JUST BOUGHT A NEW PUPPY! 

Dee O’Brien, dog training instructor, suggests you start training as soon as possible.

At the age of twelve weeks, Dee suggests you take your puppy along to your local dog training club. They have puppy classes there with wonderful instructors that help you with this new addition to the house hold.

"You will be taught to get your puppies attention, which is very important as without that you can’t teach it anything else."

"Then you will teach it how to sit.  You should only tell him or her once then show them what you want them to do."

"If you keep saying sit a number of times they think that's what you do, sit on the fifth time you have asked them."

"Then we do the drop position where the dog is lying down.  Then we have a drop and stay. You will be taught the hand signals for all these exercises.  There are two very important exercises you must teach the dog and one is to come when you call them. "

"To do this have some food in your hand (eg. cheese, chopped up cooked sausage or chicken) and have the dog on a lead.  Walk a few paces with them beside you, call the dogs name and run backwards.  When they have come to you have your hand right near your knees and say come at that point, and reward the dog, then treat them."

Dee stresses "DON’T EVER SCOLD OR HIT THE DOG IF IT DOES NOT COME IN STRAIGHT AWAY WHETHER ON THE LEAD OR NOT, EVEN IF IT’S DONE SOMETHING BAD! "

"THEY WON’T FORGET AND IT WILL BE AN UPHILL BATTLE TO GET THEM TO COME TO YOU AGAIN."

"The other exercise is to stay until you say otherwise."

"Only train in five minute sessions once or twice a day, and don't do it if you are feeling cross or have had a bad day at work etc.  Do it the next day and always finish on a happy note. Training is supposed to be fun."

Dee also says to "Check your dog over every day eg. feet, ears and the tail. The dog will soon get used to this sort of handling and won’t mind because it will become second nature."

"Last, but not least, once its twelve weeks old, take it to your local shops to meet lots of people and experience different situations."

"Happy training."

Thanks Dee

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