Puppy Behavior Training – Puppy Training to Correct Behavior Problems

Have you ever wished that the secrets of puppy behavior training were available to anyone who wished to take their puppy obedience training to a new level? The truth is that proper puppy training can be simple for anyone who is willing to educate themselves on the best way to communicate with man’s best friend. In order to succeed at puppy training or adult dog training you must first understand why puppies do what they do. There are only two reasons why a pup performs any behavior:

1- To increase pleasure: Have you ever wondered why your pup pees on the floor, chews up your couch, and jumps on your guests? That’s right, these activities produce pleasure for your pup. It’s as simple as that. If these behaviors didn’t produce a fun experience then your pup wouldn’t do them. Any time you wish to correct behavior problems with your pup it is important to first realize that your pup is doing these things out of pure pleasure.

2- To avoid discomfort: Old school puppy behavior training prescribed a very harsh method of correcting behavior problems and fomented a puppy obedience regimen that was very disciplinarian in it’s root form. That type of puppy training is unnecessary and will often do more harm than good.

Very skilled puppy behavior training, though, should use humane corrections that merely provide an annoying deterrent to help correct behavior problems. Humane corrections can run the gamut from spray bottles to annoying noises all the way to training collars. Yes, used properly, a training collar can be a very valuable and humane tool for getting rid of unwanted behavior problems. It is recommended that you seek out the services of a qualified professional if you are going to use such a tool. These dog training collars are merely used to provide an annoying feeling and not a painful feeling.

In understanding these two concepts it is then much easier to formulate a training program that will fit your individual pup. With my own puppies or with the puppies of clients I always have a two-fold approach to training:

1- Obedience training must be mandatory. This is where the new school of puppy trainers go wrong. The new school of puppy obedience training uses lots of treats. The correction for an unwanted behavior is often a simple ignoring of said behavior. This style of puppy training will never make obedience a mandatory endeavor for your pup. Think about it, if your pup has the option to come when called to get a treat or run wildly towards a busy street in the direction of a fleeing cat, which option do you think your pup will take? Likely he/she will head to the street and risk life and limb for the cat. This is because the owner never enforced their training efforts to the point where obedience is mandatory.

2- Obedience training must be fun. Just because something is mandatory doesn’t mean it also shouldn’t be fun. Puppy behavior training is intrinsically fun for your pup because your pup gets to work side by side with you. Your pup is able to bond as he/she learns from you and learns a deep level of trust as you guide him/her along with his/her training. If you skip this step then you may have an obedient pup, but he/she sure won’t enjoy it.

I have referenced old school and new school puppy training practices. Old school training is harsh and rough. New school is all fun and games. To truly have the best trained pup you need to combine the best of both schools. From the old school we use corrections to get rid of unwanted behaviors. From the new school we use a great deal of motivation and fun. The end result is the best trained pup on the block.

When you understand puppy behavior training and how your pup views his/her world you can truly accomplish amazing things with your canine companion. Puppy training can truly be made easy when you live these principles, rather than practice them at random intervals throughout the day. It’s time to get to work!