When you brought home your dog you were expecting Lassie, but sometimes it feels like you brought Cujo home instead. With some training, you can have a well behaved pet.
Your dog should be eating the right amount of healthy food. A poor diet will negatively affect your dog’s skin, eyes, muscles, bones and joints. It not only makes your dog unhealthy but can make him misbehave as well. Improving your dog’s diet will also improve its mental capacity.
Be patient when training a dog. This ensures that you both do not get frustrated. Keep in mind that they wish to please you; however, they get confused because they can’t understand your language.
Start training with something simple. Smaller, more easily learned behaviors are more likely to produce timely successes and a solid foundation for future training efforts. This will give you positive results from the onset.
Have fun with your dog each day when training. Playful interaction strengthens the bond between you, and will have your dog striving even harder to please you during training. While training can be fun, try having play time with your dog every day for a period of time.
Make sure training periods are short in duration. Dogs don’t have long attention spans so keeping training short and concise keeps it from becoming something that they dread. If more training is desired, work in some break times so your dog can play before continuing with training.
It’s essential that you understand that you must be firm with your dog when you are in training mode. You should not be extremely strict or loving all the time. Find a balance on gentle firmness to use with your dog. This consistent interaction will lend toward a good relationship between you are your dog.
Teach your dog not to bark with a simple command. When he barks, show him his favorite treat, and repeat the command. “Quiet” works well. Then, they can receive the treat. If this is done with sufficient frequency, the dog is sure to associate treats with the command to be silent.
You cannot rush through the training process. Puppies do not have a very long attention span and limited energy, keep it brief and positive. If you push too hard, your puppy will remember it as a negative experience, and the next time you work to train him, it will be far more difficult.
If you use a leash to train your pet, you must ensure that it remains loose rather than taut. Dogs love exploring when they get to walk. Due to their excitement, they will try to pull on their leash. The smart owner will deter this behavior by having his pet walk without tension on the leash.
Praise your dog often so that they look forward to training sessions. Smile, get excited and provide them with treats to help them relate proper behavior with positive reinforcement. You should not give them a treat or reward if they are not doing something good.
What is your dog’s diet like? A bad diet can really change the behavior of even the best dogs. There are specialty foods available for individual dog breeds. You can try one of these if your dog’s energy seems low. Ask your vet to recommend the appropriate diet for your dog’s age, breed and activity level.
Research dog breeds if you’re interested in training a dog for agility. Most dogs can learn agility and join competitions, but border collies, Australian shepherds and Labs usually do best in these competitions.
A crate can come in handy when housebreaking a dog. Take your dog outside frequently and try to maintain a regular schedule in order to maximize the effectiveness of the crate. After some time, they will less likely have accidents in the house.
People are often amazed about how easy it can be to train your dog and how quick they see changes. Therefore, should you start to feel frustration with your dog, put some of the following advice to work.