Your Puppy Should Look at You When You Say His Name

The most obvious word you want your dog to learn is his name. You want him to recognize that a particular sound means HIM. You want him to look at you when he hears that sound.

Haven't named your pup yet?

Here's my advice:

• It's easier for a dog to learn a one- or two-syllable name (Luke, Jenna, Kelly, Buffy). If you're partial to a longer name, at least try to choose one that can be shortened. For example, his full name might be Cappuccino but often you just call him Cap or Cappy.
• Avoid names that rhyme with No  (Beau, Joe, Coco) or start with No  (Nova, Noel, Noble). We use No to tell a puppy that certain behaviors are not allowed.
• Avoid unflattering names like Dumbo, Trouble, Devil, Killer. Of course the dog doesn't understand the meaning, but people  do, and every time you or anyone else says that name, it's only natural to think of that dog as being dumb or trouble-making or aggressive. When you have such thoughts, it can come through in your body language... which dogs are very good at reading. You might find that the dog ends up giving you exactly what you expect. So try to pick a positive name.

Step #1 of teaching your puppy his name

Put a handful of soft treats in your pocket. Most pups love cooked chicken: tiny pieces, less than half the size of your thumbnail.

Find a quiet room indoors without distractions. If you have small children or other pets, put them in another room.

Stand in the quiet spot with your puppy on leash. Because you're just standing there saying and doing nothing, he will probably get bored and look up at you. At that moment call his name in a happy voice: "Jake!" (don't just say  it – call  it) and give him a treat.

Now wait for his attention to wander. Walk around the room if that gets him to look away from you. Then stop and wait for him to look up at you again. When he does so, call "Jake!" and give him a treat.

Repeat this pattern about 10 times.

But there's a problem, isn't there? Your pup isn't looking away from you anymore, is he?

This is because dogs are opportunists  who repeat behaviors that bring them something good. Your pup won't take his eyes off you right now because he has made the connection that looking at you   causes a treat to appear. So of course he wants to keep staring at you!

That's perfectly okay. If he won't look away, just call his name while  he's looking at you. Then give the treat. You're still teaching him that his name is associated with something really good.

Step #2 of teaching your puppy his name

Don't be in a rush to move on to this step.

Some owners make the mistake of standing clear across the yard and hollering, "Jake! Jake!" while he's busy doing something else. Sure, he might hear the jake  sound, but he's too distracted to respond to it. Then the owner just stands there – which only reinforces in the pup's mind that the jake  sound must be meaningless.

So give him lots and lots of opportunities to hear the jake  sound when he's actually looking at you, so he learns that the sound refers to himself.

But when he appears to have that part down pat, walk around in your house or yard with your pup on leash. When he gets distracted and looks toward something that interests him, call his name.

If he doesn't immediately look in your direction, call his name again and take a few steps backward, tightening the leash. This should make him look toward you. Then you can praise ("Good boy! Yay!") and treat.

It shouldn't be long before your puppy looks at you immediately when you say his name. Then start cutting back on the treats. Reward for the first look, and the second look. For the third look, praise but give no treat. So it's treat, treat, no treat. Then cut back to treat, no treat, treat, no treat.

Finally, make the treats random. You might treat twice in a row, then nothing three times in a row, then treat, then nothing. Mix it up so your pup's good behavior isn't dependent on treats.

Do's and don't when teaching your puppy his name

• Watch for opportunities during the day to use your pup's name whenever he heads toward you.
• Don't call his name when you're going to correct him.
• Don't use his name in combination with No.  "Jake, good boy!" is fine. "Jake, no!" is less good.

  Unfortunately, though, if you have multiple dogs, sometimes you do need to use the name of the misbehaving one so the other dogs within hearing distance don't feel corrected when they haven't done anything wrong.