If you just adopted a puppy, let me congratulate you. Having a pet is one of the most beautiful experiences that one can enjoy in this life. The love, affection and loy alty of a dog are incomparable.
However, it also implies responsibilities. You should not only feed and house the dog. For your pet to be fully happy you must train it. A basic education is not just teaching him to do tricks, it is training him so that he can have a he althy and safe life.
Not sure where to start? Nothing happens. In this article on our site we give you the keys to know what things you should teach your dog in his first year.
5 things you should learn as an owner
Not only was the dog going to learn. As a pet owner you may not be familiar with certain basic aspects of dog training. We explain some of them:
- Establish routines: Fundamental. Your pet does not know how to look at the clock or the calendar, to guarantee her peace of mind you must establish a schedule for walks and meals. In fact, any change you need to make in your dog's life should always be done very slowly to ensure his well-being.
- Define what the dog will be able to do and what not: It is very common that as a puppy you allow him to do certain things. A typical example is the issue of climbing onto beds or sofas. If you allow it as a child, then they will not understand why you want to prohibit it, so you must be consistent in their education.
- Everyone alike: Especially if there are children at home. If a person sets some rules, but someone else breaks them, the dog will not understand what to do. Don't confuse him.
- Affective bond: Your pet loves you, you are the center of his life. Show him that he is important to you too. By this I don't mean to spoil it. Loving your pet is not spoiling everything and stuffing it with treats. Spend time with your dog, find out what his favorite games are, learn to communicate with him. Believe me when I tell you that you are going to receive a lot from your dog.
- Positive reinforcement: Don't hesitate to read this article about positive reinforcement. It is the basis for successfully training any dog. Even those who are already adults.
- Walks and exercise: If you have decided to adopt a dog and it has a high need to exercise or walk, you must comply with it. Walks are a fundamental part of the dog's relaxation and communication with the outside world. Some basic tricks are: let him sniff (promotes relaxation), allow him freedom during the walk and let him socialize with other pets. Find out on our site how many times you have to walk a dog.
6 Things to teach your dog in his first year
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Socialization: Many dog behavior problems stem from poor socialization. Therefore, imagine how important this step is. Socializing is the process in which you teach your puppy to interact with the outside world.
I am not only referring to learning to deal with other humans or other dogs, but with the rest of the elements that they exist in life. Cars, bicycles, strollers, skateboards, people walking down the street… They are all elements that your puppy must learn to know.
This process starts at 3 weeks and 12 weeks of age On our site we are aware of the importance of good socialization, but that's why we created an in-depth article on how to socialize a puppy.
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Recognize his name: Strange as it may seem, it may take your dog 5-10 days to recognize his name. Be patient, this is an important step and one that is often taught poorly.
A very common mistake is to use the dog's name for everything. You should only use your pet's name so that it pays attention to you.
The system is very simple. First, make eye contact, say his name, and give him the treat. After you've repeated it several times, start testing without eye contact. Don't get frustrated if you see that he doesn't pay attention to you, it's normal, we've already seen that it takes time.
It's no use calling him twenty times, in fact he can look at you for another reason and we would be reinforcing badly. Call him twice, if he doesn't look at you, wait a bit and try again. If he never looks towards you, go back to the first step.
Trick: a very common mistake of owners is to call the dog to scold him. So you're just getting him to associate his name with something bad. To scold him you must use another word, for example: "no".
- Stand still and/or sit: Another fundamental command. With this order we can control our dog if we see that he is carrying out some undesirable action or if he starts running because of some unforeseen event. As you can see, good training is also important for the safety of your dog. Discover how to teach your dog to sit step by step step. If you follow all the detailed instructions, you will get your pet to understand the command in a very short time.
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Teaching the dog to go to the bathroom: As you saw in the first section, routines are essential in your dog's life. This will give him peace of mind because he will always know what to expect
Keep in mind that it is not until your puppy reaches six months of age that he begins to control his bladder. However, in this process you can teach him to relieve himself on top of newspaper or in a litter box. You just have to be aware of when your puppy wants to relieve himself (normally, half an hour after a meal). At that moment, you take him to the papers area. Because of the smell, he will relate to that place as the place where he should relieve himself.
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Learn how to bite: This lesson should be learned by your dog before 4 or 5 months. Be careful, it is not about your puppy not biting (in fact, it is he althy for him to bite for the good development of his teeth) but that he learns not to bite hard. So that he can bite and develop his teeth remember to use special toys or teethers. When you are playing with him with your hands, only scold him if he has bitten you too hard. Remember to use the word "no" or whatever you have assigned, never name it after him. Find out how to teach your puppy to bite.
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Learning to stay alone: Separation anxiety is unfortunately a very common problem. Not only do we not teach our dog to manage our absence, but we make him dependent on us. It is common to spend a lot of time with our puppy when we have just welcomed him. With that we only get our pet to see it as normal to be with us all the time.
I insist on the idea that a dog does not know how to interpret a calendar or a clock, it only understands what has been
Teaching your dog to be alone is a process that you must do slowly, very little by little First start in house by not having the puppy with you all the time. Then go leave him at home alone. First 2 minutes, then it goes up to 5 and so on. However, I recommend that you read this article on how to teach a dog to stay alone. Everything you need to know is there.
