How to Train Your Puppy Like A Dog Whisperer

What does a well-trained dog say about you?  

A lot!    It says:  

• You took the time to research how to have a well-behaved dog.
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• You took the time to invest in teaching your dog.
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• You care about the health and happiness of your dog.
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• You care enough to help your dog have healthy interactions with others (human and animal).

If you think your dog is just going to naturally be well-behaved, then think again!   Dogs are products of their environment and your reactions to what they do.   

Don't believe me?  Watch this encounter with a famous Dog Whisperer:

Yikes - I know...right...this poor, defensive dog has had some bad encounters with humans wouldn't you say.

....but you're not going to have to deal with that

....keep reading and arm yourself with some valuable information so that you will know how to train your dog like a dog whisperer too 

 It really isn’t as complicated and hard as you think.   

You may choose to take your dog to puppy training classes.   These are great and can be a great bonding experience with your dog.  I personally love Petsmart's puppy training classes.   They have beginner and advanced classes that are awesome!

However, if you don’t have the time or money investment to spend right now, you can learn a few basic commands that every good little doggie should know.

They will enable you to stay in control, no matter what the situation is, and keep your dog well behaved.

Start the first day you get your new puppy or dog.   They are always eager to please.    Day 1 is a great day to start teaching and establishing who is in control.

You will want to buy some tiny, but healthy, reward treats.   Using big treats may begin to add up in calories.   Here are some of the best dog treats for training puppies or dogs! 

Another trick of the trade is to have a dog training "clicker" on you.   Every time your dog does the right thing, you press the clicker along with delivering the treat.   Your dog will quickly learn to associate the sound of the clicker with "good boy" and yummy treats!!

Your goal is to always reward the positive and ignore the negative.

Let’s Get Started!

1 - SIT

This command is short and sweet.   You will want to teach your dog to sit immediately based on where they are standing.

• Place a treat in your hand and let your dog sniff it.   Close your fist and pull your hand up above his snout.   
• If he doesn’t automatically sit, gently press down on his hind end.
• During the sit, give the verbal command “sit”.  
• Also, create a fist and hold it up in front of their face while saying “sit”.   This is his visual command to sit.     
• In the future, you will be able to issue the verbal or visual command for sitting and your dog will sit.   How cool is this...
• Immediately after he sits, reward with the treat, press your "clicker",  and shower with praises like, “good boy” or “yes boy”.
• Speak in a positive, upbeat tone to signal that you are very pleased.
• Repeat as often as you can throughout the day until you see your dog has learned the command.  Then do at least once daily for a refresher.

2 - DOWN

This command requires your dog to lie down on his stomach.   This command can come in handy if your dog is being too nosy, pacing around the room, or being annoying with people or other animals.

•  From a sitting position, say “down” while taking your hand (with treat in it) down to the floor.  
• For the visual command, position your other hand horizontally out with fingers together and hand flat.   Move your hand in a down position.
• Your dog’s nose will follow and most likely his body.
• If he doesn’t naturally lie down, then pick up his front paws and stretch his legs forward until he is down.
• Once in a full down position, reward with a treat and reinforce with your faithful training clicker.
• Same praises as before: “good boy”, “yes boy”.

3 - STAY

This is a powerful command and worth the effort to teach.   “Stay” means you are telling your dog to stay put in the position he is in.    You could issue “stay” while he is standing, sitting, or lying down.

I recommend you teach from a sitting position.   So, before you teach the “stay” command, make sure you issue the “sit” command first.

• From a sitting position, stand in front of your dog, hold your hand up flat in front of your dog (as you would do if telling someone to stop), and firmly say “stay”.  Reward, click and praise.
• Take a step back, with your hand still in the “stay” position, and repeat.   If your dog remains in his position, reward, click and praise again.   If he moves, start all over by getting him to sit again.
• As you work on this command, you will gradually want to increase the distance between you and your dog.    Eventually, you should be able to issue a “stay” command from the other side of the room.
• This is a strong command for controlling your dog no matter what is going on around them.    And it screams out to anyone that sees this in action that you have total control over your dog at all times.
• Keep working on this command daily and remember to reward, click and praise, praise, praise!

4 - COME

This command says to your dog that no matter where he is or what he is doing, he is to stop immediately and come straight to you.

• Start with your dog a little away from you.
• Pull a treat out of your pocket and say, “Come Drake" (or whatever his name is).
• Once he gets to your feet, immediately click your trainer clicker, reward and praise.
• Practice this from further and further away - praise each time he gets it right.
• After he has the basics down with the “come” command, introduce distractions like a bowl of food, a toy, or anything that will get your dog’s attention.
• When he hears the “come” command and breaks free of the distraction to come to you, reward big and don't forget to click!!  This is awesome!

5 - LEAVE IT

This command is to teach your dog to leave alone anyone or anything that he is trying to interact with.

• Introduce a toy to your dog.
• While he is playing with it, pull it away, hold your hand in between the toy and your dog, and firmly say “leave it”.  
• Say "no no" if he still tries to get at it.
• This will take a little patience but well worth the time investment.
• Once you see him pull back, "treat him", click and praise heavily.
• Repeat - practice will make perfect on this one for sure.
• Finally, let him have it.  Say “okay go” or “okay Drake” or whatever command you want him to associate with that says it’s okay now - go for it.   NOTE:   If it's something you do not wish for him to return to, then you would never issue the "okay" command!

Watch Drake demonstrate the “leave it” command with his favorite treat!

Congratulations!     A little patience and consistent instruction will have your pup doing these tricks in no time.

Remember to use a quality, small dog treat to control caloric intake for your pup.  

Repetition and consistency are key so he will be eating quite a few of these.

Practice daily (and at first multiple times a day) to help your dog learn quickly.   Always verbally praise, use a training clicker and reward quickly. 

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You will be feeling like a master dog whisperer before you know it.   There’s not a better feeling than establishing great control over your dog, especially when you need it for real.   

Your dog is already wired to want to please and make you happy!   Just provide them some instructions and consistent teaching, and you will be a proud pet parent for sure!   

Do you feel you need a little more instruction first?   Pet Hangout highly recommends Zak George's Dog Training Guide for raising the Perfect Pet with Love.   95% of buyers have recommended this book for any new pet parent!!  Check it out now.

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You might also like:  9 Ways to Speak Your Dog's Love Language, 17 Powerful New Puppy Hack You Have to Know, and When to Panic Over Your Dog Eating Chocolate.