Basic Lure/Reward Training

All you need to train your puppy is the inclination, a few sparks in your brain, a couple of pieces of kibble in your hand, and...the puppy. So, enough said — let's get going. Ask your pup whether it is ready to proceed by moving a food lure up and down in front of his nose. If your puppy nods in agreement, you're off and running.

If your pup does not follow the kibble with his nose, use something more enticing for the meantime, such as a favorite chewtoy, or tug toy. But then make sure you teach your puppy to work for kibble. You may not need food lures and rewards to train your puppy, but family, friends and visitors and especially, children and men will need the help of food lures and food rewards. (In fact, I suggest you give children freeze-dried liver to use when training the puppy.) Weigh out your puppy’s daily ration of kibble each morning and place it in a jar to use for training throughout the day. Do not waste valuable training lures and rewards by feeding your dog from a bowl. Handfeed your dog. Once your dog is well behaved and mannerly and perfect for you, you may feed your dog when and however you like. For the meantime though, use each piece of kibble as a food lure and handfeed it as a food reward.

Strive for a really brilliant performance, not just a lackluster attempt. Use a variety of rewards (like a slot machine), and let the value of each reward reflect the quality of your pup's responses. Praise your puppy only for above average responses. Give praise and a piece of kibble for good responses, give praise and freeze-dried liver for better responses, and save the very best rewards (jackpots) — maybe a game of tug, or a snuggle on the couch — for the very best responses. By rewarding your pup differently according to the standard of its responses, you'll find your pup's performance will continue to improve from day to day.