How dogs learn

Animals learn by a process of trial and error. The outcome of an activity will affect whether the pup develops it into a habit, or never does it again. This is a bit of an oversimplification - there is a large grey area where the success or failure is not clear cut and where the pup will need to continuously repeat an activity to learn about it. The more times the activity is repeated, the more the pup will learn about it.

For example, the pup approaches a cat for the first time. The cat' s response could affect how the puppy feels about cats in the future.

a) The cat arches its back, hisses loudly and scratches the pup in the face.
The pup is frightened and hurt. It yelps, backs off and learns not to approach cats - they' re sharp!

b) The cat immediately turns and runs away, and the puppy gives chase
The pup has great fun chasing the cat. Next time he sees one, he will approach it enthusiastically!

c) The cat hisses, and does not move. The pup backs off for a moment but is not sure what to make of this strange hissing creature, and tries again. The game continues for half an hour until the pup becomes bored and wanders off
The pup is not quite sure what to make of cats, but spends some time repeatedly 'trying it out'. In the end it decides that cats are a bit odd and not really worth bothering with.

So, the puppy learns more from an immediate, clear signal.

Like people, animals learn and retain information best when they are happy and relaxed. Puppies passing through the socialisation phase of development are eager to please and learn best through reward based training.

By using a reward based method, the puppy learns to be attentive towards and trusting of the owner. He will be encouraged to learn by trying new things in anticipation of a reward, rather than being anxious about being wrong.

A reward can be anything the puppy wants

For example:- a pleasant experience (this is how pups learn for themselves),
a reward given by you can be any combination of verbal praise, food or play with a favourite toy.
All dogs are motivated by different things and it is worth experimenting with your pup to find out which rewards he values most highly, and what sounds or signals work best to attract his attention.

It is good practice for all dogs to learn to defer to their owners by briefly sitting and attending to them before receiving anything they want. This habit can be started at any age.

Dogs, especially puppies, have a very short attention span. They will associate two events only if they occur very close together (less than half a second). Thus it is important to time the reward carefully, to be given exactly as the puppy performs the desired behaviour.

About Verbal Praise

Experiment with different voices to find what works best for your pup. Most puppies respond best to a high-pitched, excited voice. Speak as quietly as possible to the pup to encourage him to listen carefully to you. A whisper often works better than a yell!

Always talk to your pup when you are rewarding him, eventually you will be able to use verbal praise alone, but to begin with the pup will learn best if you reinforce this with other good experiences.

About Food Treats

Most puppies respond best to food treats as rewards.. Remember that the treats are used as a salary or reward, NOT as a bribe. Find a food that the pup likes but which he does not usually experience. The treat should be desirable enough to motivate the pup but not so much so as to get him excited. Food treats should be tiny so that the pup does not become full, fat and bored. If he stops responding to one kind of treat, try another one.

Rewarding dogs with food treats is an acquired art form. To prevent the dog lunging for the food, keep ready prepared treats in a bag or cup behind your back and keep one treat in a hand, ready to reward the dog. That hand can either be kept behind your back so that the dog does not stare at the food, or raised towards your face to teach the pup to make eye contact with you. The treat must be small enough that the focus of the dog's attention is on you and not the treat. A treat of the correct size can be enclosed in the palm of your hand. When presenting the pup with the treat, move the hand, with fist closed, up quickly towards him and turn your wrist to offer the treat from an open palm. It stands to reason that he pup will not be impressed by a food reward right after a big meal!

Play as a Reward

All training sessions should be short and fun, and finish up with a game. Some puppies are not highly motivated by food. Squeaky toys, raggers and balls can all be incorporated into training sessions and used to attract attention and reward the pup by allowing them to chase the ball or take possession of the toy briefly.

A combination of all three reward methods is ideal!

First steps in puppy training

Step 1 - getting the puppy's attention

The only way your puppy will ever learn to respond to your commands is if you can first attract his attention and encourage the pup to home in on YOU. A young pup will generally look at you and prick his ears up when you speak to him. It is vital that you are able to keep this attention in order to proceed with further training.

