How To Ensure A Puppy Grows To See You As An Authority
This is a partnered post.
In some ways, puppies aren’t altogether that different from children. They’re learning everything from scratch, and have to adapt to their environment slowly, over time, and they need to be watched over while that happens. Furthermore, as they grow, they begin to test boundaries, and need positive reinforcement to make sure they’re raised correctly.
Of course, the techniques differ when trying to implement these lessons, and the degree of complexity are certainly different from task to task. That said, just like a child, a puppy should learn to see you as the authority as they grow, because otherwise they will not learn this and take those boundaries for granted.
Ensuring a puppy sees you as an authority can help prevent a range of issues. First, it will stop them from defying your commands. It could prevent them from behaving negatively around guests or those in public. It can stop them from destroying your home or your property within it. It will help them learn other lessons, such as waiting to go outside before performing their business.
In this guide, we’ll teach you how to achieve that:
Start Early
Starting early as an authority is important. While it can seem as though you just wish to cuddle with them all the time and make sure they’re close to you (sometimes, a puppy’s greatest weapon is how cute they are), it’s important not t o allow certain behaviors, such as letting them sleep in bed with you, as undoing bad habits can take longer if they’ve already been introduced to them. This doesn’t mean you need to discipline a tiny puppy too much, but little standards like that can help if applied early.
Take Them To Training
There are many excellent puppy training services out there, catering to a wide range of breeds and aimed at a wide array of outcomes. One of the benefits of training is that the trainer will help your puppy bond to you, to take your orders, as you grow together. You will need training to be their master, too, and so for that purpose, it can offer a personal benefit. Furthermore, puppy training can help your little pooch get familiar with other dogs around them, which bodes well for taking them to public environments and ensuring they stay calm.
Stay Consistent & Apply Appropriate Discipline
It’s important to stay consistent with the lessons you teach your puppy. For instance, you may set a boundary that says your dog cannot roam around the table looking for dropped food during the time when your family is eating together. If you want that to be a rule, keep it consistent. Do your best to make sure that they are in another room, or that you send them away through instruction. Before long, you will make it clear that this is your intention, and consistency will help you apply that element of discipline.
With this advice, we hope your puppy will start and continue to see you as the authority in your household.