Dogs need consistent training and the sooner you start, the better it is. Even the puppy can learn a lot. The first commands should therefore be practiced as soon as the little housemate has become accustomed to his people and his new environment. Of course, most commands do not succeed immediately. But the time and patience are worth it, because an obedient dog that has mastered the most important rules will always be a good partner. Besides, it is also a lot of fun to teach the dwarf these rules.
Basics of training
As soon as the puppy gets used to its new home, training of commands should begin. The acclimation usually takes about a week. After that, you can start with the training basics. The puppy can not really concentrate for a long time and so short training sessions throughout the day are much better than a long training session. The puppy must feel comfortable and happy to participate. If it is just a chore for him, he will hardly be motivated. This means you should keep the exercise structure simple and train in the smallest possible steps. The dog owner himself should be as relaxed as possible and not become impatient. It is important to always end a training session on a positive note before the puppy loses interest in training.
Learning through positive reinforcement
Exercises should be learned through positive reinforcement. This means that as soon as the dog completes an exercise correctly, he receives a reward. If he shows wrong behavior, this is ignored and he does not get a treat. This method works without coercion and the puppy learns that he will be rewarded when he does something right. He will therefore gladly repeat this behavior. In this process, the dog must always be rewarded immediately and right after the correct behavior. In the beginning, there is a treat every time. With the time one gives only now and then something. In addition, praise must always be given extensively in a very friendly voice. The dog must absolutely link its behavior with the reward, in order to do this correctly in the future. Often you catch the puppy doing something wrong and instinctively you scold. However, the dog usually does not link this scolding to what he did, but to the fact that his owner appeared. As a new dog owner, you must always be aware that the dog never does anything to annoy the owner. Motives such as revenge or the like are also foreign to him.
Simply formulate
Human sounds are very difficult for the dog to distinguish. Therefore, dog owners should make an effort to pronounce commands in a short and concise manner. It is not necessary to formulate a whole sentence. Sit, down, stay, come are quite sufficient. The commands do not have to be spoken out loud. Dogs hear very well and it is quite enough to give the command in a calm and normal voice. Besides, it is very important to agree on the same words within the family. It is very difficult for the dog to understand when the father calls “Come” and the daughter lures the dog to her with “Here”.
Commands should always be carried out in the same way
It is just as important to consider beforehand how the dog is to execute a particular command. For example, should he walk comfortably next to the owner when he says “Heel” or not even move an inch to the side. Should a command like “sit” be overridden by the owner, or should the dog be allowed to decide when to stand up again? Whatever you decide, the command must then always be completed in the same form. Dogs know no exceptions. If the dog owner is inconsistent because he is disturbed or simply does not think about how it should be done correctly, the dog will not know what to do. He will decide for himself what to do.
The command “Sit”
It should always be started with simple commands such as “sit”. For this example, it is important that the dog associates the position, that is, the rear end on the ground, with the command “Sit”. The ideal is to watch the puppy, and every time he sits, give him a treat, say “sit” and praise. This will sound something like this: “Sit! Yes fine!” Eventually, the dog will sit automatically. If you want to practice sitting in a controlled way, then you have to hold a treat above the dog’s head in such a way that he sits. Another possibility is to gently push the dog into the sitting position with your hand. Here, however, you really have to be very sensitive in order not to unsettle or even hurt the animal.
Command by hand signal
To make a command more emphatic, a hand signal can be given at the same time as the sound. For the sound “Sit”, the hand is often shown with the index finger raised. For “Sit”, the flat hand is used, pointing towards the ground. Many dogs react much better to hand signals. Here you simply have to test what is more appealing to the dog. Hand signals are especially important for dogs that are hard of hearing or even deaf. This is the best way to train these dogs. Commands should never be given many times in a row because the dog will not respond immediately. If the dog does not sit the first time, you can say “Sit” again. If it doesn’t work again, leave it and try again another time. Otherwise, the dog will get used to obeying only after being asked several times. With a lot of patience and perseverance, the little one already learns the most important basics in this way.
