Puppy obedience training
Dogs are a pack animal and need authority. From the very beginning they will need a single person who can be their teacher. Don’t shout when you call your puppy - they are sensitive to variations in your voice, and will understand different tones very well, such as short and sharp for commands, happy to congratulate them and severe for a reprimand. Always use the same words for the same orders.
Teaching your puppy to sit
Using a food reward, hold the food over the puppy’s nose and slowly move it up and back, over the puppy’s head. When the puppy follows the food with its head, it will sit down. When your dog does this, say the word “sit” with the action.
As soon as your pet sits, say “good sit” and give them the reward. Many repetitions will be necessary for your puppy to learn to associate the reward with the sit. Start off with 3 short training sessions lasting just 5 minutes a day, and extend the sessions little by little as your puppy gets older.
Teaching your puppy to lie down
Once you have taught your dog to sit, you can start teaching the “down” command. Get them to sit first, and then encourage them to lie down by holding the reward, lowering it between their front paws and pulling it forward (away) at the same time, while saying “down”. When they lie down, give them a reward, and plenty of praise.
Choosing a food reward for training your puppy
Choose something small and low calorie that your puppy likes. A kibble taken from their daily ration can do the job, or a nutritional supplement devoted to training. Make sure you include this energy supply in the calculation of their daily ration.
If you have further training aspirations, dog training clubs are open to all puppies accompanied by their owners. As obedience is the basis for everything that you will be doing with your puppy, going to a club will confirm the education you are giving them.