves inconsistently confuses the animal and can trigger unwanted, or even dangerous, behaviors that will be harder to modify the longer time passes. Below are some tips for training your puppy.
1 Clear and Basic Rules
Dogs need rules that are easy to understand and follow from the start to quickly capture their attention and ensure they gradually comply. A clear rule could be not to eat from the table, so it would be best never to offer them food from our own plate.
2 Rewards, Treats, and Reprimands
It can be very difficult to train a puppy without any rewards in return. Food is their desired element; it is a great stimulus for them when they don't want to or don't feel strong enough to follow a rule. That's why rewarding them when they do something well is vital for their education.
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Verbal praise also influences the dog's attitude, as they react correctly if they perceive a cheerful and calm voice every time they perform an exercise positively. It is equally important to act in the opposite way if the puppy disobeys, using a more severe tone with the necessary reprimands so that the animal understands that they have made a mistake, recognizing the tone to realize they did not act well, although it should always be followed by forgiveness, which is necessary to move forward and evolve positively.
3 Controlling Their Needs and Schedules
Physiological needs training is fundamental to gain control from the beginning. Puppies as young as three months old are not capable of absolute control over these needs, which can lead to accidents anywhere. We should not reprimand them severely if these situations occur, as it can undermine the animal's morale. It is necessary to understand that most puppies will need at least six months of training to relieve themselves in the appropriate place.
Feeding schedules are equally important. Nutrition is very important for the human to freely implement for the animal, so it is very convenient to consult a veterinarian to establish a rigid daily meal schedule to avoid problems from eating between meals or excesses that cause gastric problems, among others.
4 Creating Their Home Space, Without Prohibiting Them from House Areas
For puppies, it is really important that they can enjoy a 'nursery' area, just like human babies. An area that can be fenced off where they can enjoy their bed, toys, food, and water will be fundamental for their growth and habituation to that part of the house, which will become their home.
Gradually, and as time passes, the small dog can be moved to other parts of the house, always carefully and with the clear idea that if they have an accident, it is necessary to reprimand them at the moment it happens, not a while later, because they won't know what you are referring to. The return to their 'little house' is the end of the journey.
5 Obeying Movement Commands
Every puppy must know how to act on commands such as sit, stay, or come to their owner. The quickest way for them to be obedient is to guide them with a leash, so they are aware of the movements requested. Always with a reward in return, in the form of food or a toy, if possible.
Once the dog recognizes the keywords like “sit!”, “stay!” or “here!”, they must be uttered before the dog actually performs the action, so that they associate the words with the action.
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