Teaching some basic rules to your puppy may be hard work, but if you use some easy tricks and rely on a coherent teaching method, including rewards and positive reinforcements, you will certainly obtain excellent results.
First of all, remember that puppies can concentrate only for a few minutes, so it’s important to make short training “sessions” (5 minutes max). It’s also important you’re not nervous or angry when training: if you had a bad day at work, maybe it’s better to postpone the session, so that your puppy doesn’t feel your bad mood. In order to obtain a good training response, make first attempts at home or in a familiar environment, where your puppy feels at their ease and safe and can’t be distracted by anything.
Remember to stand up in front of your puppy, speaking with a soft voice and give them the instruction just once, using a firm tone. It’s very important to be happy, enthusiastic and authentic: in this way, your puppy will sense a playful atmosphere and will enjoy training. After saying your command, you should reward them with tasty treats every time they respond correctly to it: by doing this, you will positively reinforce your puppy’s correct response. Do not use food you usually give them for meals, but a healthy and tasty treat, which they will have only when training.
First command: teach them to sit
It’s an easy command and your puppy can already learn it when they’re 3-4 months old. To teach them to sit, stand up in front of your puppy, holding the “reward” in your hand. Put your hand in front of their face, moving it towards them, so that they have to back a little and sit in order to smell their reward.
When your puppy has just sat, say “Sit!” with a firm but soft voice and reward them with their treat. After some attempts, your puppy should start to sit as soon as they hear you saying “Sit!”. If it doesn’t happen at the beginning, you can help them by softly pulling on the lower part of their back. You should repeat this exercise for some days, until your puppy will respond as soon as they hear your command.
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