If you are looking for a new puppy, a small-sized dog with a huge personality, you may consider the Cavalier King Charles. This adorable little dog has large brown eyes and floppy long ears and comes in a variety of colors from the white and tan tricolor to the rich mahogany, black and tan as well as the red and white. Training your Cavalier puppy should begin a immediately in order to establish who the “head dog” in the family is. Without immediate training, your puppy may develop some bad behaviors. These little dogs do best with adults and older children and require a great deal of socializing from a very young age.
The first step in any puppy training is the wonderful housebreaking techniques. The best way to housebreak a puppy is through crate training. Purchase a crate which your dog can grow into, and blocking off a section of the crate when the puppy is small. Place just a warm bed in there with no excess room. Most animals will not soil where they sleep. With that step in place, now begins the training and it is all a matter of routine. Puppy is always to be in the crate when unattended, at bed times and when you are not at home. As soon as you get up in the morning, right after meal times, when you first return from being away from home and just before bed, take your puppy outside saying “let’s go potty outside” or whatever unique phrase you choose to associate the behavior that you expect from your puppy. You must be consistent in bringing the puppy outside. Also, when you are playing with the puppy and notice he is getting restless and/or starts circling around, get him outside. Every time your pup does as required, outside, give him a small treat and a whole lot of praise and love. That is the best reinforcement of appropriate behavior. Dogs love to please their owners and with repetition, your puppy will learn the proper potty place.
Basic obedience training will provide for a well-behaved dog. You will need a good fitting collar for your dog, a leash, a clicker for clicker training (which you can find at larger pet supply stores) and some reward treats. In order to train your dog, find a quiet area to do so, without distractions, at least through the basic training. It is difficult enough to keep a puppy’s attention. You should also limit training sessions to about 15 minutes at a time for the same reasons. You can have sessions more frequently but for short periods of time to be more effective.
You may need to train your puppy to walk on a leash before you can proceed to other commands. Attach a leash to your puppy’s collar or harness for leash training and let the puppy drag it around just to get used to the feel of it. Give your puppy a treat and praise for getting used to the leash. The next step is to pick up the leash loosely and when your puppy makes a few steps, give a reward. When the puppy pulls or refuses to walk, stand still without a reward. Be patient with your puppy as more and more steps are accomplished on the leash, followed with great rewards.
With your dog on a leash and the clicker in your left hand, behind your back, begin by teaching your puppy to sit. Start while facing your puppy with treats in your right hand. Say the word “sit” while lifting a hand with the treat and if necessary, gently pushing down on the puppy’s rear to get it in a seated position. It may take several times to accomplish the desired behavior. When the puppy sits, click the clicker and give the treat. Do not give the reward until your puppy sits and administer a lot of praise for good behavior.
Once your puppy learns to sit on command, move on to other commands such as “down” to lie down, “stay,” “come” and so forth. State the command, along with a hand gesture and when your dog accomplishes that command, click and give reward simultaneously. For further tips on training your Cavalier puppy, I have included a link below to Black Fire Cavaliers. With patience and time, you will have a wonderful, real trained obedient little Cavalier pup.
http://www.blackfirecavaliers.com/puppy_training_tips.htm
http://www.puppy-training-at-home.com/free-puppy-training-tips.html