English Toy Terriers are intelligent and quick to learn when their trainer uses positive reinforcement, and when training is fun. ETTs do have a stubborn Terrier streak in them but they are very trainable if you approach training as learning to work together, as opposed to dominating your dog. ETTs can be sensitive – never use punitive or harsh training methods.
Training is obviously beneficial – first and foremost we need to teach our English Toy Terriers how to be good canine citizens so they can behave appropriately in different situations, and of course for their own safety. But training can also create a positive, rewarding bond between you and your dog.
Key to training your dog is learning to communicate with your dog and a brilliant way to start is at an obedience training club with qualified trainers.
There are many different types of training and reasons to train. On this page, we look at some key training areas:
- Socialisation
- House training
- Crate training
- Obedience training
- Dealing with behavioural issues
- The science behind dog training
1. Socialisation
Early socialisation for puppies is an essential foundation to ensuring that your dog lives a happy and contented life, and to help prevent unwanted behavioural issues that may be based in stress or fear. An obvious example is reactivity to other dogs which is usually based in fear,and expressed as different levels of aggression from barking to biting.
Socialisation means getting your dog used to and comfortable with different sights, sounds, places, people, dogs, other animals, different situations and experiences and this needs to start as soon as your puppy begins to open their eyes and crawl around which is why it’s so important to buy a puppy from a responsible breeder.
There is a balance though – while we need to socialise our dogs, their experiences need to be good ones. Putting a young dog in lots of scary situations repeatedly in a short space of time can overwhelm them which is counter-productive. Look out for signals of stress from your dog and make sure they are comfortable with the situations they are in. that doesn’t mean babying them or stopping all together – it may mean that you just need to find a way of handling a particular situation differently with your dog.
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2. House training
House training can be time intensive but essential if you don’t want to spend the next 15 years cleaning up “accidents”.
An effective approach is:
- Take your puppy outside every time after they:
- Wake up
- Eat
- Drink
- Have a play session
- Anything really exciting happens (e.g. a visitor arrives at your house)
- Something scares them
- And an hour after their last pee/poop if none of the above have happened
- When they toilet outside, introduce cue words e.g.”pee pee” and “poopy” and give them positive verbal praise. Don’t give them treats – it can lead to some dogs toileting indoors in the hope they’ll get a treat!
- When they have learned an association with the cue words, when you take them out, use the cue words to encourage them to toilet.
Remember: never scold or punish your dog if they have an accident indoors – just clean it up calmly and quietly.
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3. Crate Training
English Toy Terriers should never be crated for long periods of the day – they are intelligent and affectionate dogs who need physical and psychological stimulation and human interaction.
That said, it can be very useful to crate train your English Toy Terrier e.g. travelling in a crate in the car or confining them for short periods for their own safety, particularly when puppies.
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4. Obedience training
Whether you are a first-time dog owner or an experienced dog person, obedience training with your English Toy Terrier is a key foundation to calm, appropriate and safe behaviour, enabling our dogs to behave as “good citizens” according to our social norms. English Toy Terriers are intelligent and quick to learn and very trainable with the right approach.
We recommend that you join an obedience class with a local dog training club where the trainers use positive reinforcement techniques to start basic obedience training with your dog, whether you are a new dog owner or an experienced owner. As well as training your dog, classes offer good socialisation opportunities, and most training clubs offer both puppy and adult obedience classes.
Remember that training should be fun for your dog, and learning the basics of obedience training can be very rewarding in terms of building the bond with your dog.
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5. Behavioural Issues
If your dog develops undesirable behavioural issues, you and your dog may benefit from a consultation with a professional canine behaviourist. The most common behavioural issues include separation anxiety, reactivity and/or aggression to other dogs or people, and excessive and persistent barking.
The world of canine behaviourists can be a bit of a Wild West. If searching for a behaviourist, speak to your vet for a recommendation of a qualified clinical canine behaviourist (some pet insurance policies cover behavioural consultations when referred by a vet), or search through one of the following respected organisations:
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6. The science behind dog training
Understanding the science behind dog training can really help you to develop your training skills and also help with awareness of how your behaviour may affect your dog, whether intended or not.
Most dog training is based in classical conditioning (think Pavlov’s dogs) and operant conditioning (think good and bad consequences for behaviour such as a treat for a sit or being ignored for jumping up).
Remember, English Toy Terriers are intelligent and sensitive dogs and should be trained with positive reinforcement techniques.