How to Train & Play With a Puppy
Young puppies are eager to learn, and with the correct reinforcement and training, can grow up to be well-behaved dogs. When you have just adopted a new puppy into your home, playing with your puppy and training it should be an important part of your interaction. A well-trained, well-socialized puppy is going to be happier and less destructive.
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Instructions
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Training Your Puppy
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Start training and socializing your puppy as soon as you get it home. It might be tempting to give your puppy the run of the house when it first comes home, but doing so can form habits that are harder to break.
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Decide where you want to start training your puppy. A quiet area where there are no distractions will help your puppy keep up its attention span.
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Teach your puppy to sit. To do this, simply say the word "Sit" in a clear voice while pushing down on your puppy's hindquarters. This is a simple first command and most puppies will pick it up after a few repetitions.
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Teach your puppy to stay. Stay is an important command that can save a dog's life, and even young puppies can be taught the basics. A puppy can be taught to stay by being restrained by another person when you give the "Stay" command. A young puppy may only be able to stay for a minute or a half a minute at a time. You can stretch the time as the puppy gets older and calmer.
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Keep your training sessions short, especially when you start out. A training session can last 10 to 20 minutes for a puppy. It is always best to end a play session when you or the puppy are getting frustrated or bored.
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Teach your puppy to wait until he is outside before he relieves himself. You can take advantage of a puppy's natural reluctance to soil his den by keeping it in a crate during the day when you are not home and at night when you are asleep. Take your puppy out regularly on a leash and praise him when he relieves himself outside. Taking your puppy out regularly will prevent accidents.
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Reward your puppy with praise when it has performed well. Treats can also be used, but use them sparingly. Only reward your puppy when he has performed a trick at your command, not when he does it spontaneously.
Playing With Your Puppy
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Set some ground rules. When you are playing with your puppy, it is not a time to do things like let him up on the furniture or bring him to areas of the house where he is not allowed. Some ground rules might include not allowing him to sleep in your bed and not allowing him to beg for table scraps. Habits that are formed at an early age are hard to break, so teach him good habits from the start.
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Give your puppy toys of his own. Tough rubber toys can give your puppy a chance to chew to its heart's content, and this is a good way to teach him that household objects are not for chewing. If you catch him chewing on something that he shouldn't, say "No" loudly and give him an acceptable chew toy.
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Play games with your puppy. Puppies that have a strong retrieving instinct can be taught to fetch. Puppies that love to herd things can be taught to gather their toys into one spot after you have scattered them around a room. Playing a game of follow the leader, where you encourage your puppy to follow you closely, can help it learn to heel.
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End playtime as soon as your puppy starts to bite. Puppies will bite their litter mates, but you need to teach your puppy that biting is not acceptable. Stop playing with your puppy immediately when the puppy starts to bite you. Puppies should only chew on their toys. If they bite or chew on anything else, playtime should end right away.
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References
- Photo Credit Puppy image by Ludmila Galchenkova from Fotolia.com
