Why should we teach our puppy his name, you say? Well for starters, it is a very good way to get your dog out of trouble and I’m sure there are many other reasons but one is sometimes all you need.

Just like anything else repetition and rewards go well together and teaching your puppy his name is no different. First you should have a few things handy, such as a clicker and some treats that you know your dog loves; so that you can use these as rewards when your puppy responds to his name.

Call your puppy by his name at almost every chance you get in the beginning, by this I mean, saying come and his name, how are you doing today and his name just so he gets used to hearing it. The clicker will help your dog to associate the sound with the treat. So when your puppy responds to his name you click the clicker, give him a treat and say good boy/girl.

To take this training a bit further try saying your puppy’s name when there is little distraction around i.e. when maybe its just you and your puppy around. As the puppy gets used to hearing his name try calling his name when there is a bit more distraction around say at a park and as your puppy gets better at responding to his name you can take the training to another level by checking his response when there are lots of distractions e.g. when you have visitors around and there is a lot going on.

Don’t forget to use your clicker and the treats every time he responds to his name. As time progresses, you can reduce the use of the clicker and the treats as your puppy’s response should now be because he recognises his name and not because he gets a treat at the end of it.

Getting the rest of the family involved in training your puppy is always a good idea. That way your puppy learns the sound of everyone’s voice and begins to distinguish who’s who but also learns to respond to his name no matter who in the family calls him. This can also be a time of bonding for the family as this is something you can all do together.

It may be useful to record how well your puppy is doing on a chart like the one below:

Puppy responds to his name or looks at me:

Some examples of the different levels of distractions are:

Low level:

-    You have a toy in your hand or someone else is in the family room

Higher/moderate level:

-          A phone or doorbell is ringing when you call his name

-          You are lying down or facing a different direction when you call his name

High level:

-          You have guests visiting

-          You are in a busy place or park

-          Other people or dogs are interacting with your puppy

After your puppy has mastered ‘name recognition’ you can start thinking about the other important commands or potential life savers he needs to know such as ‘Come’, ‘Drop it’ and ‘Leave it’. These commands are important as you are able to distract your puppy from potentially dangerous situation, such as broken glass, dropped medication and other dangers.

For more information on how to train your puppy… Click Here