Free Obedience Training Tips for Toy Breed Puppy

A well-trained dog is a happy dog and a great companion. Toy breeds are often left untrained because of the inconvenience of reaching them and in many cases because they are so flighty and hyperactive. Your small toy puppy (or older dog) can greatly benefit from obedience training if they are overactive, and good focused training helps to divert other bad behaviors, such as barking and destroying furniture. You can train your toy dog easy with these free obedience tips that won't break your back.

Use a table or chair. That is the big trick. All of the basic obedience skills you normally begin with can be started on either a table or chair. A waist-high table works best. Put your toy dog on it. Keep the sessions short for your toy dog. Puppies under 6 months of age do not have a long attention span, so keep training sessions to under five minutes but do them several times a day.

Start with sit, down and stay. Teach the simple skills at a very early age for a quick start when they are old enough for the bigger things. Real obedience training should not begin until a puppy is older than 6 months, but you can begin training the easy things like sit, down and stay very early on as soon as you bring your new puppy home.

Remove a small bite-sized treat from your treat pouch or pocket and hold it in your hand above your toy dog's nose and place your free hand on his rump while giving the command to sit. Apply easy pressure until he responds by sitting and give him the treat while praising him. Repeat this several times fading out the treat gradually. Always praise your toy dog with large amounts of love and affection for every effort, even if he is not perfect. He is trying his best, and young or old it takes time for them to learn what you are asking. Repeat this command several times during each session.

Hold your dog's leash close to the collar while placing your free hand under his front legs while he is in a sitting position and give the command "down." Apply a gentle downward tug on the leash as you push his front legs forward until he is in a prone position. Give him a treat and/or praise for a job well done. Repeat several times per session.

Hold your hand up palm side toward your puppy's face and give the command to stay. Don't move away--just make her maintain her position for a count of three and then release her with an "okay" or whatever word you choose as a release word from any training position.

With those three basic obedience commands you will have better control over your toy breed puppy and a great basis for more advanced work as they get older. Teaching them "heel" and "come" will also be easier because they have learned how to learn with the earlier sessions. Even though you have mastered the basics above with your puppy, never stop with daily training by providing lots of love with each well done command. It is a valuable time spent that will build a bond between you and your puppy and keep him sharp. Daily obedience work also gives your puppy a way to use his energy and a focus away from negative behaviors. Once your puppy is responding well to the commands, practice them on the floor both inside and outside to strengthen the training. Remember that treats are a valuable training method, especially with very young dogs who do not have long attention spans. They should be used very sparingly and replaced with praise alone as quickly as possible with each new skill your toy dog has achieved.