Once your puppy really knows his name, attracting his attention is easy. It is amazing how many adult dogs do not know their names. Their owners would not agree, but ask them to call the dog when he is not already paying attention to them and see if he responds. How many times does the owner have to call the dog's name before they are acknowledged (and how loud do they end up shouting?). Eventually, many people will resort to words like biscuit or walkies to get attention. These words, said in an excited tone get a response, so why not the dog's own name? The truth is, all too often, nobody has ever taken the time to really teach the dog that it's name has any importance, but words like biscuit are very important.

Puppies respond to almost anything said in a friendly tone, so it is easy to assume that they have recognised the name when it is jumbled up with a whole load of other words. Time spent now on teaching your puppy his name, and practicing attracting his attention is an ideal base for future training.

Teaching your puppy his name

Several times a day, take a few minutes to reinforce your puppy's name. Arm yourself with some titbits and toys and put your pup on his lead. The lead is helpful to give you some gentle control over the pup' s movements - should he decide that something else is more interesting, you can stop him from wandering off without having to chase him. You are in charge. Use your titbits and toys to attract the pup' s attention, call his name, and reward him for looking at you. Next, hold the titbit up to your face so the pup has to look up at you when he responds to your calling his name. Repeat this several times and the pup will soon learn that, when he looks up at you, he is rewarded.

At the same time as you reward the pup with a food treat, also use verbal praise, tell the pup he is good. As you progress, the sound of your voice will be the reward, the occasional titbit merely a bonus. Repeat the exercise using a toy to attract the pup' s attention. Call his name and squeak a toy, or tap a ball on the floor. Hold the toy up to your face, call the pup' s name, then throw the toy gently (remember, he is on the lead so don't throw the ball too far!). Allow the pup to chase the toy, and gently guide him back to you to continue the game.


Experiment with different toys, treats and tones of voice to learn what works best for your pup. Always reward your pup when he responds to his name and he will come to know that that specific sound reallv is his own name.

Once you can be confident of getting your puppy' s attention and holding it for a few moments at a time, you will be able to start incorporating recalls and positions into your training sessions.

Step 2 -teaching your puppv to sit

Why? A dog in a sitting position is more relaxed and attentive than one that is bouncing around. The dog can pay attention to you and take his cues as to what to do next from you when he is sitting quietly. You can slip a collar and lead on, examine him and groom him easily from a sitting position. The sitting position is ideal for the dog to greet people. A puppy leaping up on visitors is cute, but a 30 kg muddy monster may not be so welcome!

How? With the pup on his lead to stop him wandering off, attract his attention with a toy or tit bit and slowly raise the reward above his head. The pup's head should follow the treat and, as the head comes up. the bottom must go down, placing the puppy naturally into a sitting position. At the exact instant that the puppy' s bottom touches the ground, give him the food treat and praise him, but DO NOT SAY SIT

Repeat the exercise a number of times, until the pup understands what you expect from him. Some pups catch on very quickly, others will take a little longer. Once you are sure that the pup will sit as you raise the hand with the treat, start saying 'SIT' as you give him the treat at the exact moment he assumes the sit position so he can associate the action with the word. Do not be tempted to use the command before you are confident that the pup understands what you want from him. Remember, at this stage, the pup does not yet know what 'sit' means - it is just a noise.

If you use the word repeatedly while he is jumping around, he will learn to associate the word with what he was doing when you said it. 'Sit' could come to mean leap around and play, not park your bottom on the ground! Dogs understand body language far more readily than they understand our verbal form of communication. In time, you will be able to phase out the hand signal and use the word 'sit' alone, but do not be in too much of a rush to do so.


Get into the habit of giving only one command. If you have to keep repeating yourself, you are either not keeping the puppy's attention or he does not understand what you want. Go back to the beginning, show him again, and reward him every time he gets it right.


As soon as your puppy has caught on to the idea of sitting when he is asked, it is a good idea to get into the habit of asking him to sit and briefly attend to you before he gets anything he wants. In dog language, this is simply good manners. Ask the pup to sit and attend to you briefly before you feed him, play a game, groom him, put his lead on, give him a cuddle or proceed with other training.

