Bringing Home Your New Pet: Dog Behavior Training Tips

If you have children the discussion about getting a puppy has no doubt cropped up time and time again. You have also no doubt discussed the responsibilities your child or children will have to assume because you know what it takes to look after a new pup.

Prior to bringing the puppy home, bring your family together and have a meeting of what the rules will be for the dog and family. Write a chore list and distribute certain chores such as feeding, watering and walking the dog.

So when is the best time to start your new puppy's behavior training? As soon as possible. It will be best for the pup if it knows as soon as it arrives in your home what the rules are.

Make a space for the dog, placing a mat or pillow for bedding and a place where the dog will eat. Outside you will need to section off the yard and designate a place where the dog will be taken to go potty.

Once the place for the puppy to sleep, eat and toilet has been decided and the family is in agreement on each of their roles with regard to the training of the puppy you need to decide who will be in charge of the dog. Someone has to take sole responsibility to training the right behaviors while everyone else fulfills a backup role.

Repetition is key to any good training program for your dog. Always remember to praise your dog when a task is performed well and use a frown or form of disapproval to let the dog know you are not pleased.

Some think that the growl method of training is silly or not useful, but watch a mother dog with her pups and you will soon realize that the puppy's actions are curbed by a snap or growl. We are not saying to nip at your pet but a low growl or a sharp, "No" will cause the puppy to discontinue its unwanted behavior.

Behavior training should be done in the moment. This means that should your puppy start to do something you don't want it to do like chew on a slipper, for instance, you will need to enforce discipline right there and then. The dog will not learn if you wait until later and then try and teach it not to chew on shoes.

From this point on, your dog will respond to a sharp "No," knowing that what it is doing needs to stop.

If you want to train the correct behavior into your puppy from the day it arrives in your home, then the entire family will have to learn to take responsibility, be patient and most of all love the dog enough to want what's best for it.

By: David Harding

Get professional dog behavior training advice and tips before you take your new puppy home. Read our review of dog training online and discover other useful dog training resources.

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