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If you're planning to get a new puppy, you need to start deciding on how you're going to train them. A well-trained puppy is easier to care for, is well-behaved around guests or on outings, makes fewer messes in your home, and is easier to keep safe and healthy. Here are a few basic training tips that veterinarians and professional trainers recommend for every dog.

What Your Veterinarian Wants You to Know About Puppy Training

1. Be Consistent

The more complicated your rules or commands are, the harder it will be for your dog to learn them. If getting on the furniture is sometimes allowed and sometimes not, or if different commands mean the same thing, your dog will also get confused. Decide on one set of straightforward rules for your dog and enforce them consistently. When you're training your dog to come, sit, fetch, and perform other tasks, use one command for each, and try to make sure each command has a distinct sound or hand gesture so that your dog can tell them apart.

2. Use Positive Reinforcement

Veterinarian Lorain County, OHDogs are eager to please, and they'll pick up new tricks quickly if you reward them with praise, pets, and treats. They aren't good at connecting past behavior with future results, so you need to reward them immediately when they do something you like. Clicker training makes this easier, and the sound of the clicker lets your dog know right away that they've done something right, even if it takes you a few seconds to give them a treat. Avoid raising your voice or being physical in response to poor behavior, as this can make dogs timid or aggressive.

3. Care For Their Basic Needs

You don't perform at your best when you're tired, hungry, or unhappy, and neither does a puppy. Before training sessions, make sure your dog has had a chance to eat and has gotten plenty of water. Keep in mind that puppies have short attention spans and need plenty of sleep, so keep training sessions short. Also, make sure to take your puppy to a local veterinarian for vaccinations to keep them healthy and comfortable, and discuss spay and neuter procedures with your veterinarian to prevent future behavioral and health issues.

 

For a veterinarian's advice on training and caring for your new puppy, visit Elyria Animal Hospital. Serving Lorain County, OH, they have over 20 years of experience and offer many advanced services, including pet laser therapy. Call (440) 365-3818 to make an appointment or visit their website today.

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