Sometimes it may feel as though you brought home Cujo instead of Lassie! Luckily, it just takes some elementary canine training to help your dog understand what sort of behavior is expected.
Crate training a puppy must establish the fact the the crate is the new home of the puppy. Whenever it’s time for them to eat, place their food bowl into the crate and leave the door open when eating. This will let them associate a positive with being in the crate.
When crate training your new puppy or dog, there are a few tricks you can apply. A yummy treat can help to entice a hesitant dog into the crate. As soon as they smell the tempting treat, they will want to get into the crate to enjoy it. After they have entered the crate, be sure to give them praise so they understand that they have done a good thing.
Trying to understand how your dog is feeling. Sometimes a dog will be a slow learner, and this can be frustrating. Instead of completely giving up, consider looking at it from their perspective. Your dog might not be making the connection between the order and the behavior you expect from them because you have not repeated the exercise enough times.
Your dog’s diet plays a huge role in their training and establishing a definitive feeding routine is important. Your dog will begin to recognize there is a routine if you regularly remove the food bowl 10 or 15 minutes after you put it down. Your dog will learn to finish eating before you take the dish away.
Make sure your dog stays calm as you enter a space that he is in. Play time is great, but your dog needs to learn to stay calm as his master enters the room. Don’t acknowledge them when you enter so that you can ensure a controlled environment for how and when playtime starts.
Make sure to give your puppy plenty of toys that are okay to chew, so that he isn’t tempted to chew other things that aren’t okay to chew. Put the chew toy in front of it immediately so it learns that this toy is what it should be chewing. If your puppy seems to be suffering a lot from teething, a frozen washcloth to chew on can give him some relief.
To achieve the best results when housebreaking a pet, be aware of the food and water he consumes. If you want your puppy to relieve himself with regularity, keep the diet regular too, like feeding him good food two or three times daily at consistent intervals. This will give you an idea of when to take your puppy out and lessen the chance of accidents.
Give your dog more freedom as he or she gets further along in the training program. The key to a satisfying life for your dog is a balance of freedom and obedience. Don’t give your dog too much free reign though.
When training your dog, use discretion and regard for your dog’s attention span. Dogs can quickly lose focus when you prolong activities. Try limiting training sessions to 10 minutes or less.
When your pet hears you speak the word ‘no’, your dog must understand that a response is not expected. While training your pet, you need to give them a lot of positive praise and strokes. Simply saying “no” is not enough to help dogs understand how they should behave. Every dog and every situation is different. This means that their training must be tailored accordingly.
The tone of your voice is important during training. Your dog should be able to distinguish between varying tones you use for praise, commands and corrections. Stand firm and be sharp when using commands. Use louder tones for corrections, and use your natural tone when giving praise.
You need to know if there are other dogs around when you are out walking your dog. Some dogs are more aggressive by nature and it is wrong to assume that it is the result of the owner. If you come across an aggressive dog, make sure to steer your own dog clear of it.
One way to help discipline your dog’s bad behavior is to use a water bottle. This will teach your dog that there are certain behaviors that are unacceptable. Before you know it, your dog will cease the biting behavior and just be playful.
“Down” is an important command for dogs to learn. This command is useful to build upon, or on its own in emergency situations. “Down” is the perfect command to keep dogs out of danger.
Anxiety in dogs often leads to destructive behavior like chewing or clawing. Enclosing him in a crate will prevent accidents from occurring and leaving him a chew toy will discourage destruction of your property.
Your dog should be challenged regularly. Get him to repeat tricks you haven’t practiced in a while, to keep him sharp.
Use your pet’s name in a positive connotation much more frequently than you do as part of a reprimand. Your dog will obey a call to its name and come when you call only if the name is associated with good things.
If you have a large dog, and he likes to stretch out, get the dog a big bed. Large, rectangular beds are readily available, or you can purchase a crib mattress. These are advantageous for the fact that you are able to regularly change the cover by using crib sheets. They’re waterproof, too!
Many owners are surprised by how basic canine training can be added to their life and just how fast they can see results. Consider giving some of the ideas outlined above a try, in order to improve the bond between you and your dog.