When you welcome a new puppy to your family, your heart is full of spending time with the little bundle of joy. You already love your pet. You are indeed thinking about the many different experiences you will have with your new best friend. At the same time, you realize that you have more responsibilities now.
While you might have a great deal of joy at the back of your mind, the thought of training your dog remains clear as day. The aspect of dog training is critical for new pet parents.
The concerns are valid. If you don’t teach your puppy the essential commands, it could cause problems in their future behavior and bond with your family. But if you train your pup well, you can enjoy your time together without any worries.
Sure, if you are thinking about puppy training classes and dog training, it can certainly seem like it is getting out of hand. There are many aspects to consider for professional dog trainers, group classes, puppy obedience, and more. When it comes to dog training, there are potty training, obedience training, puppy training, puppy socialization, and more in the Virginia Beach, VA area.
You might wonder what the best way to go is? Is it possible to train a dog by myself? Do I have the time and the temperament to do so? Should I reach out to the best dog trainers in Virginia Beach that train dogs for a living?
Yes, it can get overwhelming quite quickly.
To help you through the process, here’s how to train a new puppy in a few simple steps.
Before You Get Through This Quick Guide to Puppy Training
While the following steps provide you with a step-by-step guide to train your puppy, it is important to remember that not all dogs may react optimally to this routine. Since every puppy is different, you need to ensure that you pay attention to their behavior and get professional help if needed.
Of course, you can also reach out to expert dog trainers at K9aholics to take advantage of positive reinforcement training methods, puppy classes, obedience training, crate training, and more.
Remember that you are not on this journey by yourself; there are professionals at K9aholics who can help you with basic commands, basic manners, impulse control, unwanted behavior modification, and more.
The following steps can help you and your pup breeze through the training process with that in mind.
Put Positive Reinforcement Front and Center
No matter what you do, the first step towards training a puppy is understanding the power of positive reinforcement. It would be best to treat your pup with rewards for listening to your command during this approach.
While this reward can be something that the pup can eat, it doesn’t strictly have to be something edible. For instance, you can use playtime or praise as a reward to show your puppy that they are being treated for exhibiting good behavior.
Don’t Overexert Your Puppy
While learning how to train a new puppy, keep in mind never to overexert your pup. Unlike humans, puppies need to take in information in very short amounts. Otherwise, whatever you are trying to teach them tires them out and causes your efforts to go in vain.
The best practice is to keep each of your sessions no longer than 10 minutes each. If your puppy seems tired and cannot grasp new commands, make it a point to cut the session short and try the next day again.
Be Patient With Their Learning Curve
As you browse through this quick guide to puppy training, you need to be mindful of a puppy’s ability to learn new information. Like how children may take a while to absorb further information, pups may also need to achieve that feat.
Due to this reason, don’t expect your pup to learn new commands right away. Instead, give them some time to process and understand. But if your puppy doesn’t respond to training after a few weeks, you can consider calling a professional.
Get into the Right Environment
It is also crucial that your puppy gets trained for certain commands in the right settings. For instance, if you are teaching your pup to follow the “speak” command, you need to steer clear of noisy areas and conduct the training at home when your TV isn’t on at full volume.
It ensures that your pup has the right amount of calm and sensory cues to follow your command when needed. That is one of the most important points while learning to train a new puppy.
Don’t Be Afraid of Repeated Routines
As mentioned above, pups may take some time to learn new information. As their new caretaker, you should appreciate this fact and work with it. It can be easy for you to become tired of unsuccessfully teaching your puppy to walk off-leash or sit on command; you should persevere through the failed attempts with grace and patience.
This process requires you to understand and carry out repeated commands without getting upset with your pup. If you feel that you are becoming frustrated, you can delegate the task to a professional.
Steer Clear of Physical Force
As you begin following any quick guide to puppy training commands, ensure that you don’t use physical force during these sessions. For instance, if you are teaching your pup to sit, avoid making them sit by force during the training. Instead, use luring treats or verbal affirmations as primary techniques.
That is a crucial point to remember whenever you train a new puppy. It is because if you end up using physical force to teach a command, your pup may think of it as a punishment and become wary of it. That is why you should steer clear of it.
Use Your Words
Your puppy may be a ray of sunshine, but they are far from being a mindreader. If you don’t use verbal cues during your training sessions, your pup may not know what to do when you say words such as “sit” or “speak.” As a result, you must use your words during training and help your pup identify them.
That provides your pup with an easy way to recognize your commands after training and lets them fulfill your spoken task of their own accord. Keep in mind that this practice is highly important while training a new puppy.
By following these steps, you can ensure to train your puppy in an effective yet stress-free way for your pup and your household alike. It allows you to be the proud owner of a well-behaved puppy while also preventing many behavioral issues in the long run.
Need Private Lessons in the Virginia Beach Area? Reach Out to K9aholics Today
We know that the entire family would appreciate a wonderful pet who will fit into the family nicely. When it comes to good manners, desired behaviors, separation anxiety, socialization, and more, you want to make sure your new best friend is up to par.
That is where our team at K9aholics can help.
We appreciate animals and have invested quite a bit of time learning how to train them in the best ways possible.
A Little Bit About Us
I have always had a passion for dogs and started training dogs early. It wasn’t until I got Draco, my first Belgian Malinois, that I knew I wanted to start a business training dogs so I could share my natural talent of training with other pups. While working as a Norfolk police officer, I began K9aholics and trained dogs on my time off.
I resigned as a police officer and attended Tarheel Canine, Inc. school for dog trainers, where I further solidified my knowledge and expertise. Afterward, I decided to devote 100% of my time to sharing my knowledge and fulfilling my passion. K9aholics was started in October 2019.
Are you looking for help? Contact us today!
