November 2008

The heel command is a very important skill to teach your dog. You will find this very useful if you have to walk your dog on bust streets. If you are able to get your dog to heel correctly he will not pull, or try to get to other animals, or pick up trash, or stop to sniff things.

Owners should remember that a leash is a safety tool. If your dog knows how to heel correctly the leash becomes almost unnecessary. As in all training you do not want to pull on the leash.

The first thing to do is get your dog to sit beside you on the left. Once he is sitting, get the dog’s attention. Say the dog’s name and give the command word. Be sure to have a treat in your hand. Take two steps forward. Keep the treat in your hand close to your side and slightly above the dogs head. If the dog stays with you reward and praise. Do not be too concerned with having your dog sit just yet. This is a building process. Keep repeating this process, slowly increasing the amount of steps that you take.

Once your dog has a good grasp of staying by your side start getting him to sit when you stop. Make sure to give the release command so that the dog knows when the exercise is over. While you are walking praise the dog if he stays beside you. If he starts to stray change direction. If he does not notice right away that you have turned get his attention. If the leash begins to get tight STOP. Do not pull and do not move. Call the dog back to the correct position.

Remember that all training sessions should be kept to about fifteen minutes. Training your dog to heel is a hard task for your dog to learn. Be sure to give lots of praise and rewards and always end on a positive note.

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Learning how to train a puppy is all about being organized and taking lots of notes. As simple as it sounds it can and will make a big difference to your success and enjoyment, as it’s a very useful record of what has worked, and will highlight what approaches worked best in the past. These notes show exactly what works and how your puppy responds to various techniques, and what area he had difficulty with. And just like anything else in life, planning is time well spent to ensure hitting a home run rather than failing or getting it wrong. It’s just good practice.

Organizing your plan of attack should really be the first thing you do before you start training a puppy, because it can only improve the process of the transition for your new puppy from his familiar surroundings to the new and strange world you are providing for him. It can be disconcerting for a young pup when parted from his family, and then is suddenly moved to strange and confusing habitat with a whole range of new and unknown faces and scents.

These emotions don’t just apply to young puppies. Adult dogs can also experience separation anxiety by the upheaval when moved to new homes. Don’t forget your dog will need lots of reassurance when you take him away from his old home; he just sees a new and quite worrying place with none of his friends.

Without doubt, the ideal time to bring home a new dog or puppy is any time when you’ll be able to spend a few full days at home with him. A holiday period - a long weekend - or even take a few days off work. He’ll settle down a lot quicker if you’re there with him 24-7. Being there for him in those first few days will help him settle in, and help him overcome any separation anxiety he may experience.

When we bring a new baby home, we make heaps of preparations where we buy all the things we’ll need for the babies needs, training a puppy tips is a very similar process. You should do the same for your new family member.

to train a puppy

Your new puppy’s living area should initially be a protected area perhaps in the kitchen, and will help when you start house training your puppy as well because any accidents are easier to clean off hard floors. A kitchen or living room is an ideal location because there is normally a good deal of traffic and noise, which will make a big difference in helping your puppy get acclimatized quickly.

Your puppy had lots of friends and familiar faces at his old home.Loneliness could set in since leaving his littermates behind - so one of your new jobs is to make up for his loss of friends and keep him happy. But equally important - you can’t let him get away with murder for a couple of days, then try to train him out of those habits once your training routine begins. Puppy housebreaking is something you start from day one - just start with the easy stuff.

Letting him doing his own thing at first is unfair, simply because your rules aren’t consistent. Pretty much every approach you use when training a puppy are equally effective when working with older dogs, in pretty much the same way. Being homesick and lonely is not just a puppy issue.Your new dog will need lots of love, training and discipline as soon as he comes home with you. But the rewards are more than worth it.

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