What is Socialization?

To put it simply, socialization is a multi-faceted approach to helping your puppy become familiar with the world around them. This involves exposing your puppy to as many new people, animals, situations and environments as possible. The more time you spend socializing your puppy, the better results you will see in the long run. Properly socialized puppies often grow up to be very obedient, loyal and well-behaved dogs.

Why is Socialization Important?

If a puppy is not properly socialized, they are more likely to have a “fear response” in certain situations. Improperly socialized puppies may also exhibit behavioral problems, participate in destructive behavior, and be difficult to train. The importance of socialization cannot be overemphasized, at is a valuable part of training your puppy.

Socialization Tips

There are many ways that you can go about socializing your puppy. However, the best thing to do is to plan your approach. Some of the common situations that you should address when socializing your puppy are:

1. Thunderstorms – Most puppies are instinctively afraid of loud noises, and will become frightened during thunderstorms. The best thing to do is to give your puppy constant reassurance, praise and treats during a thunderstorm, as this will help them to realize that they don’t have to be afraid.
2. Umbrellas – Oddly enough, opening an umbrella can be all it takes to cause your puppy to be scared. The sudden appearance of an umbrella can be frightening, so take it slow. Gradually open the umbrella, watching your puppy for signs of a reaction. Reinforce the umbrella socialization process with treats and praise.
3. People in Hats – Some dogs learn to recognize people by the shape of their face and head. When you wear a hat, your puppy may be initially apprehensive. Help your puppy to become used to seeing you and other family members in hats, encouraging them to identify you by scent instead.
4. Other Dogs
   This is one of the most important socialization situations, since it will determine your dog’s behavior in the future. In a neutral environment (such as a park), gently introduce your puppy to another dog, preferably one belonging to a friend. Allow the dogs to sniff and investigate each other. If your puppy displays good behavior, give them a treat as well as a lot of praise.
5. Riding in the Car – Since dogs require regular veterinary checkups, it’s important to get your puppy used to riding in the car as soon as possible. Since many supermarkets and shopping malls don’t allow dogs, take your dog for a simple drive instead. Reinforce the experience with treats and praise, repeating on a daily basis.
6. Strangers – Unless you are training your puppy to be a guard dog, you want to help them to become more comfortable with strangers. As with the socialization process for other dogs, begin this type of socialization in a neutral environment. Gradually allow your puppy to investigate the stranger, while constantly giving your puppy treats and praise.
7. Gunshots
   If you plan to train your puppy to be a hunting dog (which is common for dogs such as Labrador Retrievers), you will need to begin socialization as soon as possible. Begin by taking your puppy to an approved shooting range, preferably bringing along a friend or family member for assistance. While your puppy is leashed, allow them to listen to the noise of the shooting range. Make physical contact with your puppy, and give them small treat bits while they experience the sound of gunshots. This can help make training a puppy to be a hunting dog much easier.

Positive Reinforcement

One of the core concepts behind clicker training is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement dog training has proven to be the most effective method to use when training dogs. Since clicker training draws on the concepts of positive reinforcement, it gives you the ultimate control over your dog’s training program. Positive reinforcement involve rewarding your dog’s good behavior on a regular basis, either with verbal praise or edible treats (or both). When combined with clicker training, it is cited by most dog behavioral experts as being the single most effective training method.

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning is the core concept of clicker training. The definition for operant conditioning in relation to clicker training is the method by which a dog interacts and learns from its surrounding environment. This is what causes dogs to repeat good behavior (which has good consequences) and avoid bad behavior (which has bad consequences). To reinforce any type of behavior, however, the consequence must occur as the behavior is occurring, not after-wards.

Reinforcement Method

Clicker training combines a primary reinforcer and a secondary reinforcer (also called a conditioned reinforcer). The primary reinforcer is usually an edible treat, which automatically represents a positive reward in your dog’s mind. The secondary reinforcer is a small device that emits a clicking noise when a button is depressed. This unique sound isn’t something that your dog associates with anything, so it can be used to “shape” and reinforce good behavior.

