Whether you are just beginning the process of training your dog or a seasoned dog training professional with experience, this article will provide you with a variety of tips, suggestions and advice that you can apply to your situation to maximize results and achieve your dog training goals and objectives.
To introduce a new animal into a home that already has dogs, you should give that animal their own territory. This could mean initially giving the new cat or dog their own room or taking your old dogs out of the house before bringing the new dog in. Because dogs are very territorial, this tactic gives your new dog more leverage and makes your older dogs more reluctant to get aggressive.
Don’t allow your dog to jump on you when you get home. Your pet needs play time (and you might too), but your pet needs to be calm when you step into rooms most of the time. Try not to acknowledge your pet when you set foot into rooms, and this can imbue calm environments most of the time, since your dog will wait for you to start play time.
Your dog’s behavior during walks should become habit through consistency. Teach your dog to focus on you and your physical clues about their behavior. Teaching them to walk with you should come naturally to them if you are leading and demanding the attention of your dog. If you are walking with purpose, it will be emulated by your pet.
Focus on making the training sessions with your dog fun. All animals behave better when they enjoy being good. Use whatever your dog likes, including toys, attention and privileges, to help make training a game rather than a chore. You will probably be surprised at the type of results you get from your animal.
Crate training is something that is accomplished over time. First, you should only expect your dog to stay in the crate for short periods of time. As your dog grows older you can gradually extend this confinement, which can eventually stretch out to much longer periods of time without any ill effect on your pet.
When you are working on commands with your dog, work only on one command at a time, and only say the command one time. Do not say the command word more than once. Your goal is for your dog to obey the command immediately. You don’t want to have to say the same thing over and over.
If your otherwise well-behaved and housebroken dog starts exhibiting poor behaviors, such as urinating indoors, take it to a vet to rule out any medical problems. Many medical issues can cause a dog to act out. Don’t punish your sick dog for showing you that it is sick; help it.
Once your pet is able to progress through training sessions, you’ll be able to loosen the reins somewhat. The right balance of training, obedience and freedom ensures your dog has an enjoyable life. Just be cautious not to give too much freedom at once, as this may have a counter effect on your dog training.
Dogs need routine, so feed your dog at the same time every day. This also helps with training. This way, you are aware of when your dog will need to do his business, and you can take him outside before an accident occurs. Following a schedule will also help your dog learn how to “hold it” until his next potty break.
The basics of training your dog involve rationing food and physically showing the dog what to do. By rationing the food your dog gets throughout the day, you can use treats during training more effectively. By physically moving the dog you can “force” the dog to understand what you intend the dog to do, in response to a certain command.
When you are training your dog, remember to take frequent breaks and not try to teach too much all at once. Your dog will quickly become overwhelmed and refuse to follow directions if the training period is too long. So ensure your sanity and your dogs by teaching in small increments.
To help train your puppy not to chew on household items and furniture, you should make sure that your puppy is always occupied with an acceptable activity. Just like small children, puppies are always wanting to experience new adventures. If you don’t provide an activity, they will find one, and you probably won’t like the one they pick.
Never punish your dog, or discipline him, after the fact. If you find that he urinated on the carpet earlier in the day, punishing him now won’t help. Dogs cannot reason and have very short term memories, so they will not associate the earlier accident with the punishment at hand.
One tip to keep in mind when training your dog, is that there is no one way to train your dog because your dog is unique. This is important because you need to understand your dogs needs, and what the best way is to approach training and discipline. You definitely do not want to stick to a method if it is the wrong way to teach your dog.
When you’re training your dog it is critical that you never abuse your dog. Abusing your dog in form of punishment will just lead to your dog fearing you. A simple “no” is much more effective. You really have to be consistent, and patient.
Housebreaking a dog takes time. Make sure that you take the dog out first thing in the morning and keep taking him out throughout the day. Always take him to the same spot when taking him out to potty. The dog will learn to associate this spot with his business. If an accident happens clean it up and ignore the dog. This will let him know that you are unhappy with him. Do not physically discipline the dog or rub his nose in it, doing so just intimidates the dog and makes accidents more likely to occur.
To conclude, remember that you can make use of the information, tips, advice and suggestions highlighted in this article to train your dog(s) regardless of whether you are just beginning the process, or looking for ways to enhance your existing process. Be patient and apply the information to your case and good luck with your dog training adventures.