Do you have a new puppy in your life? Puppy training can seem overwhelming when you have a furry mess on your hands, but it comes down to a few key tips. We spoke to celebrity dog trainer and member of Rover’s Dog People Panel, Nicole Ellis, to get her take on Best dog training Houston. She gave us five essential tips to help your pup grow into the best dog he can be.
- Be consistent
Consistency is the key. Make sure everyone who interacts with your puppy knows your rules and expectations for behavior, and that they provide you with constant feedback on how your new family member behaves. - Socialize, socialize, socialize
Socialization is essential. Young puppies go through a critical socialization period. Did you know that in the first year of your dog’s life he must meet more than 100 people? Be sure to expose him (with positive reinforcement) to all types of objects, sounds and experiences.
This will help you not to be scared or react to these sounds and, more importantly, to be confident. You should encounter everything from fireworks noises to doorbells, large crowds, and various types of people.
- Nip puppy habits in the bud
Don’t let your puppy do things you wouldn’t want a big dog to do. It’s easy for us to let puppies get away with their antics because they are so cute.
But these are things we don’t want them to do as adults. Now is the perfect time to correct these behaviors. Otherwise, you may spend your entire life “untraining” those “cute” puppy behaviors like jumping, biting, and excessive vocalization.
- Take it for a walk
Although walks can be stressful and frustrating at first, daily practice will turn walk time into the most valuable interaction with your best friend. Walks are a time to clear your mind and enjoy exploring the sights and sounds of the world together. Start with a shorter 120cm strap for easier handling.
Walks are also a great training tool, providing daily opportunities to work on not only leash manners and socialization, but also things that come up in everyday life, such as barking, chasing, begging, polite waiting, etc.
- Short and frequent training sessions
Do you want a well-behaved dog that can accompany you on all your walks, trips and trips? Short but frequent training sessions are the most valuable tool to achieve this.
Using short training sessions with high-value rewards means keeping your dog focused on the lesson at hand, and makes training time a fresh, fun activity to look forward to, rather than a boring jumble of memorized tricks.