Small Steps

Another of the methods used in clicker training is gradual progression of commands. Since a clicker can be used to help “shape” a dog’s behavior, you can help better guide them through different training commands. For example, when teaching your dog to shake, you would first activate the clicker (and provide a treat), when your dog lifts their paw a short distance off of the ground. However, over time, you would require your dog to lift their paw a bit higher, which is what they would need to do in order to get a reward (and the subsequent ‘click’). Eventually, you only reward the completed trick, and continue to reinforce it as good behavior. Breaking commands down into smaller steps is very effective, especially if you are trying to teach your dog more complicated commands (such as opening doors or fetching the newspaper).

Select a Crate

The first step in crate training your puppy is to select a suitable crate. In general, you will have three choices for crate material: metal wire, heavy plastic, or sturdy fabric. If your dog is small, you may be able to purchase a fabric crate, but it is not recommended for larger breeds. Heavy plastic crates provide a more “den-like” environment for your dog, but they may not receive adequate ventilation. Metal wire crates have great ventilation, though some dogs may not feel ‘safe’ with such an open crate. In the end, it comes down to your puppy’s breed, as well as your personal preference. To save money, you may want to purchase an expandable crate, which can be modified as your puppy grows larger.

‘Decorate’ the Crate

To make your puppy feel more comfortable in their crate, you will want to make a few modifications. Learning how to crate train a puppy involves placing some “crate train puppy comforts” inside the crate. This includes a sleeping blanket, some of your puppy’s favorite toys, or an item with a familiar scent. If you have spent time bonding with your puppy, placing one of your old shirts or towels inside the crate can help them to feel more at home.

Introduce the Crate

When crate training puppies, you have to be very careful when first introducing the crate. Far too many puppy owners simply shove their puppy inside the crate, and quickly close the door. This can promote feelings of anxiety, and your puppy may even think that they are being punished! Place a treat inside the crate, and allow your puppy to explore the crate without interfering. In time, your puppy should lie down in the crate on their own.

Implement Crate Training

Many dog owners use crate training as a form of potty training, since this is particularly effective for young puppies. You can also use the crate for other training procedures, such as teaching your puppy to ride in the car. However, remember – never use the crate as punishment! Once your puppy learns that bad behavior makes them confined to the crate, it will no longer be their own personal “sanctuary”. This can lead to destructive behavior, such as excessive barking, digging, chewing and biting. Always use care to allow your puppy to enter their crate on their own, without any guidance. If necessary, place a treat inside the crate, and allow your puppy to go in and begin eating it before you close the door.

Before You Train

Before you teach your dog to shake, you first need to establish some basic commands. Proper dog training involves teaching obedience, constant attention and gentle respect. Some dogs have difficulty learning new commands, and may need a significant amount of time for their basic training. Basic dog training should include: the “Come” command, teaching your dog his or her name, as well as simple commands (“Sit” and “Lie Down”).

Positive Reinforcement

Just like any other command, teaching a dog how to shake is most effective when combined with positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement dog training has proven to be extremely effective, and is most likely to yield successful results. When training your dog how to shake, be patient, offer praise, and reward good behavior with treats.

Teaching a Dog to Shake

Teaching a dog to shake is actually quite easy, as long as you follow positive reinforcement training procedures. Begin by gathering small treats, your dog’s favorite food, or another food item that is appetizing to your dog. Take your dog to a non-distracting area, such as a vacant yard. Pick up your dog’s paw and shake it with one hand, while feeding your dog treats from your hand. Reinforce this command with the verbal cue (“Shake”). If your dog successfully tugs their paw away, stop feeding them, and repeat the process after several minutes.

How to Teach a Puppy to Shake

It could be argued that puppies up to six months of age are easier to teach than adult dogs. This is because young puppies are still in their “learning” stage, which allows them to be more open to following a training program. To learn how to teach a puppy to shake, follow similar directions to teaching an adult dog. However, puppies tend to have much shorter attention spans than adult dogs, and may also be much easier distracted. A good place to teach a puppy to shake is an empty room, or a quiet yard. Grab your puppy’s paw while feeding them treats, reinforcing with the verbal command “Shake” or “Shake Hands”.

