How to Train Defiant Puppies

Some puppies are easier to train than others because of their desire to please. All young puppies have limited attention spans, therefore training must be gradual. Stubborn or defiant puppies often require a different approach to gain their interest in training. Finding your puppy's drive can be tough and can take a while, but once you know what makes your puppy tick, you can incorporate that into your training and have far more productive sessions.

Things You'll Need

  • Treats
  • Dog toys
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Instructions

    • 1

      Experiment with some different objects to see which excites your puppy the most. Use different types of treats, favorite toys or simple praise and petting.

    • 2

      Keep training sessions short to begin with. Try three daily sessions of five minutes or less to gauge your puppy's reaction and lengthen or shorten that time frame if necessary. Gradually build up the length of each session as your puppy's attention span and interest grow.

    • 3

      Introduce games into your training sessions to make them fun. Games can help train a defiant puppy without it even realizing. Play "hide and seek" by first hiding in an easy place, such as behind the couch. Call your dog to you and throw a praise party or give it a treat when it finds you. This inadvertently teaches your puppy to "come." Increase the difficulty of your hiding place as your puppy gets more interested in the game. You can also reward a playful puppy with a game of tug or chase for obeying commands.

    • 4

      Keep your puppy's attention by striving to be the most exciting thing in its immediate area. Use an excited, happy voice when giving commands to get and keep your dog's interest.

    • 5

      End your training session while your dog is still interested to keep it exciting. Avoid ending a session because your dog is bored, because this will make your puppy associate training with feeling bored and frustrated.