When your dog is tearing up your home, you have a real problem. You’ve had to deal with chewed up shoes, soiled carpets and much more, and it is now time that your dog be trained. In this article, we will review proven methods for teaching your dog house manners.
Make sure that your dog stays in a relaxed area. It is nice to calmly play with your dogs, but remember to stay relaxed. Avoid acknowledging the dog upon your entry, and you can foster the sort of controlled environment necessary to good behavior.
Use control when rewarding good behavior during dog training. Give your dog a treat after they properly respond to your commands, but only if they are nice and calm. Although you are certainly excited about your dog’s accomplishment, showcasing lots of excitement on your end can cause your dog to become too excited, which causes you to lose control. Remain calm, expect the dog to be calm and provide appropriate rewards.
It is important to have a consistent training method when crate training young puppies. When your puppy gets out of its crate he will need to relieve himself. The dog will eventually learn that there are proper times to go outside and use the restroom.
Proper Nutrition
When trying to train your dog, avoid accidentally reinforcing negative behaviors. Avoid giving them any rewards they haven’t earned. For instance, if your dog does not sit when commanded, do not rub his head affectionately unless he actually sits.
Feed your dog a healthy diet. A poor diet is bad for your dog on several levels. Without proper nutrition, your dog’s general health will suffer and there may also be direct effects on behavior. Something as easy as proper nutrition can make a dog more obedient.
Before you begin training your dog, you need to establish yourself as the alpha. It is important for your dog to know that you are the one who is in control, so that he respects and obeys you. Do not let your dog walk ahead of you when you go on walks.
Get your dog chew toys to get rid of teething pains. Give it an actual chew toy in its place. To help your dog cope with painful teething, give him a wet washcloth that has been frozen.
You should always say commands in the same tone and volume. Your tone will indicate that you’re serious and to be respected. It can also help the dog realize the distinction between disciplinary tones and other types of commands.
Do not ever use a shock collar to train your dog. These devices are expensive and do not always work as well as you would expect them to. Also, using devices such as shock collars can restrain your dog while discouraging good behavior. This kind of approach often ends in disaster.
Ensure you get your dog’s attention using the same methods. Start commands by using his name. Then, say the command. Dogs commonly respond quickly when their names are called, and they realize that you want their attention.
When it’s time to introduce house training to your dog, put him on a consistent schedule of eating and elimination. This can help you avoid accidents on the carpet by becoming aware of when the dog needs to go. When a dog has a schedule, they also learn the valuable skill of “holding it” until you take him for his next scheduled trip outside.
Training needs to continue during the dog’s life. Your dog doesn’t stop learning just because it’s no longer a puppy. By reinforcing positive behavior, your dog will remain obedient, just as continued discipline can stop poor behavior from taking hold.
Remember it is important to be patient when you are training your dog. This will prevent both you and your dog from getting angry and frustrated with the training process. Keep in mind that they wish to please you; however, they get confused because they can’t understand your language.
Always be aware of your tone of voice when you have to discipline your dog. Dogs are more receptive to the tones their masters use than you might realize. Back up your discipline with a stern, but not angry, tone of voice to communicate your displeasure.
Training Sessions
You need to know if there are other dogs around when you are out walking your dog. Sometimes, other dogs can get aggressive, as you want to keep your dog out of harms way. If you see an antisocial or aggressive dog, avoid having your dog be near it.
Use short training sessions. Your pet probably lacks a generous attention span, making it more likely that he will thrive on brief training sessions. If you want to continue, then give dogs a quick free play break.
To keep your dog from biting at furniture or people, or scratching at doors, spray him or her with a bottle of water. A quick spritz instantly deters your dog from the undesirable behavior. If this method is successful, you will get these negative behaviors under control and be able to enjoy your dog.
When training your dog, reinforce positive behaviors in a positive way. Give your dog rewards every time he or she does something good. Never hit or shout at your dog. It only abuses the dog and causes him to be even more disobedient. Stick to the plan and maintain a positive attitude for great results.
You should be sure to respond positively when your dog does something good. Positive reinforcements include treats, smiles and pats on the head. Do not reward unwanted behavior.
Consistency is the key to training. If more than one family member is taking part in training the pet, be sure that each person utilizes the same commands as well as a similar discipline and reward system. The dog is sure to have a simpler time learning, as long as he is asked to obey just one group of commands and is given consistent responses.
Always avoid offering your pet a reward for bad behavior in the hopes of snuffing out an undesirable action or tendency. When this happens, you are teaching your dog that he is boss. When a dog barks, never reward it, for example.
Keep tabs on the number of treats you give to your dog as a reward in order to avoid making him gain weight. The calories in treats are often overlooked, but they should also be taken into consideration when planning your dog’s diet.
Teach your dog the difference between right and wrong. Everyone who lives with your dog will have to undertake the same behavior for him to learn from your training. It can quickly make your efforts backfire!
If you use a leash to train your dog, keep it loose. Dogs generally want to explore uncharted areas anytime they get the chance. Eager dogs will begin to put some strain on their leashes. The smart owner discourages this behavior, teaching the dog to walk with a slack leash instead.
Dogs are dogs and need time to act as such. It is important to provide dogs with the right type of food, space in which to exercise and a wide array of exciting pastimes.
Does your dog consume a healthy diet? Like kids, a dog’s mood can be severely affected by their diet. Consider changing your dog’s diet to something more species-appropriate, and he’ll have long-lasting, consistent energy all day. Consult your veterinarian about any special dietary needs that your dog might require.
Understand that older dogs have certain limitations. You will be unable to train an older dog perfectly; embrace their personality and quirks! By adopting older dogs, you may face stubborn streaks. It is still possible to teach new things, but more focus should be given to negative behavior avoidance.
Your dog needs to learn what ‘down’ means. This command can be used in an emergency, or used as the basis for teaching other behaviors. If your dog responds promptly to the DOWN command, it will serve you well. It could save his life in potentially dangerous encounters.
Use treats your dog really loves to achieve maximum training efficiency. This might be an extra-special treat that your dog does not ordinarily have the opportunity to enjoy.
It’s important that your dog enjoy training and look forward to training sessions. Training sessions need only be 10 to 15 minutes, so the dog reaps the benefits within his attention span. Be sure to provide rewards often, and give different treats from time to time. Praise your dog often when he does well and show a lot of love. When you make training fun for your dog, it will make listening in general fun for the dog too!
If your dog has specific triggers for bad behavior, keep him busy as you pass temptation. For instance, do something distracting to entertain and stimulate your dog when you are walking him and you approach another dog that your pet does not deal with well. You will see that your dog will have a better relationship with other dogs if you do this.
Your dog is causing your home to be chaos. Belongings are get destroyed, and you’re becoming impatient. Use these steps to learn the proper way to train a dog to behave indoors.
If you are ok with letting your dog do his business in the house, make sure you designate a specific spot. This will help let your dog know that there’s only one place he is to alleviate himself.