Reward Based Puppy Training
Reward-based puppy training is much kinder and more effective for puppies and owners than the out-dated techniques that relied on punishment. Rewards make training fun, and will not only help to strengthen your relationship with your puppy, but will make your puppy want to behave well.
To train effectively, you need something that excites your puppy. While puppies are still young, praise from owners can be exciting. However, since most puppies are used to getting affection all the time from their owners, something extra is needed to encourage them to work hard enough to learn the exercises. Find out what motivates your puppy by trying some of the exercises on this site for getting attention and use whatever he is most interested in. Once you have his full attention, training will be easier.
You don’t need any special equipment to train your puppy other than a plain buckle collar and a training leash. Avoid collars and leads made of chain, as these will hurt your puppy’s neck or your hands.
Check that the collar fits well and that you can slip two fingers under it. Make sure also that it is tight enough not to pull over your puppy’s head so that he cannot get out of it when you are in an unsafe place. Continue to check the fit of the collar as your puppy grows. Attach an identification disc to it in case he gets lost.
Good timing is critical if your puppy is to learn easily. Always reward as soon as your puppy does the right thing so that he learns that the reward came for performing that particular action.
Using Puppy Toys
Some puppies, especially older ones, work harder for a game with a special puppy toy than for food. Soft chew toys that can be bitten and tugged are best. The disadvantage of using toys is that they are not always easy to use as a lure. You also have to let go of the toy to use it as a reward and get it back again afterwards, which is not always as quick and easy as feeding a treat.
However, if you have a puppy that prefers toys to treats, you should use games as a reward for training. Keep a favourite toy for this purpose so that it is always of interest to your puppy.
Puppy Training Tips For Success
- Use the treats that work best for your puppy. You may find that, after a few weeks, your puppy begins to lose interest in working for familiar treats, so vary them from week to week.
- Don’t try to train your puppy soon after a meal. He needs to be interested in working for the treats you are offering during training, so he needs to be quite hungry during lessons.
- Don’t try to train him when he is really hungry, as this could affect his ability to concentrate.
- Treats should be small so that your puppy does not become full too quickly.
Pieces about the size of a pea are best.
How To Train A Puppy FAQs
Q What treats should I give my puppy?
There are plenty of tasty treats on the market that can be broken up into small pieces.
Q He does not seem interested in commercial treats. Can I use anything else?
Cooked liver, which has been cut into small cubes and dried in the oven, and cheese are usually very acceptable to puppies (only feed small amounts of liver; save it for difficult exercises).
Q Can I give him bits of his food as treats?
Soft, smelly food is usually more acceptable than dry, hard food, but some puppies will work well for the dry kibble food they are usually fed.
Q I tried to give my puppy a new food as a treat, but it upset his stomach. Does this mean that I should always keep him on the same food?
If you are introducing new foods, be careful not to feed too much too soon and upset their digestion. Gradually increase amounts in the early days of training so that they get used to it slowly.
Q Will my puppy get fat if I feed him treats?
A Don’t let your puppy get too fat as a result of feeding lots of treats. The best way to avoid this is to measure out his daily amount of food, replace some with special treats for training and make sure that the food and treats form a balanced diet (ask your vet for advice about this).
Mail this post