Dog Warp

When the time comes to welcome a new member into your family, there are certainly a lot of measures that have to be implemented in order to ensure their or her well being as well as ours. And of course, for those of you thinking ttheir applies only to babies, it turns out it is even more useful when it comes to dogs and puppies!

Bringing a puppy to your home for the very first time is an even more shocking experience for them than it is for you. Imagine being brought to a big place, full of different options and with no regulations or norms to follow whatsoever. Believe it or not, dogs can experience extreme anxiety and stress when faced with so much freedom. And in the end, that will only produce destructive behavior, which will lead to an angry owner and an unhappy dog.

So, in order to avoid this, one of the first measures to take when the new family member arrives is to teach them some basic commands. This will give them a feel for how their new life will be, as well as teach them who is the person to look for when in need. These teachings will also make any future training far easier, since your dog or puppy will already be familiar with the process.

Now the very first basic commands that you should teach you puppy are the sit, down and stay commands.

Ok, down to business. To teach your dog how to sit, just pick up any of their favorite toys or even better, some really nice food and keep it in your hand. Then walk towards your dog, stretch out your hand above their head and show it to them while repeating the command “sit”. It will take about a dozen 5 – 10 minute sessions, but in the end you dog (or puppy) will eventually sit.

Next, lets teach your puppy to lie down. For this, just repeat the instructions above with one slight difference: Instead of holding the food (it doesn’t have to be food, but it is more effective) above their head, let them know what you are holding and then lower your hand until it reaches the ground while repeating the command “down”. After just 5 – 10 short sessions, you will have your dog lying down like a pro!

Then for your grand finale, you will teach your dog how to stay put no matter what. To achieve this, hold your hand, palm facing out flat in front of your dogs face, without losing eye contact with your dog, take a few steps away (further each time) while saying “stay”. Then stop and stay in your place for a few seconds after which you can call your dog to you. This command will take some more practice and patience, especially if it is a puppy you are training.

Once you teach these basic commands to your dog, not only will they look up to you for everything, but they will be far more confident and happy as well.

Lastly, there is really no way in which I can emphasize this strongly enough: Do not  EVER use any kind of violence or force against your dog or puppy. Some people think of this as discipline when teaching them something. But this is just being cruel, and in the end it will only teach your dog to fear you and hide from you.