The first and likely most important part of training your new Alaskan Klee Kai puppy is teaching them their name. Ensuring that your new puppy knows their name is an essential part of effectively training them. Without knowing their name, your puppy is basically lost in the world. They need to know who they are so that they come when you call them, and so that when they are in danger or you need them to stop what they are doing, you can get their attention by calling their name.

To teach them their name, use it all the time, and when they look at you or stop what they’re doing (basically, when they do what you want them to do because they recognize that you are using their name), reward them. Give them a piece of kibble every time. Make sure you are consistent with this practice so that they learn what their name is, and that it is separate and distinct from other animals.

Teaching your puppy to make eye contact is essentially an extension of teaching them their name, and it is every bit as important. To teach puppies this, hold the piece of kibble as close to your face as you need to, in order to get them to make eye contact. They might be more making eye contact with the food, but that’s okay too. It’s important that they understand that they need to look towards your face to find out what’s going on. This is an essential component of keeping them safe, and should be the second thing that they learn so that it’s being practiced along with learning their name. If you call your dog because they are wandering towards a busy street or an unsafe-looking person or animal, you want them to stop and look at you, so it’s important to teach their name and to make eye contact with your puppy for their well-being and their safety.

Sit is a little bit complex, but we know you can do it! Don’t forget to refer to the video if you have any questions! To teach your puppy to sit, you want to hold the kibble between your thumb and your first and second finger with your palm down. This allows your puppy to smell the kibble through your fingers but not to easily get to it. Get their attention by calling them and establishing eye contact, then when you want them to sit, tell them to sit while bringing your hand holding the treat up above their heads. Their natural reaction will be to sit, and when they do, tell them that they are good and bring your hand down, turning the palm over to give them the piece of kibble.

After a while your puppy will get tired or bored or restless, and that’s okay. Resume the training when they are alert and well-rested again to ensure maximum effectiveness. As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions you may have.