1. Excitement – For many dogs, it’s natural to bark while excited. A dog may bark during playtime, or when their owner has recently returned home. This type of barking is non-threatening, and is usually accompanied by a wagging tail.
2. Fear – When a dog experiences a new situation, it’s natural for them to have a fear response. For many dogs, this behavior may manifest as barking. Dogs that are well-socialized may not have as many problems with fear-induced barking.
3. Aggression – When a dog feels threatened, they may bark as a form of aggression. This type of barking is usually displayed towards strangers and other dogs.
4. Boredom – If your dog is not receiving enough interaction, they make bark out of boredom. This is usually accompanied by other types of destructive behavior, such as digging, chewing or biting.

How to Train Your Dog Not to Bark

To stop dog barking, there are several key methods that you can use.

1. Positive Reinforcement – One of the most effective and widely used methods to stop dog barking is through positive reinforcement training. For barking problems, it’s most effective if you combine positive reinforcement training with clicker training, since this gives your dog an audio signal of good behavior. With this type of training, timing is extremely important. When your dog is barking, do not interact with them at all (this includes yelling or vocally chastising your dog!). However, when your dog stops barking, wait several seconds, and then give a click on your clicker, as well as a treat reward. This reinforces the concept that not barking is good behavior (when done correctly). Expand this training to include not barking at specific situations, such as interaction with other dogs. If repeated on a regular basis, your dog will eventually learn that by not barking, they receive rewards.
2. Bark Collar – A dog bark collar is one of the methods that many dog owners use to discourage excessive barking. When your dog barks, the collar emits an audio signal that causes discomfort for your dog. This type of collar can help to teach your dog bark control. Some collars emit an electric shock to your dog upon barking, though these collars are generally regarded as inhumane.

What is Positive Reinforcement Training?

The core concept behind positive reinforcement dog training is that it rewards good behavior, while ignoring bad behavior. Since many people are used to punishing their dogs for bad behavior, positive reinforcement dog training may seem like a new and different concept. However, studies have proven that dogs respond best to positive reinforcement dog training, which is one of the reasons why it is rapidly increasing in popularity.

Why Don’t You Punish Your Dog?

When you yell, spank or hit your dog for bad behavior, it automatically triggers your dog’s fear response. Being afraid can cause behavioral problems, such as aggression, destructive behavior, excessive barking and depression. Dogs do not understand anger, and often do not even understand the reason why they are being verbally or physically punished. This creates a barrier between you and your dog, and prevents you from enjoying a good relationship.

How Do You Reward Good Behavior?

In positive reinforcement dog training, you will be constantly providing rewards for your dog’s good behavior. When training in verbal commands, you will be immediately rewarding your dog when they obey the verbal command. Timing is incredibly important, since it helps your dog to understand exactly what they are being rewarded for. Rewards are often in the form of small treats, such as pea-sized bits of meat, cheese or dog treats. These treats are always accompanied by verbal praise, as well as physical contact. By combining these three rewards in early training, your dog will eventually progress to the point where they engage in good behavior automatically.

What Types of Commands Should I Use?

In many cases, you can use a variety of verbal commands when engaging in positive reinforcement dog training. However, be sure to keep your commands short and to the point. Dogs can’t easily understand full sentences, so try to only use one or two-word commands. Including your dog’s name (which should be one of the first things you teach them) can be used in early training in order to ensure that you are able to capture your dog’s attention.

When Should I Train?

For best results, positive reinforcement dog training should be practiced on a daily basis, especially in early training. This is especially true for puppies, who only have a six-month window of time in which they are most susceptible to learning new commands.

Your dog or puppy may be engaging in biting behavior for a variety of reasons. These reasons usually fall into the following categories:

Affection
In the wild, many dogs show their affection by gently nipping, biting and nibbling. However, in a human household, a dog may resort to biting to display their affection. It’s your job to teach them the acceptable methods to use to show affection to humans.

