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Join Expert Dog Trainer Kathy Santo as she goes through the basics of puppy obedience training. She’ll show you how to train your puppy to follow three basic commands: “sit”, “lie down”, and “stay. Then she’ll discuss how proper nutrition plays an important role in the overall training process.
Hi, I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and today we're going to discuss basic puppy obedience training. Obedience training is one of the best things you can do for you and your puppy. So this video will focus on the three basic commands: sit, lie down, and stay. A puppy can learn a great deal, even as early as seven weeks of age, if learning is fun and presented in the form of play. To establish a positive rapport with your puppy and prevent many future problems, start training a few days after your puppy settles in. A relationship based on friendship and trust will ensure that he tries hard to win you praise and approval. Before giving a word command to your puppy, speak his name to get his attention. Then speak a one word command, such as stay, sit, come, or heel. Your puppy won't respond to commands until he knows his name. Don't get impatient. The quickest way to teach your puppy his name is to reward him every time he looks at you. Always train when your puppy is hungry, lonely, or bored. When all his needs are met, he won't be as motivated to do as you say. For example, training right before meals will help him associate his meal with a reward for the training, and also make him more interested in the treat you use in your training session. Also, remember to use motivation, not negative reinforcement. Reinforce desired behaviors by offering toys, food, and praise, so the puppy wants to obey. Different dogs value different rewards. Some may think a tennis ball is the best thing in the world, while another puppy may find a tennis ball meaningless, but would do nearly anything for the chance to have a treat. Never use physical punishment on a young puppy, as you may scar him both mentally and physically. Also, refrain from calling your dog to come to you for punishment, because this will teach your dog not to come on command. Dogs can feel human emotions, so stay relaxed, firm, and confident. Be sure to keep any frustration out of the tone of your voice. And if you feel yourself becoming frustrated, take a break. Your dog can sense this, and will start to associate training with your unhappiness. Most puppies, like young children, enjoy learning, but have short attention spans. Training sessions should be frequent and short to prevent your dog from becoming bored. 10 to 15 minute sessions, two or three times a day, is ideal. The first command I'm going to show you is sit. Your puppy's on the leash, and you're sitting on the ground with a leash under your legs, so he can't take a field trip away from you. Hold your hand high over his head with the reward in it. Your dog will look up at the reward. Use your other hand to gently guide your dog into a sitting position, and say in a clear, firm, tone, 'sit,' while still holding the reward in the air above the dog's head. When your dog sits, give them the treat, and verbally praise him. The second command I like to teach is lie down. Have your dog sit. Let him know you have the treat, but don't give it to him. Slowly lower your hand with the treat to the floor to bring your pup's nose close to the ground. When he starts to follow it, say 'lie down.' Once he's fully on the floor, you can give him the treat. Repeat saying lie down and rewarding correct behavior. Now for stay. Have your dog sit. Let him know you have the treat, but don't give it to him. Go in front of your puppy, raise your open hand, and say 'stay' firmly, so your puppy can associate your open hand with what he's learning. Start to move away from your puppy while occasionally repeating the stay command. Start with only a few seconds of staying at a time, and then move to slightly longer amounts. Always come back and reward your puppy if he follows instructions. The last thing I'd like to talk about is nutrition, and its implications on puppy training. Good nutrition leads to a healthy dog with higher quality of poop, and more predictable and balanced behavior, so he's easier to train. Make sure your puppy is getting the well balanced diet he needs for optimal development. For more information on puppy nutrition, watch the video 'What is the best puppy food for your puppy?' I'm Kathy Santo with IAMS, and I hope that you found this helpful as you welcome your new addition into your family.
Good nutrition is as important to your dog’s health as it is to your own. But with thousands of different pet foods available, how do you pick the right one for your dog?
Learn how to choose a dog food that provides the proper, balanced nutrition your dog needs to thrive with these six tips.
In general, while a human diet should be high in fiber and low in fat, a dog needs more fat for energy and a healthy skin and coat, and less fiber for good intestinal health.
Preferably, a dog’s food should include meat, too. Even if you prefer a vegetarian diet, designing a high-quality dog diet without animal protein is difficult. IAMS™ Company research supports that meatless meals might not provide optimal nutrition for dogs. Dogs are best fed as carnivores because they have simple stomachs and short intestines that are ideal for digesting animal protein and animal fat. Dogs also need carbohydrates for energy.
Start by identifying your dog’s life stage and lifestyle. Puppies, nursing mothers and mature pets each represent different life stages, and each one has different nutritional requirements. By law, all dog foods must state the life stage for which they are recommended.
Nutritional needs also vary depending on lifestyle. A dog whose primary activity is guarding the couch doesn’t need as much energy as one who guards a flock of sheep. Another factor to consider is breed size: small, medium or large.
Finally, consider medical conditions your dog has, such as food allergies, that might require your veterinarian to recommend a special diet.
Once you’ve determined your dog’s life stage and lifestyle needs, decide whether to feed him dry or canned food. Most dogs do well eating only dry food. Dry foods promote oral hygiene for healthy teeth and gums through abrasive chewing action. Some dogs, especially finicky eaters, enjoy wet food because of its smooth, wet texture.
Remember that while dry food can be left in a bowl all day, wet food should be thrown away after 30 minutes if not consumed. Dry food is the best choice for busy people who are not normally home during the day.
After you determine your pet’s nutritional needs and preference, you are ready to go shopping.
Ingredients on dog-food labels are listed in descending order according to weight. Because dogs thrive on animal-based diets, it’s best to pick a food that features an animal-based protein source, such as chicken, lamb, fish or egg, as the first ingredient. Unlike a single-vegetable-based protein source, such as soybean meal or corn-gluten meal, animal-based protein sources contain adequate amounts of essential amino acids.
Scientific studies show that a combination of carbohydrates in the diet, such as corn meal or barley and grain sorghum, offers optimal carbohydrate digestibility and helps maintain energy levels. In addition, scientific studies show that beet pulp — the material remaining after sugar is extracted from sugar beets — is an excellent fiber source and promotes a healthy digestive tract. Finally, for a glossy coat and healthy skin, your pet needs fat in the diet. Good fat sources include chicken fat and fish oil.
Dog-food labels provide limited information about the nutritional value of the food because labeling regulations do not allow manufacturers to describe the quality of ingredients on the package.
A reputable pet-food manufacturer will be able to explain their specific methods for evaluating and assuring the quality of ingredients used in its products.
When choosing food, the price on the bag, while important, is usually not the best consideration. A low price might indicate inexpensive ingredients, or ingredients that change as market prices fluctuate.
Also, many lower-priced products have higher daily portions to provide the same amount of nutrition found in a high-quality diet. To get a better representation of value, it is the cost per feeding, not the total cost, that counts.
To figure cost per feeding, divide the total cost by the number of days the product lasts. For example, a 20-pound bag of food costs $18.99 and lasts 30 days. The cost to feed is $0.63 per day. A 20-pound bag of food that costs $15.99 and lasts 20 days costs $0.80 per day. So, when costs are analyzed properly, high-quality pet foods compare quite favorably to other brands while offering outstanding nutrition.
