Training begins with potty training, progressing to good manners. Concentrate on your dog coming to you when called, and when your dog gets agitated, put him on his side and hold him there until he calms down. Remember to use emotion in your voice to convey approval or disapproval.
Dog training tip: you must be direct with your dog. Ignoring him, saying long sentences to explain why or why not will never work. You must stick with very basic commands and say them the same way every time, using emotion in your voice to convey approval or disapproval.
That may be difficult for you, but you can teach your dog to walk with you in your house then move outside. The goal will be training your dog to walk beside you, NOT pull on the leash. Remember to use your approval or disapproval voice and always reward with small treats.
Avoid feeding table scraps or human food, and definitely no bones, raw meat, candy, etc. Dogs can, and do, choke on bones and can become ill from tainted meat. Lennie gets a variety of high quality dog foods. Pet stores sell doggie cookies and Lennie loves them.
HEALTH is the first consideration for your dog. Puppies should be fed four times per day, and be taken to a veterinarian often for vaccinations, check-ups and parasite control (worms). LOVE has to come from you, including you showing your child and others how to handle your dog. Never tease or exploit your dog, and do not encourage bad behavior. TRAINING comes after potty training, health considerations and coming when called are going smoothly. No dog will train himself. Dogs are like children in that they have to be taught how to behave, and also like children, they need constant reminders. Lennie hears noises, especially other dogs barking, and becomes upset. When that happens, he has to lie down on his side, and that takes away his upset. I will include that in ‘training.’ Do NOT assume your dog can understand your language. He will come to understand discrete words, but not language.
Health and unconditional kindness (love) are the conditions that underlie everything else
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The first command to teach your dog is to come to you when called, but this is after the 'big 3.
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Your dog will need to be trained to be indifferent to other dogs, and never allow car chasing.
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Training begins when you bring your dog home. He needs to learn what it means to be part of your family.
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