National Train Your Dog Month - Small dogs
1. Training your little dog is just as important as training a big dog.
2. During National Train Your Dog Month in January, take the opportunity to reinforce good behaviors in your pup
3. Stay: Teaching your dog to stay in one place when you ask is important in a very big way. I like to use the term "Park it!" It makes “Stay” a lot more fun to train you pup to do this
4. Come when called: Being able to call your pup from any distance can be a lifesaver. I teach recall from a “Park it” position first
5. Walk nicely on a leash: Teach your little dog to walk on a leash rather than just picking them up burns off energy, and gives them purpose.
6. Barking: Redirect energy away form nuisance barking. Yes, your little dog wants to be heard. So do you. Yelling isn't appropriate. Neither is non stop barking for small dogs.
Join Calming the Chaos for tips on how to get your anxious little dog to chill!
7. Teach your small dog 3 important things: Stay, Come to you when called and walk on a leash.
Everyone agrees on a big dog... they need to understand these concepts, but little dogs.... you can just pick them up.That's like keeping an adult from adulting. Check out confidence boosting skills for little dogs here: 3 most important skills for little dogs
8. Mean What You Say, Do What You Say
A little dog gets away with a lot of sh*t because people don't follow the same rules they do with big dogs. Let me just tell you after 22 years and thousands of dogs.... a small dog will yard you around to get their way 1000x's harder than a big dog. Mean what you say, do what you say with small dogs is monumental in good dog behavior. I mean seriously, what if you would have actually gotten away with the sh*t you tried to get away with! Structure is your friend. For you and for your dog!
9. Picking your small dog up isn't helping create calm and confidence
You gotta step out there and do your thing at some point. You can't have someone pick you up every time uncertainty arises in the day. It's what builds calm confidence. Yes, a helping hand is appreciated. But you've got to get good at every day life without someone picking you up for every day simple things... same for your small dog. They actually have big personalities and happier developing an adventurist playful lifestyle.... teaching them calm and confidence without constant "rescue" creates a life well played.
10. Your little dog isn't fragile
Seriously... little is mighty. Your little dog is resilient and quite frankly has no idea that it's "little". In fact in my experience they often have way more energy and spunk than a big dog. So please... do all the things, including training your little dog to be cool to go anywhere with you.
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