Training Puppies

Lesson 3: Housetraining and Manners

Basic Manners

Come When Called

This is not a lesson you will teach him in a certain few minutes a day. Your puppy is learning something every minute of every day.

When you call him and he comes to you only to get a bath, and he hates baths, he is learning that he doesn’t want to come when called. If he’s chasing a squirrel and you call him and he comes to you only to get locked in his crate or have some nasty tasting medication pushed into his mouth, he is learning that coming when called is no fun. If you need to give him a bath or medication, you go to him. Remember to always make coming to you a pleasant experience. At various times during the day, kneel down to his level, clap your hands while calling to him excitedly. When he comes, praise him, play with him, and give him a treat. Do this at various times throughout the day in different places and environments. If he hesitates to come, clap your hands to get his attention and run away from him, calling him in an excited voice. Most puppies will chase after you. When he catches up to you, praise him and give him a treat. After several weeks of this and he is coming reliably, you can even try it when he’s doing something he really enjoys. But when he stops what he's doing and comes, praise him well, give him an extra special treat, and then let him get back to what he was doing, so that he doesn’t feel “cheated”.

You can really confirm this lesson by making it a fun game for him. Play with him, get him excited, feed him a couple of treats, then go hide somewhere and call him to you. When he finds you, praise him, give him a treat and play with him some more. The idea is to make learning fun. Teach him that coming to you will always be worth it. It will eventually become habit for him. Never, ever, punish him when he comes to you, no matter what he has done before coming to you.

Sit

Puppies as young as 7 or 8 weeks old can begin learning this if you keep it simple. Work it into daily activities. At mealtimes, hold the puppy’s bowl slightly above his head and tell him, “Sit”. He will most likely sit as he looks up for the food. Remember not to hold it so high that he raises up to get it. If he doesn’t sit, slide your hand over his rump and press in against the back of his legs until he sits. Praise him and then set his bowl down. If he's wiggling excitedly, give him a couple of minutes to calm down. Throughout the day, call him to you on occasion and have him sit for a treat.

Walk on a Leash

Introduce him to the 6 foot leash by hooking it to his collar as you hold him on your lap. When he gets used to it being there, allow him, supervised, to drag it around the house for awhile. A nylon leash works best as it won't clang into furniture like a chain leash will. Then pick up the end and call him to you as you “lead” him. Be sure to talk to him and praise him when he follows you. Make it fun for him. When he is comfortable with this, you can begin teaching him more. If he starts to wander away from you, instantly change directions so that he receives a jerk if he isn’t watching and following you. Timing is critical so be sure to change directions as soon as you notice he is wandering away from you and before he has the opportunity to pull the leash tight. And keep up the praise. The idea is to make him think the tightened leash is the result of his doing and not yours. He will eventually begin to pay more attention to you and to follow your lead.

We must keep in mind that each puppy is an individual and that no single method will work with every puppy. If one method doesn't work for your puppy, please try others, as long as they are humane, until you find one that works.

Canine Good Citizen
A good goal to aim for in the next few months is the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen certification. Test description can be found at http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/training_t...

Exercise:

Take your puppy on a socialization outing and observe him for thirty minutes or so. What kinds of things does he tell you with his body language and facial expressions? Do the same postures and expressions have different meanings in different circumstances?

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