Whippet puppy training should start at the very moment your new pet walks through your door for the first time. Don’t be intimidated though, because this article lists down some tips that you can follow to make whippet training easier.
Temperament of whippets
Before you panic at the thought of whippet puppy training, take heart, because whippets are actually one of the easiest breeds to train. Not only are they smart and loving, they are also very obedient and eager to please their family, so you shouldn’t encounter that much difficulty in whippet puppy training.
Tips in whippet puppy training
Some of the things that you need to remember in whippet puppy training include:
- Exercise patience. Whippets may be intelligent and obedient, but this doesn’t mean that they’re not prone to making mistakes. As such, make sure that you exercise patience in whippet puppy training. This is particularly important since the breed is known for being shy and docile, and scolding them can make them become more withdrawn and even afraid of you.
- Use routines. Try to follow a schedule when training your puppy, even when it comes to housebreaking him or her. Puppies respond well to routines, so train them at the same time, feed them at specific times during the day, and bring them out to do their business at a specified time as well. Keep the locations fixed as well, such as where their food and water bowls are located, where their beds are, and where the bathroom is.
- Add variety to the training. Whippets are pretty smart, so adding variety to their training can be a great way to keep them enthusiastic and excited about their tasks. Boring, routine whippet puppy training can make your puppy bored and cause his or her mind to wander.
- Follow a reward system. It doesn’t necessarily have to mean food; praise your puppy every time he or she does the task you’ve set out for him or her to do. Do make sure to reward your puppy only if he or she has done the task though. Giving a reward even if the task wasn’t completed can send mixed messages to your puppy, making him or her confused as to which of his actions brought him the treat.
- Train before meals or after exercise. Training them after exercise is ideal as their extra energy would have been burned off by then, allowing them to pay more attention to you. Training them before meals is also ideal so that the food rewards will be more attractive to them.
- Keep the sessions short and sweet.
- Don’t train your puppy if you’re in a bad mood. Whippets are very sensitive, making them receptive to the mood of their owners. As such, if your mind is not on the training, your puppy won’t be focused as well.
Even if you’re not planning to enter your dog in a competition, whippet puppy training is still important in order to make sure that your pet behaves in the way that you expect him or her to act. As such, do take the time and the effort to train your puppy.
Whippet Training…
