Training a Puppy to Know his Name

You've chosen a name for your puppy and you use it everyday but he doesn't seem to respond to it. That could be because you might not have taught him his name. He won't respond until he knows that that name is his and its him your talking to.

Training a puppy to know his name is not hard to do and once he knows it you can attract his attention in a flash. This is really useful when you teach other commands because you will get his undivided attention just by calling out his name. But he has to really know his name first.

Start by standing in front of him and say his name, just once, use your normal talking voice don't shout at him, at the same time show him you have a treat for him.

Once you have his attention, by this I mean he should be looking at you or at least at the treat, give him the tidbit and tell him “Good Boy” . Do this several times a day and for as long as it takes, it could take a few days or even weeks it all depends on how much time and effort you put into it. But repeat until you can call his name and he responds straight away.

Some times you might have to turn his head toward you to get him to look at you, that's OK to do. Also try to hold your dogs attention for a second or two, with the treat in front of his face, before giving it to him this will help to teach him patience, but don't hold it too close you don't want him snatching it out of your hand.

Soon he will associate the word (his name) with a treat and you will get his attention almost instantly. When you get to that stage reduce the treats and give him a toy instead and an enthusiastic verbal response “Good Boy Buster” and make a fuss of him.

Many owners call their dogs 3 or 4 times before the dog will respond and this is what you need to avoid, calling his name just once should bring your dog to your side immediately, but it takes time and effort to get to there.

Never chastise him for not responding to his name straight away he needs to associate his name and the command with love and excitement not anger, so if your puppy does something wrong try not to use his name before you tell him off.

Always use your dogs name when you want him to come to you for any reason, except to be chastised, that way you will be enforcing his name on him and will get him used to that command.

When its time to move on to other commands, again,use his name to to get his undivided attention before you start each training session and keep the treats handy. And don't forget to have fun, take breaks and do other things, too much training in one go is not good for either of you.

Find something more light hearted to do...

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Training a Puppy to Know his Name by TRUDY CHAPPELL

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