Bringing a puppy home is such an exciting time. You’ve probably wanted a puppy for a long time and have been planning for the occasion. You also probably dream of sharing your life with a loyal, loving companion because that’s what dogs are – loyal and loving companions who only want to be with us.
The time is finally here after deciding which dog breed fits your lifestyle and home. Your new puppy companion is joining your family. You’ve decided on the breed, got the puppy equipment, lots of chew toys, and puppy-proofed your home. Your next steps are choosing a vet and then deciding who will help you to train your puppy.
Puppies can begin basic training when they decompress and feel comfortable with you and in your home. Usually within a couple of days, depending on the puppy. Puppy classes can begin once your pup is fully vaccinated.
Introducing The Collar, Harness, And Lead
You may not realise this, but you can tell a lot about your new puppy by how it reacts to getting its first collar on. Let your puppy investigate the collar before you put it on them. Most puppies will have a good scratch at it for a minute and then ignore it – this indicates a pretty easy-going nature.
If your puppy creates a big fuss on the collar being put on, this usually indicates that your puppy is quite sensitive and may need extra time and patience to adjust to new experiences. This information will be beneficial during socialisation and training. You will have to take things nice and slow for a puppy like this to build its confidence and not become overly anxious about new experiences.
Introducing the harness is the same process as the collar. Allow the puppy to investigate it, and if you make it a positive experience by offering a reward for putting its head through, your puppy will view the harness as a positive experience. Most dogs aren’t fond of things going over their heads, so ensuring it’s positive will make life easier.
When you attach the lead to the harness, don’t pull on the lead; keep steady gentle pressure on it. Whenever your puppy moves towards you, praise and reward your puppy. This teaches your puppy that it’s rewarding to be near you – which will help when you begin to teach loose lead walking.
What Type Of Puppy Classes Should You Choose?
Puppy and dog training is a bit of a minefield. There are dominance theory-based trainers, balanced trainers and positive reinforcement trainers. Which type of trainer do you choose? What do these even mean?
Choosing the right type of training is very important. Especially since you want your puppy to grow into a well-rounded, happy, confident, and safe dog. The main questions you must ask yourself are: What type of relationship do you envision with your dog? Are you comfortable using fear and pain to teach your puppy? The answer to these questions will help you determine the type of trainer you want to employ.
Regardless of which method you decide to work with, everyone in your home must be on the same page regarding boundaries and training cues that you will use with your puppy. If one person insists on one thing and someone allows the puppy to do it, the puppy will become confused about what it’s supposed to do. Consistency is paramount.
For example, one person doesn’t allow the dog on the sofa, but the other does; the dog doesn’t know it’s not supposed to go on the couch.
Dominance Theory Training
Dominance theory training is about making you the alpha, the boss. Your dog must view you as the leader and follow your instructions. This is achieved by making your dog fear you by using aversive training tools.
Aversive training tools include e-collars/shock collars, prong collars, choke collars, and slip leads, to name a few. Noncompliance is seen as defiance, and punishments can be harsh. They hurt the dog not only physically but also emotionally.
The dominant alpha theory is based on a flawed scientific observation of wolves conducted in 1947 by Rudolph Schenkel. The study observed captured unrelated wolves in a strange environment.
The wolves were not displaying their natural behaviours as they lived in an unnatural environment and were not a family unit. Therefore, the data that was collected regarding wolf behaviour was false.
The main point is that wolves live as a family unit in their natural habitat. The senior breeding pair (the parents) with their cubs and some older cubs. There is no alpha, and they do not use aggression to rule the pack.
Dogs Are Domesticated Animals
The other point is that dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, selectively bred to work alongside humans doing specific jobs, but wolves have not. Therefore, dogs do not behave like wolves; if they did, they would avoid humans. When I hear someone saying they are the ‘alpha’, I want to avoid them too.
A fearful dog will be harder to train, and the dog (or anyone) in flight or fight mode will find learning impossible. The brain doesn’t work that way. In flight or fight mode, the logical part of the brain shuts down, and survival mode kicks in. It can take a dog days to decompress and recover from the adrenaline of fear and anxiety of a stressful encounter.
