Teaching your precious pooch where it's safe for him to play and roam is important for his safety. A well-trained pup can also have more freedoms, such as being off-leash where permitted.
Step 1
Train your puppy on the basic commands and behaviors of "Sit," "Stay," "Come" and leash-walking before trying to instill the boundaries of the yard. Having these basic commands down will greatly help you in your quest for the perfectly behaved pooch.
Step 2
Walk your puppy close to the boundaries of the yard and stop several feet before you get to your imposed boundaries. If your puppy keeps walking forward, gently pull his leash -- don't yank it -- and say "Come" while turning and quickly walking the opposite direction. The gentle pull on his collar will be enough to startle him.
Step 3
Give your puppy a treat when she turns around and retreats from the boundaries with you, praising her with love and positive energy.
Step 4
Attach a 15, 20 or 30 foot training leash to your puppy. Big-box stores and pet-supply stores sell these.
Step 5
Have a family member or friend that your puppy loves run through the yard and past the boundary. Pull your puppy close to you with the leash to prevent him from breaking the boundary. Again, lavishly praise your furry guy with affection and even special treats. During the exercise, this person shouldn't call or taunt your puppy as that would confuse the puppy and defeat the purpose of the lesson.
Step 6
Move onto using more distractions once your pooch no longer chases the person past the boundary. Balls, toys or people playing outside of the boundaries make excellent distractions for most pups. Keep pulling your dog to you with the training leash and praising him with affections, kisses and positive energy.
Step 7
Continue this training until your pup refuses to cross the boundary despite all temptations and distractions.
Step 8
Play with your puppy off-leash within the boundaries for about a month. Playing in your yard for this time will help your pooch be comfortable in his yard, allow you and your pooch to bond while also not confusing him by going new places.
Step 9
Praise your puppy thoroughly when he does a good job - reinforcing the good behavior. Your pup will respond better to positivity than to negativity.
References
Resources
Tips
- The "Come" command is among the most important commands for a dog to know and always follow. When a puppy knows how to come to you when the command is given, regardless of distractions or temptations, boundary training will go much smoother.
Writer Bio
With a professional background in gardening, landscapes, pests and natural ecosystems, Jasey Kelly has been sharing her knowledge through writing since 2009 and has served as an expert writer in these fields. Kelly's background also includes childcare, and animal rescue and care.