Stress
Some dogs may bite or chew when they become stressed. If your dog has recently become a member of your household, this may manifest into biting behavior.

Oral Fixation
Certain types of dog breeds (such as the Labrador Retriever) are bred with an instinctive oral fixation. These breeds have an innate desire to carry objects in their mouth, which may cause biting behavior.

Teething
When puppies are teething, they look for things to bite in order to ease their discomfort. This can cause them to chew on shoes, curtains, furniture and even their human companions!

Aggression
Aggressive dog biting is the most dangerous type of biting. When a dog feels threatened, they may bite as a fear response. It’s essential that you identify and discourage aggressive dog biting as soon as possible.

How to Stop Puppies from Biting

Teaching a puppy to stop biting is actually quite simple. It may sound silly, but when your puppy bites you, let out a loud yelp, similar to that of an injured dog. This teaches your puppy that biting hurts, and is behavior that shouldn’t be engaged in. Puppies that are kept with their litter-mates longer are much less likely to have puppy biting problems, since they learn ‘bite control’. Puppy nipping is often a way to show affection, or to say, “I want to play”. If you teach them at an early age (ideally within the first six months) that biting is bad behavior, there is a much higher chance that they will learn to avoid biting humans.

How to Stop Older Dogs from Biting

Learning how to stop a dog from biting requires a bit of patience. Once your dog has passed six months of age, they have a bit more difficulty learning new concepts. If you have a dog biting problem, begin by using a strong positive reinforcement training program. For example, when your dog bites you, ignore them completely. Often times, biting is a dog’s way to try to get your attention, or to signal that they want to play. Ignore your dog for about 10 minutes after a bite. You can also try engaging in regular playtime sessions with your dog. If your dog is able to play without biting, reward them with a treat at the end of the session. However, if they do bite you, ignore them, and do not reward them with a treat. This should be repeated on a daily basis for optimum results.

Learning how to leash train a dog properly is essential. Here are some quick and useful leash training tips to help you have better success in understanding how to leash train a dog.

Selecting a Leash and Collar

During training, you will want to be consistent with the type of leash that you use. While you can use a retractable leash, it’s best if you start training with a fixed-length sturdy nylon leash. Understanding how to leash train a dog means that you will have to be prepared with the proper equipment. It’s best to avoid “choke collars” and “pinch collars”, since inducing pain is an ineffective tactic in dog training. Choose a collar that fits comfortably around your dog’s neck, though can’t be pulled over your dog’s head.

Start Young

As with any dog training procedure, it’s important that you begin as young as possible. During the first six months, puppies are very open to learning about new concepts, commands and environments. Understanding when to start leash training a dog is essential. Leash training puppies can involve a lot of patience, but it’s essential for knowing how to leash train a dog.

Be Patient

Some dogs have a more difficult time learning and understanding new concepts, including leash training. Be very patient with your dog, as patience is the key to successful leash training.

Become a “Tree”

This is one of the proven most effective methods to use when learning how to leash train a dog. The first few times you take your dog out to walk, get in the habit of stopping suddenly as soon as your dog begins to pull on the leash. Stand immobile, resisting all attempts of your dog to pull on the leash. Eventually, they will figure out that you have control over their movements, and return to your side. As soon as they do this offer your dog a treat, as well as a lot of praise.

Positive Reinforcement

The proven key to successfully learning how to train a dog involves lots of positive reinforcement. This means that you will not be punishing a dog for bad behavior. Instead, you will be only be acknowledging any good behavior with praise and treats. Positive reinforcement can also be combined with “clicker training”, in order to make it more effective. Clicker training involves using a small clicking device to “shape” your dog’s behavior in a certain way. Since dogs have a very acute sense of hearing, they will begin to associate the sound of the clicker with good behavior. Learning how to leash train a dog requires that you have a good knowledge of how positive reinforcement dog training works.

