Stopping Bad Puppy Behavior
Anybody that has brought home a puppy will tell you about the problems they had trying to get their puppy to behave appropriately. This articles aims to clear up two major problems that all puppy owners encounter at one point in time.
The first behavior we want to get rid of is jumping on people. A puppy that doesn't learn that this is unacceptable will continue to jump on people through their adolecense and adulthood. Its best to discourage this behavior as soon as possible. Although it may be cute now, you'll be kicking yourself later, if you don't get this under control while your dog is still young. The hardest part about unteaching this behavior is that friends and guests will think its cute that your puppy is jumping all over them, and they often inadvertantly reward the dog by petting them or feeding them a reward.
This behavior can become problematic once your dog has gotten larger. The last thing you want is a full-sized dog that jumps at children and adults alike with the potential of knocking a person down. In this day and age I wouldn't be at all suprised if an incident like this resulted in a lawsuit from the person your dog jumped on and you shouldn't be suprised either.
When your puppy jumps on you, a family member, or a stranger, place their feet back on the ground, if the puppy stays reinforce this good behavior with a reward. If they disobey, continue to place their feet on the ground till the obey, again rewarded with a treat. Make sure you instruct other members of your family and guests to do the same. If you are teaching your puppy not to jump on people and somebody else that your pup trusts teaches them something else you'll be in an uphill battle to get your dog trained. As with all training activites, persistance and consistancy are key here.
The second most common problem when training puppies is keeping them from tugging on the leash. In my experience with dog training this is by far the most imporant lesson to teach your puppy. I've dealt with dogs that were never taught that this was unacceptable, and when they are full-sized dog, it will result in very unpleasent walking sessions. This is an essential step in establishing roles in your relationship between you and your dog. Again, its very important to teach your dog to stay by your side when on its leash. And always remember that you should be walking your dog, NOT the other way around, this is something that many dog owners don't understand.
A body harness can prove to be a very powerful tool for this training. A body harness will give you more control and will teach your dog that you are in charge and that he is following you, not the other way around. An alternative to using a body harness are choke and training collars. These can be very effective but remember as with any harness, leash, or collar, that its very important that they fit properlly. Most pet store's can help you choose the appropriate sizes.
Remember to keep the leash loose while walking your puppy. If your dog starts to take lead of the walk simply change directions, your puppy should quickly realize that he's going the wrong way and will correct his position. When channging directions give the leash a breif tug to get his attention and he'll quickly follow you.
Again it all comes down to consistantancy. Alway make sure you are teaching your puppy good habits when walking. If you let down your gaurd and allow your dog to walk you instead, you'll have a hard time reinforcing proper walking behavior. Its best to not pull strongly on the leash and shock your puppy. A gentle yet firm pressure will result in much better correctional training.