You dreamed of bringing home Lassie, but you may have a dog that acts more like Cujo! With some basic training, you can teach your dog to act better quicker.
Keep your dog on a healthy diet. Eating a poor diet will negatively affect your dog in many ways. It is damaging to their health as well as making them more prone to bad behaviors. Training may very well go easier when dogs are given the proper nutrients in a healthful diet.
Dogs have a short attention span and you will have to attract his attention. Your dog can learn to focus less and less, except for your commands, by using repetition.
If you want your dog to follow the rules, keep training it, it needs to be refreshed! Do not believe that just because you dog has graduated from obedience school that training is complete. However, pets are ruled by habits, structure and routine in much that same way that humans are. It is important that the training your dog receives is reinforced regularly.
Always be ready with dog treats. They need to know that the behavior they have done is exactly what you wanted them to do. This is the best way to ensure that the dog understands the difference between right and wrong.
When your dog does something unacceptable, make sure that it becomes known. You will not be hurting them if you squeeze them softly, they just do not like it. Before long, they will stop their habit of jumping on people due to this association.
Stay firm when you are training your dog. Yelling at the dog is counterproductive, and it is necessary to balance strictness in response to misbehavior and love in response to obedience. This fosters a strong relationship between you and your dog.
It’s to be expected that your new puppy will likely have an accident now and then. When accident do happen, clean them up rapidly and thoroughly. When a dog uses the house to relive itself, the smell can linger on the carpet if not cleaned properly. You will then have a dog that will continue to use that same spot all of the time. There are many products on the market that can help with this, so check with your local pet shop.
Try to keep your leash loose when you take your dog outside to train. Dogs like to explore new places when they are out on a walk. Their enthusiasm will lead to a large amount of strain being applied to their leash. Great dog owners don’t allow this behavior. Instead, they encourage their dogs to walk with some slack in their leash.
One tip to keep in mind when training your dog is that everything you do with your dog is molding its personality and behavior. It is imperative that you know this, you might see that they will revert to bad things if they are teased. You will want to mold your dog by always working toward desired behavior.
If you are consistent, you will be able to teach your furry friend to wait. Spend plenty of time with him, and go outside with him once an hour. When the dog eliminates outside, offer it praise. Don’t yell at your dog for an indoor accident. In the beginning, they won’t understand what they did wrong. Take your dog out soon after meals and after coming out of the crate.
Your dog should always be able to identify which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. This means everyone living in the house needs to enforce the boundaries you set. This can undo any progress you have made.
Your dog’s name should mostly be used for positive reinforcement. However, if you do use it in a negative way, make sure you turn around and use it positively at least three times afterwards. You don’t want to train your dog to be scared to come when called or to think you’re mad every time you use its name.
When training a dog, make sure to stay consistent. Have a strict list of command words that you always use, and make sure that anybody that associates with your dog knows the command words as well. Anyone needing to handle your dog should follow the same program, using reward for good behavior and taking care to never reward bad behavior. Different cues from different people will confuse your dog.
Start your training sessions with a treat for each successful command. Once they understand, start phasing out the treats.
A well-fed dog who has plenty of fun play toys is less likely to dig in the trash. Empty out your trash frequently, especially if they contain mean and/or bones. Always put your dog in a crate when you leave home.
Fetch is a great way to teach a dog you’re the boss. If you pick up a ball that your dog drops, then your dog will believe he is in charge. Have the dog bring you the item or else you’ll stop playing with him and you’ll be the leader of the pack again.
Introductions to new dogs or any other animals should occur slowly and carefully. Before you bring a new pet home, think about the pet you already have. The animals should have compatible personalities and be able to bond with each other easily.
Behavior problems that suddenly occur with no reason may indicate a medical problem that needs to be evaluated by a veterinarian. Pain in an animal can cause erratic behavior. Dogs can’t tell you what is bothering them so acting out is their way to say, hey, something’s wrong.
Most dog owners are surprised at how simple it is to include puppy training routines into their lifestyle and how fast they see results. If your dog is testing your patience a bit, try using a few of these tips.