Shelters are filled with dogs that didn’t live up to owners’ expectations. It is possible for a dog that is trained well to become a healthy, happy, and well-adjusted family member. Luckily, training your dog doesn’t have to be overly difficult. You just need to be willing to invest some time.
There are many ways to make crate training more comfortable and successful for your new puppy or dog. If they are hesitant about the crate, you can put a nice chew bone inside and shut the gate while they are not in it. Your dog will want the bone and will be unable to resist entering the crate. After he goes in the crate, reward him with praise and a treat.
Control how much you reward your dog. When your dog responds to a command in the right way, you should reward this behavior when he is calm. Though you may be happy with the accomplishment, excitement on your part leads to excitement on their part and diminishes control of the situation. If you are able to maintain your calm, you can expect your dog to maintain calm too.
Make sure you feed your dog healthy food. A poor diet can negatively affect them in various ways. Without proper nutrition, your dog’s general health will suffer and there may also be direct effects on behavior. By making small changes to your dog’s diet, you can alter their receptiveness to the training.
Feed your dog a healthy diet. Your dog will not benefit from a poor diet. Not only is this bad for their health, but it can influence their behavior towards you and their environment. Providing a dog with fresh water and a high protein diet can have an astounding affect on their health and attitude.
Unless you offer a distraction or stimulus, your dog will probably focus exclusively on a single thing. Eventually, you will be able to ensure that your dog is more focused on you and your commands than other distractions.
Your dog needs to be active frequently. Dogs can get bored quite easily. Bored dogs are harder to train. When your dog is exercised and is happy, training will be easier. Be sure to go for jogs or walks with your dog regularly.
Use positive reinforcement when dog training. Praise the dog with petting, upbeat words and the occasional treat when he does something right. Don’t yell and/or hit your dog. This is ineffective and will just convince your dog that you don’t know what you are doing. Stay consistent and use positive reinforcement.
When attempting to house train your pup, keep in mind that whatever goes in, must go out. Feed your pooch several times daily at the same hour. By scheduling your feedings, you will be able to determine when you should take your dog out. This can greatly reduce the number of accidents.
It’s to be expected that your new puppy will likely have an accident now and then. Clean accidents right away to speed up training. If your carpet begins to smell like urine and feces, your puppy will believe that it is the right place to potty and return to it again and again. There are many products on the market that can help with this, so check with your local pet shop.
Train your dog on a regular basis to make sure he understands the rules of the house. Puppy training must be practiced to maintain obedience behavior, and that is one thing that many owners neglect to remember. Pets are just like humans, in that they follow habitual routines. For this reason, it is especially important to hold your dog to a strict disciplinary system.
To train young dogs to walk with a leash, you must first have the dog wear a collar during playtime. Your puppy needs to get used to wearing a collar before it can behave while you are walking it on a leash. Make sure you get a tag with your address to your dog’s collar.
Shock Collars
Be conscious of your dog’s needs, and allow them to act like a dog. Dogs also need to be fed a healthy diet, get exercise, and be kept busy, just as you do.
Refrain from using shock collars and similar training devices. They might not work like they say they do and they cost too much. Also, shock collars and like devices are just not nice things to use. These tools often do more harm than good.
Whenever your dog misbehaves, ensure you don’t provide the wrong signals to your dog. If you’re amused and it shows when they are acting improperly, they’ll do it again. This will encourage bad behavior and make training longer. Even if your dog is entertaining when he misbehaves, he must be corrected consistently.
Give your dog a regular elimination and feeding schedule, so you can house train them. 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.
If agility is an important quality in your next pet, you should learn which breeds are most naturally suited to it. Many dogs can learn tricks and try their best, but if you want a dog that is good at competing, Shetland sheepdogs and Labs are a couple good examples of agile dogs.
When training your dog, make it fun for the both of you. The two of you playing together will help build a strong bond, and that will encourage your dog to positively respond to the training. Training can be pretty fun, but make sure you get plenty of non-training play in too.
A large breed dog needs a large dog bed to be comfortable. There are rectangular beds for pets, or you can get a crib mattress for your dog. This may be beneficial as you are able to replace covers simply by adding new crib sheets. This is also good because mattresses for cribs are waterproof.
Training Sessions
When your dog reaches six months, make sure that your dog is spayed or neutered. Obedience training should be put off until this is done. Not only does spaying or neutering make a dog a better overall pet, it makes him or her a more attentive pupil for training. By spaying or neutering a dog he will have a longer happier life.
Your training sessions should be very short. When your dog doesn’t get bored, they’ll be a better training partner. If you desire to do a lot more training, be sure to give your dog breaks in between training sessions.
Always discourage unwanted behavior in your dog as soon as it occurs. Correct your dog in a firm tone of voice. Don’t shout, and avoid hitting at all. Make sure you correct the bad behavior immediately or as soon as you can after it occurs. Dogs have very short memory span. If you wait too long, the dog won’t understand what you’re trying to tell it.
As it was stated previously, having a well-behaved and happy dog in your family is very possible. It is imperative that you give your pet a lot of your time and attention. Use the ideas and advice presented within this article, and your dog is going to be a vital member of the family.
A clicker works well when training most dogs. In order to begin, simply create a happy mental link between the clicker’s sound and something the dog enjoys. Start by clicking and immediately giving a reward, and repeat this several times a day for a few days. Soon, your dog will associate the clicking noise with a treat, which can help to reinforce desirable behaviors.