How to Train a Puppy to Focus to Help Her Behavior

For this Omaha training session, we taught a family some lessons on how to train a puppy. Lucy is a rambunctious seven-month-old German Shepherd puppy.

Her guardians wanted to fix her leash aggression towards other dogs. She also mouthed and nipped their younger son while playing. Additionally, she got too excited when people came home and jumped on them.

How to Train a Puppy

Lucy showed good confidence and energy when I arrived for the session which is always what you want to see in a puppy. She got a bit nippy and mouthy, so I spent a few minutes sharing puppy training tips with her guardians. These tips can help puppies stop nipping and mouthing.

To stop nipping and mouthing, I yelp loudly whenever the dog’s teeth touch my skin, even by accident. This approach caught Lucy off guard and actually caused her to move away.

If all the guardians use the same method, Lucy will learn quickly. She will understand that nipping or mouthing a human will make them stop playing with her. If the timing is right (immediately), it shouldn’t take long before Lucy stops nipping hands when excited.

I sat down with Lucy’s guardians. We talked for about 30 minutes about her unwanted dog behavior. We discussed things they were doing that might confuse her or send the wrong message.

It is important for people to remember not to pet the dog when she is excited or unbalanced. This is especially true when they come home or do something that makes Lucy very excited.

I showed them how to disagree with her using non verbal communication cues rather than verbally correcting her. I suggested they create a fun name for their dog. I showed them how to pet her in a way that builds respect.

I also explained how to use passive training. This method uses positive reinforcement to encourage Lucy to behave. For example, she can sit to ask for attention instead of pawing, barking, or jumping.

Once the basics were covered, I was ready to address Lucy’s leash aggression. I use a technique that trains the dog to look up at the handler’s face on command. I call this a Focus exercise.

As I mentioned in the above video, this technique is something I got out of a book written by my mentor Karen London. The book, Feisty Fido is short, easy to read and most of all very effective.

Guardians should practice the Focus exercise in short sessions of 1-2 minutes. They should do this several times a day for about a week. After that, they can move outside, where there are more distractions.

ROADMAP to SUCCESS

• Continue to enforce the rules and boundaries already in place (within 3 seconds) using the new nonverbal communication techniques.
• Begin to notice personal space. Help Lucy learn to respect a one-foot bubble unless she is invited to come closer.
• Find more rules that help Lucy practice self-control and respect her guardians as authority figures.
• Recreate situations where Lucy demonstrates undesired behaviors and teach her how to behave for each individual step separately under a controlled situation.
• Get into a habit of petting with a purpose to help her transition into more of a follower’s mindset.
• Use passive training to reward Lucy with positive reinforcement when she engages in desired actions or behaviors. Remember to pet her within 3 seconds while ONLY saying the command word.
• Avoid using the expression “good dog” and use the command word instead.
• Try to get Lucy under her chin instead of on top of her head.
• Practice the recall or come command a few times a day while rewarding her to motivate her to come when called in the future.
• Choose a fun name for your dog. Use this name when she misbehaves. This helps avoid a negative link to her real name.
• Practice the Focus exercise in short 1-3 minute training sessions as outlined in the video.
• Progressively make the Focus exercise more difficult and go at the dog’s pace. Always end on a good repetition.
• Avoid contact or exposure to other dogs on walks while developing the Focus exercise. If necessary drive to a new location or walk at times of day when the odds of seeing other dogs are lower.
• Practice the U-turn during walks when there is no dog around. This way, she will have a backup plan if they see a dog unexpectedly.
• Use the Martingale with the special twist of the leash to have better control on walks.
• Remember to not pull Lucy into position with the leash. Only tension should be when correcting her and in that case, tension should only be there for a fraction of a second.
• Begin taking Lucy to a dog park. Find a spot where she can see the dogs inside. Make sure she can sit and enjoy a treat there. Then, start walking her around the outside of the dog park at that distance.
• Once Lucy can walk around the park calmly, start gradually decreasing the distance between Lucy’s path and the dog park fence. In a few weeks, she should be able to walk by the fence without feeling stressed. She will not react to the dogs inside.
• Once Lucy is comfortable walking around the dog park, start taking her inside. Look for times when there are fewer dogs. If possible, find a time when no dogs are inside to let her explore the area on her own.
• Help Lucy succeed by taking her for a long walk. Walk for 20 minutes or more before her first trips to the dog park. This will help reduce her extra energy.
• Create a routine for meal times. She should eat after the humans. She can only go to her bowl with permission.