Teaching Your Puppy To Sit

Have you ever gotten really annoyed at your chin because he insisted on barking at your friend and jumping all over them? Or what about preparing his dinner? Sure having him bumping the dish, licking your hands and generally making a nuisance of himself may only happen once or twice a day, and training your puppy will take more time than that. But teaching your puppy good manners is going to last his lifetime and make your time together much more enjoyable.

There are two ways to teach your japanese chin to sit. The easiest way is to use motivational training. Take a treat and get your puppy's attention by holding it in front and just above his nose . Slowly move your hand back over his head. Because he wants to keep his eye on the treat he will have to drop his backside on the floor. As he assumes the position, say "Sit" and give him a part of the treat. This will take practice, but it is a fool proof method of getting an unforced sit. Or you could have the puppy stand beside you on your left side, hold a treat in front of him with your right hand, and gently press down on his hindquarters with your other hand. As you are doing this say "Sit". Since chins are a small dog you may have better success with this method than most people do.

Always say your puppy's name before giving a command so he knows you are talking to him, not someone else. If you have taught your puppy using the unforced method, you will eventually be able to mimic your hand motion that you make with the treat and you will get a nice sit.

Leaving Your Puppy Alone

If you normally spend a large part of the day with your puppy, you need to get him used to being left alone when he is still young. Japanese chins, like all dogs, are sociable animals and naturally do not like being left alone. All dogs will have to be left alone at some point, and it is much easier to start when they are puppies. Otherwise you may have to go through scratched and chewed doors, broken items because he raced around frantically, incessant barking and howling, and ruined carpets from him digging and perhaps loosing bladder control, before you train him when he is an adult.

Start training your chin puppy as soon as you get him. When you see he is getting tired and ready for a nap, play with him a little bit then take him outside in case he needs to go to the toilet. Then put him in his bed and shut him in the room alone. Do not go in to him if he whines, barks, or scratches at the door, it will only teach him that such behavior is rewarded and he will do it more often. Eventually he will accept being alone and settle down to sleep. If your dog is still very young, open the door after he falls asleep, he can then come to you when he wakes up and needs to go outside.

Repeat this many times, slowly building up the time you leave your puppy alone. Do this until he can easily be alone for a few hours.

Never punish your puppy when you come home after leaving for a few hours. Your puppy will not link his punishment with what he did no matter what has happened. He will only be worried about you leaving again, because he links your anger with being left alone and your return.

Important Obedience Commands

 Stay is an important obedience command to perfect when training your puppy, and it will take considerable practice. Fortunately you can practice it while doing housework or moving about in a cellar workshop. You can teach your puppy to stay either sitting or lying down. Start by saying "Stay" and walking away, and acting shocked if he gets up and follows you. When your puppy sits or lays down go through it again. Always lavish praise on him if he has "stayed" for even a few seconds. Gradually lengthen the time and practice "staying" often.

Your puppy should not bark and dash forward at anyone, even a suspected interloper, until given a command. Japanese chins are not naturally aggressive so you shouldn't have a problem with this. Teach him to "sit" when meeting a new friend, never let him jump on people. If you take him out for exercise on the sidewalk, teach him to walk on a leash without pulling; "heel" is especially useful here. Never let your puppy run loose on the street, and do not allow him to make a nuisance of himself wandering around the neighborhood.

Unless you have a special chair for your puppy, do not allow him on the furniture. Do not let him beg at the table, although you may have a harder time training your family than him!

Housebreaking In An Apartment

Housebreaking your chin in an apartment with no yard is difficult, but it is not impossible. You will need to find an area close to your apartment that your puppy can use as a toilet area. Since this may be a long distance from your apartment, it becomes even more important that you take your puppy out every hour. You will also need to watch carefully for your puppy's signs of wanting to relieve himself well in advance.

All chin puppies learn at different rates. A few will take a long time while others pick up what is required almost instantly. Some may take six months or longer. Japanese chins that come from a dirty or cramped kennel are more likely to take longer than ones that had a better start.

The best thing you can do to have your puppy housebroken quickly is put in a lot of time and effort. More input from you will speed up the time taken to become completely clean; while less input will drag out the process.

Teaching The "Come" Command

One thing that is very important for you to teach your chin is the "Come" command. Before you can even expect your dog to respond to "Come" you need to make it something positive. Immediately before your dog does something fun (going for a ride, dinner, walks, treats ect.) you need to say "Come". Do not use it for something negative such as grooming, bathing, or when you have to isolate your puppy. Also use a different command to bring your puppy inside. Coming in from outside is a big drag, on the same fun level as being left alone or ignored. Instead of using "Come" pick something like "Inside". Never use "Come" when you are angry. Do not chase your chin puppy if he does't respond. Practice it on lead for now, using a variety of treats to entice him. Never yank violently or choke your puppy to get him to come to you when he is on leash.