Simple Ways Towards Making Long-Term Changes In Your Dog’s Behavior
Posted by PetFan on Jan 27, 2012 in Pets • No commentsTraining a dog is an endeavor which requires a plethora of patience, but if done correctly is also immensely rewarding. In all my life I have known no feeling like companionship greater than that feeling I have with my two dogs. If you’re interested in learning more, read this article. Click here to know more about clicker dog training today.
One tip to keep in mind when training your dog is to ensure that you make it absolutely clear to your dog what it is that your are disciplining it for. This is important to avoid confusion and to teach the dog what is desired and what is undesired behavior. An example of what to avoid is hitting your dog hours past and in a different room from where it shredded your couch.
When you go out with your dog, be courteous. When passing other dogs on the sidewalk, make sure that your dog cannot make contact with the other dog without both owners agreeing to it. This is a great way to avoid unintentional aggression between dogs, since you never know what an unfamiliar dog is like.
As you begin working with your dog on their training program, make sure to pay close attention to their diet. Much like humans, a dog gets their fuel from what they eat each day. Having a diet that is not nutritionally sound can affect a dog’s behavior and make training more difficult.
Establish a calm environment when you enter a room that your dog is in. Play time is good to have with your pet, however, your dog should remain calm when you enter the room. Do not acknowledge the animal when you enter and by doing so you create a controlled atmosphere in which you decide how and when play time begins.
Never physically abuse your dog or yell at them. A good leader takes time to research how to effectively train a dog, and does not need to yell or be violent. Swatting your dog with a rolled up newspaper or your hand only creates fear in your dog. Causing your dog to fear you causes your dog to act out in other ways which creates more problems.
Your dog is the product of many generations of domestication and breeding. If you have a purebred or mixed dog, tailor your training efforts to your dog’s personality. For example, herding dogs may need more work to release energy that would otherwise go to herding efforts to make something like taking leashed walks easier.
If you use treats for positive reinforcement when training your dog, be sure that you use them sparingly. If the dog receives a treat every time it follows one of your commands, it will learn that treats and obedience go together, not you and obedience. If you stop giving treats at that point, the dog will stop obeying.
One of the very first commands you should teach a new puppy is the “leave it” command, which tells them to drop an item and step back from it. This simple command will get them to stop chewing on household items or furniture, and can keep them away from dirty or potentially dangerous items outside the home.
Recall training with your dog should always begin in a safe, enclosed space. A fenced backyard or other outdoor enclosure is the perfect place to start. This will allow you to keep your dog safe while you practice the recall command until the dog is 100% trustworthy, while still challenging him with outdoor distractions.
You should make sure to eat your own meal first before feeding your dog. This shows your dog that you are leader of the pack and helps establish your dominance. Your dog will be much more likely to follow your other commands if he or she knows that you are the boss because you eat first.
With aggressive dogs it is best to begin slowly. Aggressive dogs see themselves as the dominant role in the pack and trying to take that role from them too quickly can result in a negative response from the animal. To avoid bites or difficulty, take small steps in establishing yourself as the pack leader.
Keep training sessions short. Dogs have a short attention span, and keeping the training sessions short and sweet prevents them from becoming a boring chore your dog dreads. If you wish to do more training, give your dog a play break to stretch their legs and relax before resuming their training.
Spend time each day training your dog, even if for only a few minutes a day. Dogs respond well when they get to practice what they are learning and what they have learned. Practicing at least 15 minutes a day on commands your dog already knows keeps the dog in practice.
Watch what sort of activities you are encouraging your dog to do. Sometimes we may perform actions with our dog without realizing that they are training them to do something we dislike. If every time your dog chews something up you send him outside, you are teaching him that chewing something up is the key to getting outdoor time. Be careful with the actions you take, especially ones that tend to be consistent practices.
Training doesn’t only happen during designated training sessions. Every time you interact with your pup, you are training him. Make sure to stay consistent in your commands and requests and to continue to reinforce those good behaviors. If you are training him to stay off the couch, don’t let him jump up there while you are watching a show. Stay consistent at all times with what you want him to do and you will see the rewards.
If you want to get started in dog training, you have to start with a great deal of information so you can best understand what your dog is going to respond to. All dogs are different, and all can be a bit difficult to train if you aren’t using the right tips, such as these found in this article. If you want to know how to better train your dog, then find out more about aggressive dog behavior from today onwards.
