Animal behaviorist, dog trainer

Training a dog to behave in acceptable ways is something that should start the moment that you bring your puppy home. As I have mentioned many times before, puppies are like little sponges, constantly absorbing feedback from the environment which determines how they behave. Often, because puppies are so cute, we allow them to do things which we would never accept in an adult dog and then we get very upset when they continue to do these things as they mature. This is hardly fair! Here are some things that you can do to make sure that you raise a well-mannered adult dog:

1. Ensure that your puppy is old enough when you bring him home: Pups that leave their mothers before 8 weeks of age (backyard-bred pups are often sold at 5 or 6 weeks) miss a couple of very important weeks when it comes to feedback they would get from their mother and siblings during play. They are likely to bite a lot harder when playing with you and their ability to interact well with other dogs may also suffer. Do not support breeders who try to get rid of pups as soon as possible.

2. Continue to teach bite-inhibition at home: Allow your pup to chew you gently during play, but if he bites harder shout “Ouch!” and stop playing with him for a minute or two. If you do this consistently, he will learn that being rough spoils the game and so will develop a soft mouth.

3. Do not reward unwanted behaviour: One of the most common problem behaviours in young dogs is jumping up to get attention. Right from the start you must make sure that this behaviour never gets rewarded i.e. gets attention. Always turn away from your puppy and ignore him (no eye-contact, no speaking) until all his paws are back on the ground. Shouting and shoving is still attention, so rather don’t respond at all!

 
4. Do not encourage demand barking: Some dogs tend to bark to get attention or to get food or toys. Never ever give them what they want when they are barking. If your dog barks at you while you are about to dish up his food, walk away and wait another five minutes before going back to feed him. If you have a natural barker, rather put the behaviour on cue and reward it only when you have asked for it!

 
5. Teach basic exercises like “sit”, “down” and “stay” and use these in everyday situations to encourage calm and polite behaviour: You can ask the dog to sit before you put the lead on or open the door or feed a meal. This way the dog learns to be responsive to you, because all the good stuff happens when he does as you ask!

6. Don’t forget to reward desired behaviour: Always reward your puppy with lots of praise and treats if he comes when he is called or lets go of  a toy when you ask him to. Often we are so worried about stopping behaviour that we don’t like, that we forget to reward behaviour we do like. Behaviour that gets no reward eventually stops!

While you may feel that you can achieve the above at home, it is always an excellent idea to enrol in a good puppy class where young dogs learn basic obedience and get to socialise with other dogs and people. Having contact with a trainer who can assist you every step of the way will prevent you from making common training errors and ensure that you have the best chance of raising a good canine citizen!