Teaching manners to a puppy is challenging with any dog breed, large or small. As a pet owner, it's your job to teach your toy breed puppy how to behave. Small dogs often have size issues and try to overcompensate with aggression. Early obedience training will help him become an enjoyable companion as it prevents him from developing bad habits later in life.
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Training Basics
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Begin your toy breed puppy's obedience training after the two of you have had a chance to bond. This is a special time of communication for you both. Remember that you're dealing with a baby animal, so patience is important. You're laying the foundation for your puppy's life as you strengthen the relationship between you.
Use short verbal commands of one or two words and be consistent how you use them. It's confusing for a young dog to hear multiple commands that mean the same thing. If you want him to get down, say "down." Don't change it and say "off" one time and then "bad" the next. Avoid harsh corrections and never punish your puppy for making a mistake.
Little dogs can often react adversely to fear-based training methods; that can lead to aggression problems. Clicker training, a form of Operant Conditioning, is a gentler form of training that works well for toy breed puppies because it encourages them to think things through and feel confident when they get it right. Hearing the click when he's done well makes him happy.
Common Behavior Problems
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A common behavior problem in toy dogs is excessive barking. Yelling at your puppy to stop is rewarding his behavior because he thinks you're joining in. Instead, reward him with a treat or click of the clicker for not barking and/or praise him when he stops. This lets him know you approve.
Playful biting starts as a game, but could escalate to a problem when puppy grows up. It's natural for puppies to bite while teething, but don't allow him to continuously bite you. Don't play tug of war, wrestle or chase games because it encourages aggressive biting and nipping. Never punish your puppy by hitting him, especially with toy breed puppies that could easily be injured. Instead, redirect him to a toy or bone, or yell "ouch!" to startle him and then end your play session. This lets him know that biting you is not okay.
Your toy breed puppy may be small, but that doesn't make it all right to jump up on you or others. Never reward your puppy for jumping by petting her in response. This will only reinforce her behavior. Turn your body away instead so that she misses you, and don't make eye contact or talk to her while she's behaving this way. By ignoring her, you make it clear that jumping on you is not acceptable. Once she settles down, kneel to her level and praise her with a pat or a treat. Be consistent and persistent with this method until she learns to stop jumping.
Puppies learn better with positive reinforcement, so alternate rewards with clicks, treats, praise, and a scratch behind the ears so your puppy won't always expect food as incentive for doing well. Practice training at least twice a day with short sessions lasting 10 to 15 minutes each.
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