Did you know that training your puppy starts at an early age? The one we have here is one of the most important parts of the training. We can even add that the puppy training at 8-10 weeks old is essential and something all puppy owners must complete properly if they want an obedient and clever dog later on. Below, we will reveal all the pieces or parts of the training you have to complete and add why each one is so important.
Crate Training
The process here is so important that most owners want to start with it. This is where a puppy training programme for 8-10 weeks old puppies should begin.The goal is to teach your puppy that he has his own place, a place he loves. You would need a mat, crate, treats, and toys. Once you have all of these, follow the steps.
1. Make the Crate More Attractive
The first thing you have to do is place a blanket, or even better, a mat, inside the crate. This will make the crate more comfortable and make the whole process easier. Try to be original and make the inside of the crate special and very appealing. You probably already know what your puppy loves.
2. Present The Crate
Call the puppy next to the crate. Throw a treat inside and allow your puppy to eat it. He should enter the crate, eat it, and exit. Don’t close the door! This process will introduce the crate to your puppy in a safe and appealing way. Repeat this step as many times as it takes. Some puppies will refuse to enter the crate at first, so stay persistent.
3. Train The Puppy At The Right Time
You must not try to train your puppy when he wants to play. Instead, take him for a walk or play with him. When he wants to rest, limit his time in the crate to 10 minutes. This will allow your puppy to understand that a crate is there so he can rest inside. In a nutshell, you should train your puppy only when he is tired or has to rest.
4. Begin With The Command
Here you will have to introduce the command. The word “crate” works best, but you can use other ones if you like. The process is the same as when a puppy has to learn the sit command or any similar one. This is going to take some time. Don’t stop, and always stay calm. Yelling is a huge mistake!
5. Make The Positive Link
Place a toy, a treat, or even food inside the crate. Allow your puppy to go inside and play with the toy or eat the treat. This is essential. The mission of this step is to allow your puppy to make a positive connection with the crate. In other words, he will see that only good things happen when he is inside the crate.
6. Control Your Time
After some time, your puppy will enjoy spending time inside the crate. All you have to know is that puppies that are under 6 months of age must not spend longer than 3 hours inside. They need a bathroom break, and without it, an accident will happen. Gradually increase the time inside, and you will have a puppy who is crate trained.
Teaching The Puppy His Own Name
This is yet another training session that we all enjoy.It is probably one of the best things you can teach your puppy. However, it is a time-consuming and labor-intensive training. Don’t give him a name that sounds like some other word, or even worse, a command. Give him a simple name so he won’t end up confused when you call the puppy. Luckily, we have steps below that will make the whole process much easier and simpler.
1. Get His Attention First
The first thing you have to do is get his attention. Start at home, where there are no distractions. Say his name with a calm voice so a puppy will like to hear it again. Don’t try this when your puppy is too happy or too tired. If he doesn’t obey you, try again later.
2. Mark Him And Reward Him
Soon you will see the obvious. A puppy will look at you. As soon as this happens, say something like “well done,” “good puppy,” etc. Then give him a reward. In the head of your puppy, this will mean that every time he looks at you, he will get a reward.
3. When Your Puppy Is Not Looking At You, Try It!
Allowing your puppy to do something or lose focus on you is the goal here.Ideally, he would lose interest in you. Then, call his name, and if he looks at you, reward him. Don’t forget to mark when the puppy looks at you.
4. Repeat and Repeat Again
This step takes a lot of time. You will have to repeat all the steps from above for 10 minutes. If you repeat it even longer, your puppy will stop obeying you. Repeat 10-minute sessions of this kind every couple of hours. Do this as long as you like.
5. Alter The Location
Now you have a puppy who will respond when you call out his name. Here, you will have to try and change the location. You have been doing this inside the home, where there are no distractions. Now try to do it in your backyard, in the park, etc. All you have to do is expose the puppy to different situations and train him to react accordingly in each one. Start with areas with the fewest distractions and advance to ones that have more and more distractions.
6. Lengthen His Attention Span
Now is the time to increase the amount of time your puppy looks at you before you give him a reward. Start with one second. Then give him a reward. Soon, prolong the time frame to 2 seconds, then one second more, and so on. You will want to have your puppy look at you for at least 3 seconds before you give him a treat. If his attention starts dropping, return to 2 seconds and stay there for a few sessions. Then start to increase the time frame again. The goal is to reach 5 seconds.
7. Begin with Distractions
At this stage, you have a puppy who will look at you for 5 seconds. But you need to make the training even harder. Try training him when there is another person in the room. even better when a child is inside. You will see how difficult this is for the puppies. They will have to stop focusing on exciting things and focus on you.
It is likely that your puppy will not obey you. So, pull him close to you and call out his name. When he responds, reward him. Repeat this step as long as you have to. Some puppies will need a lot of time, while others will learn to obey you sooner. One secret here is to try to use the treats he likes most. You want him to focus on you all the time, so you have to offer the best thing. Use healthy treats. You will need a lot of them.
8. Increase Attention Again
You will want to increase the amount of time a puppy spends looking at you while he is distracted. Start at 2 seconds and work your way up. The goal is to reach 5 or more seconds. Keep in mind that you will do this while another person, a baby, or something else is in the room.
8. Take It Outside
Only outside training will be permitted in this case. It can be hard at first, but it will be more than just rewarding. Your puppy will have a hard time at first, but he will manage. Always reward him when he obeys you.
9. Repeat and Repeat
All you have to do now is repeat the training every single day. Repeat this a couple of times per day and stay persistent. Gradually decrease the number of repetitions per day. You want him to teach him the trick, but only when you actually want to call your dog. Some puppies will need a lot of time to learn this.
The Final Word
In puppy training at 8-10 weeks old, you have a lot of options. But these two pieces of training are the most important and most appealing, and they can be the foundation for new tricks. The next training session must start when your puppy is 10 to 12 weeks old, so there is no time to rest. With a bit of luck and a lot of effort, you will have the perfect dog when he grows up. Try to have fun while doing it. After all, it is never boring when you are next to a puppy or, even better, puppies.
Recommended Readings:
- Puppies Who Bite Too Much
- Puppies And Hiccups Explained
- When Puppies Get Shots
- Puppies Jumping And Biting
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