Easy Puppy Training Tips

Bringing home a new puppy involves more than just cuddling and constant play. Families must train their newest addition to behave and act appropriately in the household. When it comes to training, many people choose to train their puppy themselves, in the comfort of their own home. However, many people also choose to hire the best dog trainer in Houston to do the training for them. Regardless of whether a pet owner decides to train at home or with a professional, there are some easy training tips that they can follow to encourage good behavior from their puppy. Check out these quick and easy training tips listed below.

Giving The Puppy A Name

One of the first things a new pet owner must do is name their newest family member. With puppies and younger dogs, it’s important to choose a name that’s short and offers a strong consonant on the end. This type of name helps draw the puppy’s attention during training and helps them hear their own clearly when they’re speaking to them. While short names are important for training purposes, it’s also important to choose a name that everyone in the household loves. Once the puppy gets a name and hears it consistently, it’s hard to change their name later down the road.

Create Boundaries

Before a new puppy ever comes home, it’s important to set boundaries for them in the household. Decide which areas of the house the puppy isn’t allowed in, what furniture they cannot get on, and other important details. By setting boundaries early on, it creates less confusion for the puppy and the pet owner. Pet owners can enforce these boundaries by telling the puppy know when they climb on furniture or enter an area that’s off-limits. Redirecting the puppy to a permitted area and giving them positive reinforcement helps set up these boundaries.

Tackle Jumping Right Away

Almost every puppy goes through a jumping phase. Whether its greeting a guest or trying to initiate play with fellow family members, jumping is one of the first behaviors that needs corrected when a puppy enters its new home. To eliminate jumping, avoid petting or patting the puppy when they’re in the process of jumping. In fact, it’s best to ignore the dog completely when they’re jumping. Once the puppy settles down, a few simple praises will help eliminate the bad behavior. Sometimes, it’s hard to get a puppy to stop jumping and requires the help of the best dog trainer in Houston.

Prevent Nipping and Biting

Another common behavior seen among puppies and older dogs includes nipping or biting. It’s very important to stop this behavior as quickly as possible to avoid someone getting hurt. One of the best ways to get a puppy to stop biting or nipping is to pretend that the puppy is causing a great deal of pain when they nip or bite. This will alarm the puppy and discourage them from biting. If that fails, another trick includes giving the puppy a chew toy or bone when they’re in a nipping or biting mood. This tricks called the swapping trick that creates a clear boundary on what the puppy can chew on and what they cannot.

Words Of Encouragement

During the training process, it’s important to constantly praise the puppy for positive behavior. Whether it’s following a command or not tearing up the house while everyone was away. Positive phrases such as “Good Boy or Girl”, followed by extra pats on the head help establish positive behavior.