You’ve brought your new puppy home and are excited to introduce him to the world. Where do you start? You can’t take an unruly puppy out into the world without rules. To make sure both you and your pup are comfortable in the future, you should teach your puppy how to obey properly — while rewarding him with plenty of love, of course!

1. Start Right Away

Training your dog while she’s young can prove to be better than waiting to teach her. As dogs age, their memory and cognitive abilities fade slightly, meaning they won’t retain as much new information. Training your puppy the bulk of tricks and commands while they’re young might prove to be the best option to save you from hassle later in your dog’s life.

2. Understand Their Motivation

Every dog has a different motivation. Why does your pup want to listen to you? Is it because he’s expecting you to reward him with a treat or special playtime, or does he do it just because he desires your happiness and affection? There is no “wrong” way for a dog to be motivated — you just have to figure out what motivates your dog and how to reward him for a job well done appropriately.

3. Reward Generously

When you’re training your dog, you should expect to offer her plenty of rewards to motivate her to continue performing well for you. If treats inspire her, always have a handy supply of treats near you for an impromptu training session. Small, soft treats are best to work with when training your pup, as they can be devoured quickly so that you can go right back to your training session.

For the dog who loves affection above all else, she needs to be rewarded with pats and scratches. You can hype her up with phrases like, “Good dog!” or anything else that can get her tail wagging and have her understand that she’s done a great job. For toy-motivated dogs, make sure to carry a small toy with you that your dog will have no issue giving back to you after a short tug or game of catch.

4. Test Them in New Locations

Once you know that your pup will listen to your basic commands, you might want to test his skills in public or around other humans and animals. Socializing your puppy before he becomes an adult is vital for him to learn how to behave normally around other creatures. A dog with anxiety is not a happy dog, so make strides toward avoiding nervousness.

Know how to recognize what your dog looks like when he’s calm. His face should be relaxed, and he might choose to sit or lie down instead of standing in a tense position. When you’ve mastered knowing when your pup is calm, you’ll be able to tell when he feels at ease around crowds, other dogs, and other situations.

5. Show That You Know Best

Your puppy needs a leader to follow. While dogs are man’s best friends, your puppy won’t understand what to do unless you take a leadership role and guide her. That’s why training is essential: to teach your dog how to listen to you so she can stay out of danger and live her best possible life.

If you think of your household as a “pack,” you need to show your pup that you’re the leader and that she can trust you to make the best decisions for the both of you. One of the easiest ways to assert your position is to feed yourself first. When you have yummy table scraps you can’t wait to give your pup, make sure you feed them to her after you’ve finished eating your portion. This way, your dog understands that you must be the “leader” of her pack since you’re eating first.

6. Teach Basic Commands First

Before moving to more complicated tricks and commands like dancing and jumping, consider teaching your dog the most basic commands first. These commands are essential to his understanding of everything else.

Some of the commands you should teach your puppy as soon as you get him are as follows:

●      Sit: Teaching your dog to sit can help him show restraint and learn to be calm in certain situations. It’s also the easiest command to teach a dog.

●      Lie Down: When your pup knows to lie down, you can signal it’s time for him to remain calm and relaxed in a situation. It could help him look more approachable to people who want to pet him.

●      Stay: Stay is an important command that can keep your pup out of danger. Teaching your dog to stay where you left him can teach him patience and assure him that you always come back.

●      Wait: Similar to Stay, this command finds its use around food. Making your dog wait for his food after you set it down in front of him can help teach him self-control and mitigate food aggression.

●      Leave It: When you’re out exploring or if you accidentally drop something in the kitchen, Leave It can teach your dog not to go after something he’s interested in because you know that he shouldn’t. Make sure always to follow this one with a treat, so your pup learns that he’ll get something even better by leaving something curious or suspicious alone.

●      No: Your dog should learn what “no” means almost as soon as he knows what “Good dog!” means. While you shouldn’t use punishment as a way to get your pup to do what you want, telling them “no” can help them understand what not to do in a situation.

While not an exhaustive list, this set of commands are staples in teaching your pup other crucial commands, like when to drop something that isn’t good for them or when to wait for you instead of rushing into something dangerous. With them as your foundation, you’ll be able to teach your dog more complex tricks and commands.

7. Practice Every Day

Just like learning a language or an instrument, constant instruction can teach your puppy more efficiently. If you train your dog for just a short session every day, she’s more likely to retain the information you’ve presented to her. As long as your pup is just going to be a pet and not a show or competitive dog, short bursts of training sprinkled throughout the week is enough for her to learn her commands and perform tricks without any issues.

Teach Your Pup to Rely on You

Obedience at its core is trust. Your puppy wants to trust that you know what’s best for her, even if she may not know what that is. By reinforcing your training with treats or other forms of rewards, you’re showing that good things happen when your puppy listens to you. Practice often and reward your pup with what she responds to most, and you’ll soon have an obedient full-grown dog.