Dominance theory doesn’t consider the dog’s welfare. A dog constantly fearing punishment will end up shut down, anxious, or reactive. It will be continually living in stress, wondering if it will be shouted at or punished for doing what comes naturally to it. This type of training can cause many behavioural problems. This is evidence-based knowledge.
Is The Dog Being Dominant?
You may think this sounds silly, but some people believe that it is being dominant when a dog lies on the sofa to sleep, trying to be the alpha. Nothing could be further from the truth. The simple explanation is that the dog has chosen to lie on the sofa for the same reason that you sit on the couch – it’s comfortable and smells of you, which is a bonus for the dog; your scent comforts your dog.
Dogs don’t want to be the leader or the alpha; they have been bred and domesticated to cooperate and work with humans. Dogs living on the streets in packs don’t work that way. Each dog in a stray pack has a role/job to do; they live and work cooperatively for the survival of each dog in the pack.
In a multi-dog household, you will observe that one dog may take priority over a particular toy, and the other dog will give way to that. However, the other dog may prioritise a favourite spot to sleep. Dogs are cooperative creatures; they want to live in harmony, not dominate.
Balanced Training
Balanced training involves using positive reinforcement and punitive (aversive) techniques to train dogs. Balanced trainers will also use aversive tools to train dogs, such as e-collars/shock, choke, and prong collars. The reasoning is that punishment is sometimes required to clarify the training for the dog, especially if the dog is proving challenging to grasp a training technique.
A typical message in the balanced training camp is that you should use every tool in your toolbelt to train a dog. I would say that it depends on what job you are doing and what tool is more appropriate. I wouldn’t swat a fly with a sledgehammer just because I have one.
It also claims quick results. Punitive training works quickly; the dog learns quickly to avoid the pain or fear – its survival instinct kicks in. However, the behaviour isn’t truly learned as the aversive tool has to be repeatedly used to reinforce the desired behaviour. A good example of this is using an e-collar for recall.
Therefore, the behaviour may look to be adjusted quickly, but it is not long-term if the same aversive tool is consistently used. The dog has only learned to stop a behaviour to stop the pain and fear.
Some trainers advocate using shock/e-collars by saying they have tried it on themselves and it’s not that bad. Things to consider are:
- The skin on the human neck has more layers than the skin on a dog’s neck.
- The human knows what a shock/e-collar is.
- What the collar will do.
- Why it’s being done.
- When it’s being done.
- When the pain will stop.
The dog has none of this information and no understanding of why the pain is happening and if it will ever stop. This has to be quite terrifying for the dog.
My thought on balanced training is that it would confuse the dog. In one instance, it gets rewards; another time, it may get an electric shock. It reminds me of a domestic abuse relationship. The dog tries to please and gets rewards sometimes and will accept the punishment because a reward may also be offered.
How can you expect to have a confident, happy, well-adjusted dog in these circumstances? It confuses me, and I know the logic behind the balanced training – I can’t imagine how confused the poor dog must feel.
Aversive tools’ physical and psychological impact on dogs must be considered during training. Many studies are available that highlight the adverse effects on dog’s physical and emotional wellbeing being trained using aversive tools. Prolonged use can lead to behavioural issues and aggressiveness in dogs.
Positive Reinforcement Training
There is a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to positive reinforcement training. Many think positive reinforcement trainers don’t set boundaries for the dogs and let them get away with anything. They also believe that it’s all about giving treats to the dog.
This is not the case. Positive reinforcement is not permissive; boundaries are set, but the methods consider the dog’s physical and psychological welfare. Pain, fear, and intimidation are not used. Instead, alternative, acceptable behaviours are taught. Your puppy will not instinctively know what you want from it or what is acceptable to you.
Positive reinforcement aims to help you create a trusting relationship with your dog and teach it the skills it will need to live in the human-focused world and display acceptable behaviours.
Motivational Tools
Treats are used; however, other forms of positive reinforcement motivate the dogs, such as praise, toys, games, and the environment. Food is not the only motivator that can be used. In fact, quite often, you are your dog’s primary motivation. Most dogs want to please their human.
