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How To House-train a New Dog: 4 Things You Need To Know

Every dog owner has this idea of the perfect pet: friendly, cute, and well-behaved. That’s why many of us are so enthralled by dog trainers who can turn disobedient and untrained dogs into the perfect pets. Some of the most popular videos on the Internet are of dogs and their trainers. However, our expectations rarely match our realities. The vast majority of dogs today lack the training to do anything beyond a few basic tricks.

It’s perfectly normal to wonder why our own dogs can’t be like the dogs we see on YouTube or television. Just like any other intelligent being, dogs need to be trained and educated if you want them to become better versions of themselves. Even dog obedience training can go a long way in improving your dog’s behavior.

Of course, you can’t expect your dog to become better overnight. The training results also depend on a long list of factors like their welfare, pedigree, and genetics. It’s also better to get started while they’re young. With patience and training, you can turn your puppy into an obedient and well-trained dog. Let’s get started.

  1. Pick a name early on

Puppies get confused easily, and if you can’t decide on one name, the training process will become more challenging. You have to be consistent in all facets of the training process. Start calling the puppy by one name and make sure everyone in the household follows suit. Even nicknames can be confusing, so everyone must be on the same page. If the puppy was given to you with a name, you need to use that.

You’re teaching your puppy to respond to their name. Eventually, they will approach anyone who calls them with their proper name. It’s important to avoid any other word or sound when calling the dog to prevent confusion.

  1. Establish basic rules

Consistency is just as important as frequency and duration when it comes to dog training. If you want to establish positive behavior or suppress bad ones, you need to establish basic rules and be consistent when it comes to application. That way, your dog will understand which behaviors he should learn and unlearn. Make sure everyone in the household knows all the rules to minimize confusion.

Let’s say you want your puppy to stay off beds. You can be steadfast when it comes to applying that rule, but if anyone in your household allows dogs on any of the beds, it erases the progress you’ve made. Instead, your puppy will start following the person that allows them to do the things they want. Not only have you failed to establish positive behavior, but the puppy might also learn to stop following your commands.

Make sure everyone, including the children, knows what they can and cannot do. In particular, children have difficulty understanding the house rules, but if you explain them carefully, they might be able to help in the training.

  1. Focus on small things first

Your puppy is not going to do any impressive tricks in the first few months. Before you can teach them anything complex, you need to gauge what they’re capable of by teaching them the basics. For instance, you can take this opportunity to house-train your puppy to minimize accidents. It’s important to be incredibly patient, as puppies don’t typically respond to verbal abuse. Just keep using positive and negative reinforcement.

Your puppy needs to learn early on where they need to sleep, eat, and go potty. You can’t just put their food and water bowl anywhere. Just choose one spot, and eventually, they’ll get the message. You also need to show them where they can poop or pee.

  1. Dogs learn by association

Puppies and toddlers are alike in that they learn by positive and negative association. Use positive reinforcement to encourage good behavior and negative reinforcement to suppress bad ones.

You need to reward your puppy every time they do something you want to encourage. Your patience and kindness will be rewarded with good behavior. However, if you scold your dog often, they might regress and even grow fearful of you.

A final word

These four tips will help you turn your puppy into an obedient and well-trained partner. Dog training isn’t something that happens overnight, and you’ll need to be consistent and resolute if you want to see good results. But with planning and a bit of patience, you’ll start seeing good behavior.

Meta title: 4 Ways to Train a New Puppy
meta desc: Dog training doesn’t happen overnight, but with planning and patience, you can start seeing results soon enough.