Affection

For many puppies, biting is a form of affection and love for their litter-mates. When a puppy becomes a member of a household, they continue showing their affection by biting. Knowing how to train a puppy to stop biting means that you first have to refrain from punishment. Punishing your puppy for being affection can be a confusing, emotionally damaging experience for your puppy.

Teething

When puppies begin to receive a new set of teeth, they have significant oral discomfort. To lessen this discomfort, they begin instinctively chewing on anything within reach. Understanding how to train a puppy to stop biting means that you will have to be aware of when your puppy begins teething.

Destructive Behavior

When a puppy feels lonely, neglected or afraid, they may begin biting or chewing on objects. This behavior can be extremely damaging, since it means that your puppy isn’t receiving proper care. Avoid leaving your puppy outdoors or confined to a crate for long periods of time. Puppies are very social, requiring a lot of attention and love in order to be happy. Never forget that your puppy is a member of your family, and should be treated as such.

Oral Fixation

Some dog breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers, have an instinctual oral fixation. For puppies, this behavior seems natural and comfortable. A good way to figure out how to train a puppy to stop biting is to first identify if they are (or have genetic traits from) a dog breed with an oral fixation.

How to Train a Puppy to Stop Biting

There are several methods that you can use to have better success to understand how to train a puppy to stop biting. They include:

1. Chew Toys
   Chew toys are an extremely important part of a puppy’s life. A puppy with an abundance of personal chew toys is much less likely to chew on other objects, such as kids or furniture.
2. Regular Attention
   By showing affection to your puppy, you will help them to understand that to be affectionate does not necessarily involve biting. When you have a puppy biting kids or visitors to your home, you need to gently discourage this behavior without punishment.
3. Patience
   Some puppies will need a bit of time before they learn to stop biting. A puppy biting hands may think that they are being loving, when you see it as bad puppy behavior. By using positive reinforcement, you can have better success in understanding how to train a puppy to stop biting.

Positive Reinforcement

Knowing the proper procedures for understanding how to train a dog to sit is essential for success. The most successful training method for dogs is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement dog training will help your dog to better understand your commands, as well as help you to strengthen your bond with your dog. The concept behind positive reinforcement is simple – you will be rewarding good behavior, while ignoring bad behavior. If done correctly, this can be incredibly effective in teaching your dog how to understand commands.

Treat-Based Rewards

When used properly, treat-based rewards can be essential for understanding how to train a dog to sit. Dogs can easily understand a training system that uses food as a motivating factor. You can either use small kibble bits, or small chunks of cheese cut into pea-size pieces.

Reinforcing the Command

Knowing how to train a dog to sit is simple, as long as you reinforce the command on a regular basis. Begin by holding a treat in front of your dog’s nose (at eye/nose level), then slowly moving the treat around your dog’s head to the back of their neck. Your dog should sit automatically, which is when you say the command “Sit”. Verbal reinforcement is the key for understanding how to train a dog to sit.

Training a Dog to Stay

While knowing how to train a dog to sit is important in itself, it also gives you the basis to teach your dog the “Stay” command. For this command, begin with the “Sit” command. Once your dog is in a sitting position, place a small treat about two feet in front of their position. Repeat the “Stay” command, watching your dog carefully. If your dog tries to make a break for the treat, quickly snatch it up, and ignore any of your dog’s attempts to get your attention for 5-10 minutes. If your dog successfully stays sitting for a period of time, given them the treat, as well as a lot of praise. Training a dog to stay is just as important as understanding how to train a dog to sit.

Quick Tips

1. Begin by taking your dog to a distraction-free environment, which is quiet enough so that your dog can clearly hear your commands.
2. Knowing how to train a dog to sit involves patience. Some dogs need several repetitions of the command before they will understand.
3. Never over-feed your dog treats! Though constantly rewarding for good behavior is important, it can be damaging to your dog’s health.
4. Understanding how to train a dog to sit means that you will have to devote significant time to training. Set aside a designated period of training time each day.