Finding what motivates your dog is the key to unlocking training and helping shape the behaviours you want to encourage in your dog. If your dog finds a behaviour rewarding, it will repeat it. So reward the behaviours you want your dog to repeat. Teach your dog alternative behaviours to the unwanted behaviours.
Dogs Have Needs
Building a trusting and harmonious relationship with your dog is the cornerstone of positive reinforcement training. Dogs have basic needs like us –food and water, shelter, and safety – to feel safe. Once these basic needs are met, your dog is at a good starting point to begin to learn the skills it needs to live harmoniously with you.
Positive reinforcement teaches your dog the skills to live in your human-focused world without using fear, pain, or intimidation. Take a holistic view of the dog, how it views the world, and what needs the dog has, and teach your dog in a way that the dog can understand and enjoy. It’s much easier to train a dog who is in a place mentally where it’s ready to learn.
Every behaviour is your dog expressing a need to be met. Like us, dogs have many needs and will express these needs in a doggy way. Learning a dog’s body language will help you understand what your dog is trying to tell you, which you can then use to try and help your dog. It takes time and practice but will go a long way in helping your dog feel secure and safe. It will also help you decode what skills your dog needs to learn.
Allowing Your Dog To Be A Dog
Dogs need to be dogs and be allowed to behave like dogs. Unfortunately, some dog’s natural doggy behaviour is often viewed as problem behaviour. Giving your dog acceptable ways to express their doggy behaviour usually resolves the ‘problem behaviour’. A dog who isn’t allowed to be a dog will not be a happy, confident dog.
For example, dogs like to dig – they like the smells that the excavated earth throws up; they will dig to create a hole to keep them cool or warm, depending on the weather. Dogs will also dig to release pent-up energy and relieve boredom/stress. Not to mention trying to get to something interesting it’s smelled under the ground.
Your dog isn’t digging up your garden to be naughty or annoy you; it’s digging because dog’s like to dig. You can stop your dog from destroying your garden by giving them a digging pit or a sand pit – a plastic children’s sandpit works wonders. You can bury chews and toys to encourage your dog to dig there. Your dog gets to express its doggy behaviour, and your garden doesn’t get destroyed – a win-win.
Another example is that dogs love to chew. They explore their world through their nose, mouth, ears and body. Chewing allows them to investigate objects and relieves stress, boredom, and excess energy.
Set Your Puppy Up For Success
If you don’t want your favourite shoes chewed, put them in a cupboard out of reach. This is the easiest way (irresistible to puppies because they smell like you and have picked up so many other exciting smells and tastes from where you’ve been walking).
However, if you don’t want your furniture chewed, give your dog acceptable chew toys and chews. A variety of different textures gives your puppy a choice.
See The World Through Your Puppy’s Eyes
Positive reinforcement training is about looking at the world from your dog’s perspective, understanding what skills your dog needs to navigate the human world, helping them achieve these goals without fear, pain or punishment and letting them behave like a dog in a human world.
Aversive tools won’t be applied even if the dog has difficulty learning a new behaviour. Instead, the positive reinforcement trainer will step back and look at the dog’s body language and environment and think about WHY the dog has difficulty learning the skill.
Like us, dogs learn things at different paces. By being observant, patient, consistent, and going at your dog’s pace, no matter how slowly you think it is, your dog will learn the skills it needs. The task often needs to be approached differently or broken down for your puppy to understand what’s required.
I Trained My Dog With Positive Reinforcement
I have a Siberian Husky and have had her since she was 3 months old. I was lucky to have a positive reinforcement trainer. She was great and taught us how to communicate with Luna, our Husky.
I was always told that huskies pull on lead; they are bred to do it. I agree; that is what they were bred to do. However, we could still train Luna to walk on a loose lead. My then 12- and 13-year-old daughters could also safely walk her on the lead.
I was also told that huskies can never be off lead; training them in recall is impossible. No e-collars or shock collars have ever been used on Luna. Don’t get me wrong, it took a lot of patience, consistency and much hair-pulling on my part – but Luna does have good recall.
