New Puppy in Your Life? Learn the Critical Behavior to Train First, Recommended by an Expert
Boosting a Puppy's Confidence: Expert Advice from Happy Dogs Training
Taking walks with your new puppy can be an excellent opportunity to help boost their confidence, according to the experts at Happy Dogs Training, led by Piper M Novick. The trainers suggest making walks more interesting by setting simple challenges for your puppy.
The first things to teach a new puppy to build confidence and courage, as per Happy Dogs Training principles and supporting expert advice, include:
- Establish Connection and Focus: Build a strong bond where your puppy looks to you as the source of rewards like food, praise, and toys. Teach your puppy to focus on you instead of distractions, which provides security and encourages boldness.
- Encourage Exploration in a Safe Environment: Let your puppy explore new objects while staying close to provide support and reassurance. This helps them overcome fear of new things and builds courage.
- Use Positive Reinforcement with Varied, High-Value Rewards: Identify what motivates your puppy most (treats, toys, affection) and reward desired behaviors consistently to build confidence.
- Practice in Increasingly Challenging Environments: Start training in quiet, low-distraction areas, then gradually increase distractions like outdoor spaces or presence of other dogs. This “proofing” helps your puppy generalize confident behavior in different settings.
- Teach Self-Interruption and Focus Shifting: Games like the engage/disengage game teach puppies to interrupt their own stress responses and return focus to you, reducing anxiety around triggers and building mental strength.
- Avoid Overwhelming Social Interactions Initially: Control greetings with people or other dogs to prevent fear or overstimulation. Instead, be the source of all rewards and positive experiences, which fosters trust and courage.
When introducing the world to a new puppy, the trainers recommend moving at a pace the puppy is comfortable with. Being too harsh during training is counter-productive, and the mindset of dominating or showing authority over a new puppy is outdated and not beneficial for their development of confidence and courage.
Instead, the trainers advise following the puppy's lead and designing their experiences to be peaceful. It's possible to introduce a puppy to a variety of settings before they are fully vaccinated, as long as they are carried or driven to different places. Ensure that your puppy has the choice of whether to investigate new things or meet new people or not.
Using positive reinforcement, such as rewards, during training can be fruitful for dogs, as it is backed by science. The trainers suggest letting the puppy accomplish challenging tasks and celebrating those wins.
For training sessions that require a high rate of positive reinforcement, Wellness Soft Puppy Bites are suitable and are available for purchase on Amazon for $9.49. The trainers do not specify what the best puppy toys are, but suggest putting the puppy in situations that promote happiness and security.
For more advice on socializing a puppy, the article "I'm a dog behaviorist and these are my six tips for socializing a puppy" may provide useful insights. The trainers warn against rushing the puppy to grow up, as they are still a baby and should be treated as such.
