Many teachers, whether beginners or experienced, think that teaching a puppy is complicated or requires technical knowledge, but with patience and discipline, it is possible to teach an animal in a few simple steps. Behaviors that can be taught include relieving yourself in the right place, not biting things in the house, and behaving well in public places.
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Teaching a dog goes beyond just avoiding household damage: it aims to make the animal know how to behave socially, preventing aggression, escapes and accidents. In the first months of life, a puppy learns by observing its mother and siblings, developing behaviors such as barking, sniffing, playing, and maintaining hygiene habits.
Until the age of four months, dogs begin to explore the environment, but they still do not retain commands well. After this period, with the vaccination schedule complete, this is the ideal time to begin basic obedience exercises, with simple, repetitive commands. From ten months onwards, they can memorize more complex instructions, especially when they are rewarded positively, with treats, pets or praise.
Before starting training
According to dog training specialist Jesús Gomez, learning should be a fun process for owners and animals. It highlights some important guidelines.
Positive reinforcement: Avoid physical punishment or yelling, as dogs learn best through rewards, affection, or kind words. When an animal is punished, beaten, or mistreated, it will learn this behavior, but not naturally; He will do it out of fear.
Corrective measures: Sometimes it is necessary to correct or reprimand the animal for its inappropriate behavior. To do this, it is recommended to use firm words such as “no,” “stay,” or “come” to attract their attention without violence.
command: The dog needs to understand his place in the family hierarchy, so commands must be given with authority, preferably by one family member, who the animal will view as an authority figure.
Teamwork: Although the authority should come from one family member, in the process of training a puppy, all family members should participate to avoid confusion.
Clarity in boundaries: Determine the permissible behaviors so that the dog understands them.
Early repair: Detect inappropriate behavior and correct it from the beginning so that the dog links cause and effect.
Socialization: After vaccination, take your puppy outside or to the park so he can interact with other dogs and the environment.
Routine: Set times for eating, resting, walking, and training. It is essential that you allow your dog adequate rest, because during these rest periods he absorbs and memorizes instructions.
Controlled environment: Training in places with few visual, auditory, and even other animal distractions will make it easier to concentrate and pay attention to instructions.
Discipline and flexibility: Be consistent, but modify training if your dog is having difficulty executing the command.
According to Jesus Gomez, this is one of the first commands a puppy should receive. To teach it properly, the owner must turn away and call the puppy using the “come” command or his name. Each time your puppy obeys the command, reinforce his behavior with praise, affection, or treats. Later, the difficulty can be increased by moving away a little.
2. Walking with collar and guide
– It is one of the basic training methods to go to the park and avoid accidents or the dog getting lost – says Gomez.
First, you should familiarize your dog with the collar at home. You can restrain the animal inside the house and guide it around the area; Then, you can do it in a safe place, such as a park, and always have snacks on hand to encourage your attention.
3. Urinating and defecating outside the home
This may be one of the exercises that helps prevent conflicts at home. To do this correctly, it is important to observe specific times, preferably after drinking water or eating. In the early stages, walking periods will be longer and the duration will gradually decrease as the animal learns the appropriate place to relieve itself.
Puppies want to chew everything. This is one of the ways they find to explore the environment. However, it is important to teach them from an early age what they can chew, redirect their attention to appropriate toys, and reward good behavior. When an animal bites inappropriate objects, the first thing to do is to get its attention and issue commands such as “no,” “stay,” or other similar words.
Hold a treat in your closed hand and hold it close to your dog’s nose, then gently remove your hand. With your other hand, apply light pressure on your dog’s hips to encourage him to sit, bending his back legs. Always reinforce the command with the verbal command “sit.”
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