Luna is almost 8 years old (2024) and has been blind for a couple of years now. Her blindness hasn’t stopped her, though. We thought that she might be negatively affected by losing her sight and confidence and becoming reactive due to fear. We were wrong. Her confidence didn’t take a hit; she hasn’t become reactive; she’s the same dog she has always been. Luna is curious, friendly, and social with other dogs.
I would say that her training using positive reinforcement was a large part of this. Luna has no fear at all. She can still walk on lead, run and play off lead, and swim in the Loch, river and sea. Her training is so well embedded that we can still confidently let her be herself in safe environments because she responds to our cues.
This is the reason that I am a huge believer in positive reinforcement training. I have seen the results that we’ve achieved. Luna has no fear because she’s never had cause to expect harm or harsh treatment. She may be blind, but she knows us and knows that we won’t hurt her or allow her to come to any harm.
Treats
The easiest way to start training your puppy is to encourage it with food. If you’re worried about your puppy putting on too much weight, you can use a portion of your puppy’s daily food allowance.
It’s helpful to have training food and a special high-value training food. The high-value food will be used to reinforce essential behaviours that you want quickly. The high-value should only be used for this purpose. If used too freely, it loses its high-value status to your puppy.
If your puppy isn’t very food-motivated, you can try using a toy. It works in the same way as food. Instead of a treat, a quick game with the toy.
Some puppies are satisfied with happy praise and petting. If this works, then excellent; use that. The aim is to get your puppy happy to repeat the behaviour.
A puppy who is happy to repeat a behaviour is also a puppy who will be keen to learn. Start slowly and repeat and reward often.
Low Distraction Environment
Everything is new to your puppy. It’s a new home, the new people, the new objects, and the new smells.
Start in a quiet room without any additional noise or other stimuli to set your puppy up for successful training. You only need to do it for a few minutes at a time.
When your puppy has mastered it, you can add some distraction, like another person (not a stranger) entering the room.
Once you have done this in a couple of different rooms inside, you can move to try the training outside – again, somewhere quiet outside is best to start. This way, you increase your puppy’s ability to focus on you while other things are happening around them.
Calming Signals
Watch for calming signals from your puppy when trying something new.
If your puppy starts scratching or sniffing around, this usually signals that it’s confused and doesn’t understand what you are asking it to do. To avoid your puppy and you from getting frustrated, stop, go back a step and ask the puppy to do something you know it has already learned. That way, you will finish positively, and your puppy will be willing to try again.
Some puppies need things broken down into smaller steps. Train your puppy at the stage they are at and not at the stage where you think they should be. Take the training at your puppy’s pace, and don’t rush it. Slow and steady wins the race.
Body Language
Throughout your dog’s life, it will display body language to indicate how it’s feeling. Turning its head away, trying to move away, sniffing around, lip licking and yawning are usually the first indications that your dog feels uncomfortable about something in its immediate environment. This could be a person, another dog, loud, noisy equipment or a car.
It’s up to you to manage your dog’s environment, which can mean asking others not to approach or touch it. It may be that you must move your dog out of the environment or increase the distance between your dog and the stressor.
If calming signals are missed or ignored, your dog may escalate to whining, whale eye, growling, snarling, and the last resort is the bite.
Never Punish The Growl
If you miss the earlier signals and your puppy growls, do not punish the growl. Your dog chose to vocalise its discomfort loudly rather than go straight for the bite, which is a good choice.
Punishing the growl removes this important escalation step for you and your dog. How else is your dog meant to warn you that it can’t take any more of the stressor? Rather than viewing the growl as aggression, view it as important communication from your dog.
The growl says, “I don’t like this. I don’t want to bite you, but you’re leaving me with little choice. Please back off”.
Manage Your Dog’s Environment
By observing your dog’s body language, you can better manage its environment. You will see a change in their body language when something that makes them anxious comes closer. Use this information to your advantage to allow your dog to remain calm.
A calm dog is safer and easier to train. When your dog learns that you will not keep them in uncomfortable situations and allow them to move away from stressors, it reinforces a trusting relationship. Trust is the primary building block of any good relationship.
Good luck, build a trusting relationship with your puppy, and see your dream dog emerge.
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