Training your dog early on can be one of the most rewarding things you can do. It will give you a best friend for life that is well-behaved, obedient, and knows how to behave in public.
The amount of time it takes for your puppy to learn basic obedience will depend on a number of factors, such as his age, intelligence, and attention span. However, most puppies can learn the basics of obedience within a few weeks with consistent training.
Here are some tips on how to get started:
- Start with basic commands such as sit, stay, come, and down. Once your puppy masters these, you can move on to more advanced commands like “leave it” or “wait.”
- Use positive reinforcement such as treats or verbal praise to encourage your puppy to obey your commands.
- Be consistent with your commands and do not give in if your puppy does not listen the first time. It is important that he learns that you are the leader and he should obey your commands.
- Have short, consistent training sessions each day. Puppies have short attention spans so it is important to keep the sessions short and sweet. 5-10 minutes per day is usually sufficient.
- End each session on a positive note so that your puppy associates obedience training with something fun and rewarding.
With patience and consistency, you will be well on your way to having an obedient furry friend!
Commands Every Puppy Should Learn Before Turning 1 Year Old
Now that you know the basics of training your puppy, it’s time to start learning some specific commands. Here are a few commands that every puppy should learn before his first birthday:
Sit: This is one of the most basic and important commands for your puppy to learn. It is a great way to get him to calm down and can be used in a variety of situations.
Stay: This command is helpful when you need your puppy to stay in one spot, such as when you are opening the door or getting his food ready.
Come: This recall command is essential for keeping your puppy safe. If he ever gets loose, you can use this command to get him to come back to you.
Down: This command is a great way to get your puppy to settle down and take a break.
Leave It: This command is helpful for teaching your puppy not to touch things that he shouldn’t, such as food on the counter or toys that belong to other dogs.
Wait: This command is useful for teaching your puppy patience and self-control. It can be used in a variety of situations, such as when you are opening the door or walking through a busy street.
Fetch: This fun game is not only a great way to exercise your pup, but it also teaches him how to listen to your commands and follow them.
Step By Step Guide on Teaching Your Dog How To Sit
Let’s now go over a step-by-step dog training guide on how you can teach your puppy the ‘sit’ command.
- Start by getting your puppy’s attention with a treat or toy.
- Hold the treat or toy close to his nose and say the command “sit.”
- Slowly move the treat or toy up and back, so that your puppy’s bottom moves down into a sitting position.
- As soon as your puppy is in a sitting position, give him the treat or toy and praise him enthusiastically.
- Repeat this process several times a day until your puppy masters the sit command.
As you can see, teaching your puppy basic commands is not difficult and can be a fun bonding experience for the two of you! With patience and consistency, your puppy will be obeying your commands in no time.
Tools To Use When Training Your Puppy
There are a few different tools that you can use to help with training your puppy. Here are a few of the most common:
Training treats: Using treats as a form of positive reinforcement is one of the most effective ways to train your puppy. Dogs are highly motivated by food, so offering him a treat when he obeys your commands is a great way to get him to listen.
Clicker: A clicker is a small hand-held device that makes a clicking sound when pressed. It can be used as a form of positive reinforcement by clicking it when your puppy does something you want him to do, such as sitting on command.
Leash and collar: A leash and collar are essential for keeping your puppy under control during training sessions. A harness is also an option for dogs that pull on the leash.
Training aids: There are a variety of different training aids available to help with obedience training, such as treat pouches, dog beds, and crates.
Choosing the right tools for you and your puppy will make training sessions more effective and enjoyable for both of you! Stay safe and have a good one!
Final Thoughts
Puppies can be very smart and teaching them basic obedience and commands won’t take much time.
When you finish with the crate training, you can then move on to the more complicated training such as teaching your puppy to behave well outside the house, ignore other dogs, play with you at the dog park, swim…etc
Finally, the duration of your puppy’s training will not only depend on his ability to assimilate what you are teaching him, but also on your ability to detect and understand his reflexes and body language in order to better know how to adapt your training to your puppy because each puppy has his own character.
