How to Train a Toy Poodle

The Toy Poodle is a very intelligent dog that is usually fairly easy to train. The most important thing you can do is to understand this dog's personality. They love people, and are generally very perky and happy. But they can become timid and even nervous if you do not properly socialize them. It is also very important that you establish yourself very early in the relationship as the "pack leader."

Things You'll Need

• Long leash (about 12 feet) in a very lightweight material
• Slip chain collar

Instructions

1. Begin by establishing yourself, and the rest of your family members, as the "pack leaders." Every dog, even the little ones, will make an effort to take over the household once they come in. This is very simple: You make the decisions. You decide when he eats, where he sleeps, even when he gets love and affection. Yes, he is adorable. But do not let that cuteness manipulate you. When he jumps all over you demanding attention, teach him to become calm before he gets it. Crate-train him, which will also help with housebreaking, if needed. Always be sure you are the first one who goes out the door when you go for walks. Dogs will follow the leader.

2. Start socializing your dog. The socialization process simply means that you take her into different environments, and get her used to meeting people and other dogs on a regular basis. She may be shy at first, but with your words of encouragement and praise, the timid attitude is usually something that dissipates rather quickly. You must get your dog comfortable with you, and with various surroundings, before you can begin to train her.

3. Find a slip chain collar that fits your dog, and begin using this in the training process. It should be snug enough so that it will not snag on things and get pulled off, but loose enough so you can fit about two fingers between the collar and your dog's neck. Understand that these collars do not hurt your dog, they just give you the control you need so you can contain him and make sure he does not get away from you and get into a dangerous situation.

4. Begin by teaching your poodle to walk nicely on a leash. Let her walk ahead of you a bit on the long lead. As she begins to pull, pop the leash firmly (using the slip chain collar) to get her attention, and say the word "easy" loudly and firmly, then change your direction. The idea is to get her to stop, look at you and then change direction with you. Be sure and praise her when she does this. This command also works to teach her to walk slowly alongside you without pulling. Just use the same technique, but without changing your direction.

5. Use treats to teach him the basic commands. Sliced hot dogs are inexpensive, and all dogs like them. Slice them into very small pieces to train your poodle, and put them in a pack that is around your waist for easy access. Have him sit for you, and reward him when he is sitting calmly, close to you and looking up into your eyes. This is called "focused attention." Keep repeating the "sit" command until he does this correctly without you having to push his back end down.

6. Teach her the "down" command when she is in the sitting position. Step to the side to give her room, then take your hand (with a piece of hot dog) and basically guide her down to the ground with a sweeping motion while you say "Down." She should follow the hot dog with her nose as you stretch your hand down to the ground and out in front of her. Push down between her shoulder blades to help her down. Then reward her by dropping the treat between her two front legs. This will take a lot of repetition, but she will get it if you are consistent. This command comes with an "automatic stay," so she should stay in the down position until you release her with the command "OK!" Keep repeating the word "down" while she is in the position, so she will know you want her to stay until released. When you say "OK!" it should be in a very upbeat, happy voice.

Tips & Warnings

• This takes a lot of repetition. Your training sessions should be short, about 5 to 10 minutes. And you should initially train your dog about four times a day.

• Once your dog has it all down, you can taper off the treats and simply use praise to let her know she has done well.

• Always give your commands firmly with strong inflection. And always give praise with a very happy voice. Dogs pay very close attention to how words sound, and to our body language.