Puppy Training from the Puppy's viewpoint

The trick to speedy puppy training is to have your Puppy want the same as you want. Why fight with your little scrap of fluff? You've planned and waited so long for him. You don't want to spoil your new relationship with a harsh method of puppy training. Most likely your first reason in getting a dog is for companionship, so a companion is what he's meant to be – not a source of annoyance. And believe me, just as with a small child, you'll get nowhere unless you can bring him with you!

So you bring your puppy home, settle him in and make him feel at home - and there's no better way to make him feel secure and safeguard your home than Crate Training - the easy way to Housetraining - and next morning Puppy Training! I find that 6 weeks is the ideal time to start with puppy training. Your pup is programmed to please, to fit in, to trade good humour for food and attention – don't waste this! In two minutes "playtime" you can achieve enormous results.

And playtime is the key to my method of puppy training. Did you learn more at school when you were forced to study, or when the project was so interesting that you felt compelled to do the work?

Absolutely! And your little puppy is the same. If you can't inspire him to pay attention to you in puppy training, he will simply switch off, and then no amount of shouting, calling or cajoling will get him back for you again.

Your puppy has to think that the sun shines out of your eyes! He pricks up his ears and listens attentively when you say his name because he knows that good things now happen. This is the lynchpin of this type of puppy training, and so you may use any reasonable means to make sure that your puppy knows his name, and that when he hears it he stops what he's doing and comes to see what's on offer.

So how about a bit of old-fashioned bribery? Any parent (including your own, most probably!) will tell you the value of bribery for eliciting desired behaviour. So for this most vital of puppy training tips, use treats, titbits, dinner, toys, games – whatever excites your particular puppy.

A Word about Treats

Now for any reward to work, it has to be good enough to wait for, to work for even, and from your point of view it needs to be quick enough to leave the dog wanting more. So if you're using treats, they are going to have to be very tasty and very small. For dog training they need to be small – for puppy training they need to be tiny!

I've always found one of the easiest – and most popular – treats for puppy training, is cheese. For a puppy you can also use finely chopped cooked chicken, ham or sausage. You can buy dog treats if you like - here are some popular ones. You chop them up into very small cubes or pieces – just a lick really.

Say your puppy's name, and when you give the pup the treat, it's gone in an instant, before he's even taken his eyes off you. Now he's ready for more, and you can reinforce what you just rewarded him for by going through your play/puppy training again – without losing his attention!

This is a surefire way of a) getting your puppy's undivided attention, and b) becoming a god in his eyes.

And this is why you should never be tempted to take two puppies at the same time. How can you expect a puppy to pay attention to you and your puppy training when a rough-and-tumble with his brother is always beckoning?

A Simple Formula ...

Puppy's name – attention – treat, puppy's name – attention – treat. This is the very basis of puppy training: now he thinks you're wonderful, and he listens to you when you say his name.

I find that one book stands above all the rest when it comes to solid, sensible, and easy-to-follow advice on puppy training, with the section on Socialising your Pup especially useful. You can have a look at my favourite puppy training book here.

The way is now open for you to teach him anything you want in your puppy training. You can work on making him the ideal companion; you can teach him tricks to amuse your friends, yourself, and especially your dog; you can join an Agility club and do Agility and Flyball – for fun or competition; you can go in for competitive Obedience; you can train your dog in Search and Rescue, Nosework, Working Trials … Once your puppy knows his name and that you are the source of good things, you can choose!

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You can check out my Dog Toys section: with a puppy you have to take extra care in choosing toys and puppy training aids, and there's a trick to using them too, believe it or not!

Now you can get started on Teaching your Puppy to Sit then follow it with Teaching the Instant Down - yes! even to your new little scrap!

You can find out here the all-time quickest and simplest method to housetrain a new puppy without tears; and we have all you need to know for guidance on choosing a collar and lead for your pup.

Or else you can go back to Home now, for more exciting topics in Dog-Training-and-Health.com