When is the golden age for training a Bichon Frise? Just as human children begin learning early, the best time to train a Bichon is also when it is still young. A Bichon's behavior in adulthood depends to a large extent on the training it received as a puppy. Therefore, the best training period is puppyhood itself.
How should a young Bichon be trained? Training should begin as soon as the puppy enters its new environment.
Standards for Training a Bichon Frise
1. Dog training must be based on trust, and the trainer must have enough patience.
2. Hitting or using other rough methods on a young Bichon is forbidden. After training, praise the puppy so it feels it is capable of doing the task rather than being forced.
3. Learning and training do not need to be limited to one fixed daily session. The trainer can spend one day each week on a more focused exercise session while reinforcing lessons during the remaining days.
4. Before guiding the young Bichon into training, the owner should crouch or kneel so as to be closer to the dog.
5. During training, make full use of body language and facial expression so that the puppy's attention stays focused on the trainer.
6. When giving a command, the most important thing is the trainer's tone of voice, not the volume.
7. Commands must be short. Ideally they should be very brief, because long sentences only confuse the dog.
8. Do not feed the puppy before the first training session of the day. During training, food can be used as encouragement. After eating, do not let the dog play wildly, or stomach cramps and discomfort may occur.
9. In each training session, after the dog completes an exercise, let it rest and play for a few minutes.
Outdoor Toilet Training for the Bichon Frise
The first thing a young Bichon needs to learn is how to go outside to eliminate on its own. In principle, after each feeding and after waking up, the trainer should take the dog outside, ideally through the same door every time, and bring it to the same toilet area. If you need to carry the puppy, one hand should support the chest and the other the hips and upper legs.
Every time the young Bichon succeeds in going outside and relieving itself independently, it should receive plenty of praise and petting. Most young Bichons can learn this within about half a month.
While learning to eliminate outdoors, the puppy may show many signs, such as bumping into the door, sniffing the floor before reaching the designated place, or circling around the area. These are all part of the learning process.
If the young Bichon eliminates indoors while the trainer is present, it should be corrected immediately and taken outside to the designated place. It is often helpful to leave a small amount of waste in the outdoor toilet area at first so the dog understands the intention more quickly. The dirty indoor area should be cleaned thoroughly with disinfectant or with vinegar and water.