Teaching the puppy to lie down
Why?
This is an ideal position for the dog to be in while you examine him or administer first aid. A dog which is lying down is less reactive to what is going on around him and is far more likely to STAY in position should he need to be left for a few moments. An instant DOWN from a distance can be a life saver if the dog is heading for danger such as an approaching train when he is running close to a railway line, a horse galloping down a bridleway etc.
Method
Start with the puppy paying attention to you in the sit position. Using his favourite titbit or toy, hold the treat level with the puppy' s nose and slowly lower the reward down in front of the puppy. On reaching the floor, drag the treat towards you, if you are in front of the puppy. The puppy' s head should follow the reward and he will slide into the down position.

Praise the pup and give him the reward at the moment that he assumes the correct position. It may take a few attempts before the pup catches on and understands what is required of him before he earns the reward. Some puppies, particularly of the smaller breeds, do not lie down properly using this method. If this is happening, try sitting next to the puppy and using your legs as a 'bridge' to draw the treat under.

The pup will follow the treat under the tunnel and will be encouraged to lie down. Make sure he received his reward at the exact moment when he lies down. Practice and good timing will reward you both. As with teaching 'sit', do not use the command until you are sure the puppy understands what you want from him.

Teaching the puppy to come when called
Why?
Very young puppies tend to follow their people around, and it is easy to be lulled into a false sense of security that this will continue forever! Sooner or later you will take your puppy for walks somewhere with many interesting distractions and for the safety and sanity of all concerned it helps if you are confident the puppy will come back. Many dogs are never allowed to run free as their owners are afraid they will not come back when called. This is very frustrating for the dog and makes it difficult for them to express normal canine behaviours.
Method
Your puppy will be eager to return to you if you make sure that you are the most exciting thing around! This is very easy in the house with no major distractions but can be a little more difficult in the park where there are other dogs to play with, or even at puppy playgroup! Enhancing your puppy appeal may involve titbits, toys and your voice.

Remember that your puppy's line of focus is very low to the ground, so don't be afraid to get down to his level - bend or kneel down and tap the floor, shake a toy or clap your hands. As with any training exercise, always gain the puppy's attention before issuing any commands. Have his interest focused on you and, once you are sure he is coming towards you call his name and the word 'come'. Lots of praise is needed every time the puppy comes to you, even when you have not called him. If the puppy becomes distracted before he reaches you, back away from him, making lots of exciting noises to attract his attention.

Do not be tempted to go after him - this will turn into a terrific (for the puppy) chasing game and he will probably win! Always praise the puppy when he comes to you, no matter how long it takes. Have the pup come close enough to you that you can touch his collar (this will be helpful in the future when you need him to come back and have his lead put on), and offer the food reward as you do so.

Especially while your puppy is young, he will probably stay fairly close to you on walks and will return to you regularly for reassurance. Take advantage of this, and encourage him to turn this into a habit for life. Whenever you see your pup coming towards you of his own free will, call his name and 'come' and reward him with praise, and a game or food treat when he reaches you. Let him go away again, saying 'good boy, go play' or similar, to continue the game - it's no fun coming back if you just get put straight on the lead every time

Key points for successful training
Training should be fun for both of you -incorporate training exercises into games the pup enjoys
Keep the play/training sessions short but frequent and varied
Before a meal is better than after, no-one works well on a full stomach, puppies included
Remember to allow for titbits used in training when planning your puppy' s diet. They are not extras but part of his daily ration (pieces of dry complete puppy food make ideal training treats)
Be consistent, Make a list of words you wish to use and make sure everyone dealing with the pup knows them.
Make sure everyone understands the method of training and follows it.
Make a list below of the words and hand signals you will use when training your pup
- Action
- Command
- Hand signal
For example:
Pay attention -use puppy's name holding hand with treat up to face
Sit - use name plus sit with hand in front of nose, raise hand vertically
Other commands to teach:
Lie down
Come here
Stay
Roll over.