The Pom puppy is a pack animal just like the Wolf, Sled Dog ,or a Fox hound.
Pack behavior is a natural part of your puppy and the key to training it to
be a well trained canine. The pack in simpler terms, is a canine system where each member Knows
it’s place. This pack will provide the security and sense of belonging that is crucial for a well trained dog. The
position in a pack hierarchy is usually based on physical strength and
experience. The strongest male fills the role of the Alpha dog. This
Alpha dog leads the pack and stay will the Alpha dog as long as it is the
strongest. You will
perform the role as the Alpha and your family will serve as the pack
members. You and your family will be an extension of what your
Pom's mother had begun. Training will be easily done if you follow the
example of your Pom's Mother. She admonished the puppy quickly for any
misdeeds. She corrected the puppy without under-reacting and went about her
training without any anger. She showed that she loved the puppy and
made it feel
secure. When you take the Pom away from it's mother and take away the security
of the pack you have to immediately take over. You or a designated person
must become the Alpha dog to teach your puppy it's lessons. Your Pom in return
will want to please you after it knows that you love it and will care for it.
When do I begin training?
Housebreaking and basic rules should begin immediately and more involved
training should begin between 5 to 8 months old. You are the Alpha dog, use a strong tone
of voice
during the training sessions to differentiate from other times when you and the puppy are
together. Each session should be conducted like a class. If the command
"come" is taught
today, don't try to get into variations, stay on the subject. Be sure
to praise the puppy when it does something right and correct misdeeds right away when you
can. Do not attempt to punish the dog for something done a while ago.
The Pom will not
remember and won't understand why it is being reprimanded. Be
patient and never lose your temper, ranting or whipping the dog can ruin the
puppy's trust in you.
Dog training is not really difficult but it requires a
great deal of patience as well as the ability to interpret which types of
training techniques are most effective for the particular dog you are training.
There are a several number of different methods which can be used to train a
dog. One of these methods is using the positive reward training method,
the method of training with praise and respect and even fear training methods.
While many trainers will favor one method over another for training a dog,
many will also agree that sometimes it is necessary to train a dog using a
combination of these methods. At times it is sometimes necessary to adapt
one method to be more effective for training a dog who is not responding well to
any of the particular methods. We will cover these three training methods and
will also provide information on how training methods can be combined
effectively.
The positive reward training method is one of
the most popular used training methods. This will include clicker training and
rewarding a dog with treats or food for displaying a desired behavior and even
rewarding a dog with a toy or play for displaying a desired behavior. The
general idea of this kind of training is to ask the dog to perform a specific
behavior and then reward him with a click, a treat or a toy when the dog
complies with the request. This method is very effective because the dog is
motivated to complete the desired behavior and receive the reward.
Although, some dog trainers have not preferred this method because it does
encourage the dog to obey commands because a reward is being offered as opposed
to because it will please the owner.
Think about teaching a dog to sit using the
positive reward training method. The trainer may hold a small treat or a ball in
his hand as a reward and use the reward to entice the dog into the sitting
position while giving the command, “Sit.” As soon as the dog sits the trainer
should praise the dog by saying, “Good sit,” and giving the dog the treat. The
trainer must repeat this command several times during the initial training
session, rewarding the dog with the toy or treat each time the dog responds
correctly. The trainer should than try to end the first training session on a
positive note with the dog responding correctly and being rewarded. These
training sessions should be kept fairly short to avoid the dog from being bored.
After approximately 10-15 minutes the trainer and dog can take a break and play
for awhile. The trainer should repeat these training sessions with the dog
several times daily and for several days in a row so the dog understand what is
expected of it. until the commands are fully understood. About this
time the dog should be responding to the sit command regularly and should still
be rewarded with the treat or toy each time he obeys the command. Over a matter
of time the trainer can work on phasing out the reward so that it won't be
expected every time the dog follows the command. Once in a while the trainer
should still reward the dog for performing the desired behavior but will no
longer needs to lure the dog and offer a treat each time the behavior is
performed.
Clicker training is another method of reward
training which includes using some kind of handheld device which will make a
clicking sound to reward the dog for following desired behavior. The trainer
should start out by training the dog to recognize the sound of the clicker. This
is often called loading the clicker. The trainer may start out by using the
clicker and giving the dog a treat right after each click. The trainer could do
this 10-20 times in the first session and offering a treat with each click. This
should train the dog to understand the clicker is a good thing and will soon
realize the sound of the clicker means he has done something right. It may take
many sessions of loading the clicker but once the dog understands this, it
should be a simple procedure to replace the sound of the clicker with a reward
when the dog performs the desired behavior.
Training with praise is another way to train a dog. But be sure to do this in a
gentle manner and soft voice. Using this method the trainer will not give
the dog rewards such as food, a toy once the desired behavior is shown.
Instead the trainer gratifies the dog with a lot of praise when the dog responds
accordingly. Just be sure that you use a phrase like, “Good boy,” or "Good
Doggie" and speaking in a high pitched voice and petting the dog
enthusiastically. The dog will understand that this behavior will show
that he has done something right to earn praise from the trainer or master. A
lot of trainers would prefer this type of training method instead because the
dog is responding in an attempt to please the owner as opposed to a dog who is
obeying because he is seeking a reward for his behavior. Training with praise
may be considered to be the ideal method for some trainers although it may not
be the easiest training method. This is why reward training is considerably more
popular.
Finally fear training methods
should also be considered. This will involve actually scaring a dog
through shouting, loud noises, throwing objects or many actions which will
induce fear in the dog. This method is not as effective as the other methods and
can cause more problems. There are some trainers who still believe in this type
of training, many would recommend reward and praise training instead. Fear
training may produce the desired result of having a dog perform a desired
behavior but the dog will be responding out of fear as opposed to in an effort
to please the trainer.
It may be necessary to combine different training methods in training one
particular dog. This may include only using positive reward training methods but
occasionally scheduling some time for fear training for certain behaviors. As an
example, a dog who is always chewing on furniture regularly. The trainer may
supply the dog with appropriate chew toys and praise and reward him when he
plays with the toys but the dog may still occasionally go back to chewing on the
furniture. When this happens the trainer may try keeping a aluminum can filled
with pennies with him and rattle the can each time the dog starts to chew on the
furniture. Another method is the trainer may clap his hands to get the dogs
attention or give a verbal command such as, “No,” in a loud strict voice. The
dog may be shocked by the loud noise but may stop chewing the furniture every
time he hears the noise. Repeating these actions every time the dog tries
to chew on the furniture should teach the dog to stop doing it.
