So, the time has come: After careful research and intensive consideration of which dog breed best suits you, your family, and your living circumstances, numerous conversations with reputable, experienced breeders, and finally weeks or even months of anticipation for your puppy, the big day has arrived and a small dog is moving in – into your life and into your hitherto clean home. Because from the cute, seemingly life-like Steiff stuffed animal to a well-behaved dog, it is a long, sometimes arduous, but definitely time-consuming path – for both master and dog.
Dog training: Education from the beginning
Despite all the understandable joy over the cuddly new family member, it is advisable and indispensable for the dog's future life to train the puppy consistently from the start. Because the saying applies to dogs too: "What little Hans does not learn, big Hans will never learn!" Or only with great difficulty. Even if dog trainers in relevant TV shows apparently manage to "treat a problem dog" within just 45 minutes – this impression is deceptive and has nothing to do with reality. Training that is both loving and consistent will simplify your life together in many ways and make it harmonious.
Regardless of the animal's breed or gender, dogs build a firm bond with "their" human from the 8th week of life. This imprinting phase lasts from the 8th to the 12th week of life, which is then followed by the so-called socialization phase until the 4th month of life. During this time, your four-legged friend learns everything they need for their later life, e.g., interpreting human body language. Therefore, from the perspective of many professional dog trainers, it is counterproductive to attend a puppy class during these weeks, as it is particularly important during this time to promote and deepen the human-dog relationship. In a puppy class, however, the relationship and communication between dogs are primarily promoted. Your dog has already learned this in the first 8 weeks of life with their mother and siblings. A reputable breeder who cares about the well-being of their animals will therefore never give away a puppy before the 8th week of life, as the animal would otherwise miss crucial learning steps and problems in dealing with other dogs could occur later.
Show your dog from the beginning that you lead their pack and that they can trust you. For this, it is necessary that you introduce firm rules for living together and also follow them consistently yourself, e.g., get the animal used to fixed feeding times or determine when it is time to play and interrupt the play yourself.
But the best training methods and the most sophisticated educational strategies are ineffective if your entire family is not pulling in the same direction, meaning: what one forbids, the other must not allow. Equally important is the way you communicate with the dog: commands must be given in a firm voice, reprimands in a strict voice, and praise in a friendly voice.
Aids in training
A very valuable aid in training is the so-called "clicker". This is a small plastic box with a metal tongue that produces a clicking sound when pressed, similar to the clicking of metal lids on certain bottles or glass jars, e.g., baby food jars. In itself, any sound you can produce yourself is suitable, but the following must be taken into account:
- The dog must be able to perceive the sound well even at a greater distance,
- the sound must never occur in the dog's acoustic environment, and
- it should be a short, concise, and above all, always identical-sounding noise.
The "click" is nothing more than a conditioned reinforcer that the animal will very quickly recognize as the announcement of a reward. Therefore, clicker training is excellent for training purposes because it often involves praising the dog for desired behavior in a fraction of a second and thus reinforcing it – which is often not possible with verbal praise. This and reinforcements like petting should be used especially when your dog already masters and executes certain commands. An occasional reward treat is, of course, not wrong either. However, make sure to offer low-calorie snacks and not to overfeed the animal, as it might otherwise refuse its regular food. If, however, you want to reward primarily with treats, especially at the beginning of training, replace the snacks with high-quality, easy-to-administer dry pellet food and reduce the daily food amount accordingly. This prevents overfeeding, which makes your dog overweight and sluggish.
Consider a dog trainer
If you want to give your puppy the best training from the start and make their upbringing error-free from the beginning, it is essential to consult a professional dog trainer. Because the training method must be tailored to your dog – and only an experienced trainer can do that.
However, be on your guard when choosing! Since there is currently no state-recognized training and examination for this profession in Austria, anyone who wishes may call themselves a "dog trainer," "canine educator," or even "animal psychologist." In any case, stay away from dog trainers or schools that rely on aggressive advertising in print media and radio. Really good dog trainers do not need classic advertising because they are recommended by others, as the quality and seriousness of their education and training methods prevail. Simply ask your veterinarian; they can certainly name a good dog trainer in your area.
Always keep in mind: no matter how much your four-legged darling may act out, or which sofa cushion or even your exquisite favorite shoes may have fallen victim to their quite strong baby teeth – yelling at them or even hitting them does not help in any way, but only contributes to your dog becoming anxious and insecure. The animal never acts out of malice and, moreover, does not understand when it is punished – especially several hours after the massacre of the designer shoe – because it can only establish the connection between the events "chewing on the shoe" and "mistress is furious" for a maximum of two seconds. Punishing misbehavior therefore only makes sense if you catch the little vandal in the act. It is better to ensure that the puppy does not even get near expensive clothing or furniture, as well as any objects whose permanent integrity you care about. This naturally also applies to dangerous or poisonous substances such as cleaning agents or medicines, which can not only be extremely bad for your beloved four-legged friend but, in the worst case, lead to their death.
Always keep in mind that expectations that are too high – of yourself or your dog – inevitably lead to frustration on both sides. This would, however, be a very bad start to your new life as a proud dog owner. Enjoy the time with your puppy, be happy about every progress in their training, and give the animal plenty of love and petting. Your dog will thank you with unconditional love and friendship – for their whole life.
Read also: A dog needs a lot of affection
Photo by Sabine, meinhaushalt.at
