Puppy Training Week 2: Tips and Techniques for Basic Training and Socialization
Have you started wondering if you brought home a baby shark instead of a puppy yet?
Training a puppy can be exhausting, but trust me, it’s worth it.
Although it’s never too late to start training, the first few months of a puppy’s life are critical for development. It is much easier to teach good habits through positive reinforcement than to rehabilitate problematic behaviors later on.
In this blog, I’ll share five puppy skills, my socialization plan, and a new trick I worked on with Emma this week.
⭐️ If you’re looking for more training tips for your puppy, we compiled all our training videos and guides for puppy parents into an app. The best part is it is completely FREE! The Puppy Training Program includes:
Before Getting Your Puppy. The most important things to do in order to prepare for this new addition to your family.
After Getting Your Puppy. A four-week program to build a solid training foundation.
Resources. Additional guides about our most asked topics, such as potty training, crate training, and puppy biting.
Topics this Week
1. Sit
2. The name game
3. Attention
4. Come when called
5. Stay (new)
6. Lie Down (new)
What You’ll Need
1️⃣ Clicker
2️⃣ Training treats
3️⃣ A cute puppy
Building on Last Week’s Training
Sit
Last week: I used treats to lure Emma into a sitting position.
This week:
🔹 Before moving my body, I used the verbal cue “sit.”
🔹 I showed her the visual cue over her nose and waited for Emma to sit in position. MARK & REWARD.
🔹 Once Emma sat with the verbal and visual cues together, I practiced using just a visual cue (hand in a fist).
🔹 Then, I practiced just verbal (“sit”) without moving my body.
- I allowed Emma time to think and act (3-5 sec), but if she did not move, I used the treat to lure her into position like in week 1.
- Avoid saying “sit” more than once.
The Name Game
Continue like last week:
🔹 I said, “Emma,” once, waited for her to give me eye contact, MARK & REWARD.
This week:
🔹 Increased distractions. For example, I began saying “Emma” when she was in the same room with Ellie.
🔹 As soon as she turned her head, MARK & REWARD.
🔹 Repeat 2-3 times in various locations.
- Continue to be mindful of when you say your dog’s name. If there is no chance, she will turn away from the food bowl to look at you, wait and try with fewer distractions.
Attention
Continue like last week:
🔹 I looked for Emma to give me voluntary attention.
🔹 As soon as I see Emma giving me eye contact, I MARK (click) & REWARD her by throwing a treat on the ground a little to her right.
🔹 Now she has to get the treat and choose to look back at me. I look for her to give me attention again, then MARK & REWARD by throwing a treat on the ground slightly to her left.
🔹 Repeat 5-10 times alternating the treats on the ground slightly to the right and then left. Emma is continuing to learn that looking at me brings yummy treats.
Come When Called
Continue like last week:
🔹 I turned my body sideways, started moving away, clapped, and marked with “yes” as soon as Emma moved toward me.
🔹 When Emma caught up to me, I rewarded her with treats (throw a party!)
This week:
🔹 Emma consistently followed this cue, so I increased the difficulty level. I said “come” while standing ~5 feet away.
🔹 I marked “yes!” as soon as she turned toward me to reinforce that behavior.
🔹 When she arrived at my feet, I threw another party. 🎉
- Be mindful of when you are calling your dog. For example, I wouldn’t ask Emma to come if she was distracted by Ellie or playing tug with her favorite toy.
New This Week
Stay
🔹 I placed a treat in my right hand and asked Emma to “sit.”
🔹 I held my palm out toward her and rocked my body slightly closer while saying, “stay” in a calm voice.
🔹 After a brief second, I brought a treat from my left hand to MARK & REWARD (bringing the treat right to her mouth).
🔹 Lastly, I calmly released Emma with the release word “Freedom.”
- Try this in an area of minimal to no distractions.
-Use your excited, high-pitched, “Yes!” voice while giving the treat, which tells your dog you are happy they stayed put. Do not use an excited voice to release them.
Lie Down
🔹 Lie down is similar to “sit” in that I lured Emma into position.
🔹 I held a treat in front of Emma’s nose and slowly lowered it to the floor. When all four paws were on the floor, MARK & REWARD.
🔹 I completed this a few times before adding the verbal cue “down” simultaneous with my movement.
- Be quick with marking their position and offering a treat before popping back into a sitting position.
Trick
High Five
🔹 First, I put Emma in a sitting position.
🔹 I held up a treat in my left hand slightly above Emma’s eye level.
🔹 I held out my right hand ~6in off the floor with an open palm, facing up.
🔹 Emma naturally wanted to “swat” my hand, and when she did, I would MARK with the words “high five” & REWARD.
Socialization
I continued working on my goal of exposing Emma to 100 positive interactions with people in her first month at home.
Emma’s socialization adventures this week:
Puppy socialization hour (puppy playtime)
Home Depot (while riding in a cart on a soft towel)
Walks around the neighborhood while held
Car rides
If you need any inspiration for socialization, you can check out the blog on my top 10 pet-friendly stores.
Pro Tips
⭐️ Pro Tip #1: Clicker training
Check your reaction time. When your dog completes the desired behavior, you should ideally “click” to mark the behavior immediately!
If you are working on training with someone else, give each other feedback on reaction time.
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