To teach and train our Maltese Bichon it is essential to dedicate time, dedication and great dedication. If when our puppy comes home and we put aside his socialization and learning, we are condemning him to a complicated adult life, both for them and for us.
maltese bichon dog education
The happiness of our puppy, future adult, will depend to a large extent on our dedication in these first weeks, our performance in this period will entail exactly what kind of adult our puppy will become. Do we want a fearful, belligerent canine that doesn’t know how to live with other dogs or people? Or do we prefer an adult dog that is the joy of everyone both inside and outside the home?
The training and education of the dog is one of the most entertaining and comforting stages for the owner. It is also the stage with the most responsibilities, since this first phase will be the mirror in which the future adult canid will be projected into which our Maltese puppy will become.
During these first weeks – months, our puppy is like a sponge that absorbs everything he experiences. His first experiences will mark his future behavior, both for better and for worse. In addition to his own experiences, he will also influence us to teach him certain behaviors that will facilitate coexistence in our home. For this we are going to establish a road map to teach our Bichon Maltese puppy step by step.
EDUCATION OF THE MALTESE PUPPY INSIDE THE HOUSE
In this initial phase, in which the puppy arrives at our home with just 8-10 weeks of life, we must develop the role of guides. During their first weeks at home we must place special emphasis, in order of priority, on the following.
Hygiene habits within the home. Essentially, they begin to assimilate the behavior of doing their needs outside the home, or initially on paper inside the house.
Learn to control his bites: It is very normal for him to bite while playing, both at other pets and at people. It is important that you know the difference between biting a toy and biting a person. The latter must be avoided.
Learning to be left alone: Bichon Maltese puppies, in the same way as other breeds, suffer from being left alone. We must teach them to endure that moment of solitude.
Prevent them from jumping on people: It is common for them to jump on people from a young age to greet them, either their owners or guests. This over time, can be annoying We must suppress this behavior. Avoid getting on the sofa, bed, etc.: As before, we should not let the dog get on the sofa, bed, and obviously, not sleep with us.
RULES OF CONDUCT OUTSIDE THE HOME
It is essential that your dog knows how to behave when you take him out for a walk. There is not only discomfort for an owner than a naughty and uncontrolled dog. He can transform into a nightmare. In this guide we will see how to train our Bichon Maltese in the following:
- Learn to go out on a leash.
- Reply to the command: Here!
- Respond to the command: Sit! (Sit down)
- Respond to the command: Down! (lie down)
Below we explain how to work on the behavior of the Maltese Bichon in each of the previously called sections.
Educate the puppy in habits and hygiene
This will be the main task during the puppy’s first weeks at home. We must shape an area of the living room, bathroom or kitchen so that, during his first weeks, he has a place to relieve himself. To mold this area we will simply place some sheets of newspaper on the ground.
This part of his education requires a lot of dedication and solidity. We must reward him, for example, with a treat for puppies, every time he relieves himself in the newspapers. If we see that the puppy begins to relieve himself elsewhere, we can pick him up and place him on the newspaper area.
Then reward him. It is recommended that when you finish eating or when you wake up, take it in your arms and place it on the newspaper area, since it is at this time when it is more likely that he will relieve himself. Little by little he will get the hang of it, and it will be himself who goes directly to the newspapers to relieve himself. It is important to sustain the positive reinforcement (give him a treat) over time.
Education of the Maltese puppy indoors
With the passage of time, when the puppy can start to leave the house, we will change our way of acting. In general, puppies want to relieve themselves within a few minutes of eating. At that moment is when we must take him out to the street so that he does his needs. And there we will begin to reward him away from home.
From that moment we will stop rewarding him at home when he does his needs on the newspaper and we will only award it outside. When you take him out of the house, let him choose the place to relieve himself. From then on you will surely always go to the same place. In this way we will get the dog to relate the way to doing his needs.
Important:
When he relieves himself elsewhere, we must not scold him.
When he relieves himself off of his newspaper, clean that area with vinegar or ammonia, this will remove any odor that will entice him to return to relieve himself there.
