How to Train a Puppy: Corrections & Boundries

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There is a philosophy out there that you don't ever have to correct a puppy. If you just positively reinforce the right things, they will get it. I can see how this would work out but it will take a very long time. And you'd probably get frustrated waiting. But if that's your jam, you keep a jammin'.

FYI: It's not my jam.

If you watch a puppy with his mother, she will correct him. As a pack leader, you are responsible for corrections. Corrections are not mean, scary, intimidating, hurtful, or anything else like that. Sometimes they may be more sudden or surprising depending on the situation {like, you've never corrected your dog ever} but they shouldn't ever hurt your puppy or dog.

The key to getting a correction to work and to literally eliminate your frustration with a behavior is......follow through. You can give an appropriate correction all day long but if you don't follow through, it will never work.

This video demonstrates some boundary corrections.

The first half of the video will demo how I work going in and out of the door. This may seem trivial but this is one of those little things you can do to establish yourself as pack leader. You are always first inside or outside. Especially when leaving to go on a walk. My dogs are required to sit and make eye contact before coming in or going out so I demo how I teach that.

The second half of the video demos how I set a boundary in my house. Obviously this could be applied anywhere. I don't let my dogs come into my kitchen so I show how teach and maintain that boundary.

This is actually ironic because growing up, our family dog wasn't allowed out of the kitchen. But that is where the back door let in and my mom didn't want her fur all over the house. Everyone was always so impressed when they would come over and she would just stay in the kitchen! And guess what, my dogs obey that same boundary when they go over to her house.

I can hear you now, "Isn't that confusing?!? Allowed in one kitchen, not in the other?!?" It's not confusing. Because dogs don't know what a kitchen is! It is my parents house, we respect their rules.

I'll say it once, I'll say it a thousand times. Do not anthropomorphize your animals. It's not fair to them, their brains are not wired the same way ours are. You treat them like human and you will end up with a very unbalanced and unhappy dog. Their brains are wired to understand pack mentality which includes boundaries and respecting them.

Check out all the posts in this series here.

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