When you brought home your dog you were expecting Lassie, but sometimes it feels like you brought Cujo home instead. The good news is that, with just a bit of basic training, your dog can become better behaved within just a short amount of time.
When you are working on crate training with your dog or puppy small steps is what works best for them to get used to it. As soon as they start to feel comfortable in the crate when the door is open, try closing the gate and have them eat inside. In the beginning it is important to only leave the dog in the crate for a few seconds. After a while you will be able to leave them in the crate for longer amounts of time. If your puppy gets upset, then you may need to slow down and have more patience with them.
There are few effective ways to approach the matter of crate training your puppy or dog. If your puppy seems reluctant about entering the crate, place a chew toy inside and close the door to the kennel. They’ll know the bone is in there and will want to go inside and get it. Upon entering the crate, praise your puppy to make sure it knows it did a good job.
When you verbally correct your dog, do it quickly and concisely. Do not rant on at length to your dog telling them how they were bad. Inform them of your disapproval and move on. Let your dog know that if you raise your voice they need to pay attention.
Generous rewards are a key part of training. Giving you pet treats in a timely manner is very important. Dogs won’t know why they’re being rewarded if you’re not consistent.
Reinforce calm behavior upon your arrival. 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. If you do not recognize them right away, they will be more calm.
Make sure you aren’t enforcing bad behavior without meaning to. Essentially, you must not give your dog something positive, like attention or a treat, when it behaves in a way you want to classify as negative. This includes things like petting them when they jump on you at the door.
Make sure a reward is always handy for whenever the dog does what you want. You want your pet to know that you are pleased with his behavior. This is the proper way to make sure the dog knows the difference between good behavior and bad.
Mastering the “leave it” directive is an excellent starting point for your training sessions. This command instructs the dog to release an object and then retreat from it. You can protect their safety and stop them from destroying valuables by teaching them to obey this simple command.
When you meet an unfamiliar dog, you should go up to him slowly and allow him to sniff your hand. This lets them warm up to the scent and they’ll most likely trust you. After the dog knows your scent, he is unlikely to fear you and may be more willing to heed your command.
As soon as you get your puppy, the first thing to teach him/her is their name; this will help build a bond between animal and human. Call his name every time you do something or want him to do something. Teach him that he needs to run to you when his name is called. These are the preliminary words that your dog need to know. Spend a lot of time getting to know your pup, and building a loving relationship with him so he knows who to trust. This way, you will find future training to be infinitely easier.
Training lessons should be kept short. Dogs can’t pay attention for a long time, so keep sessions short and dynamic. If you desire to do a lot more training, be sure to give your dog breaks in between training sessions.
A good way to reduce the level of barking come from your dog, is to immerse them in their barking triggers so that they get used to them. First, determine what it is that causes your dog to bark- a knock on the door, someone walking by the car, or other cause. Your dog will eventually learn not to react in these situations.
During puppy toilet training, it’s important to avoid accidents. Watch your dog and recognize the signs that he is ready for a trip outdoors. Pacing back and forth, snuffing and whining are some common signs. Don’t put it off when your dog is doing these things. Grab his leash and take him to a place where he can safely eliminate. Good toilet behavior is worthy of praise. Eventually, he will learn to ask to go out.
Don’t get frustrated by accidents during the potty training phase. Make certain the accidents are cleaned up immediately, so your training efforts cans stay on course. If the mess stays on the area for too long, it can leave a scent behind that your animal may return to in the future to do his business. Visit a good pet shop to find products created especially for odor control.
You do not want to over-stress your new pup by trying to teach him too much too quickly. Brief, simple, positive training sessions are well-suited to the limited supply of energy and attention a pup has to work with. If you try too hard to train the puppy, he will probably just forget what you have taught him and will see the experience as bad. This will make it more difficult to train the puppy at a later time.
Don’t give up when you’re training your dog. If your dog doesn’t get reinforcement for his current level of training, he’s likely to slide back into how he acted before he was trained. The learning process for dogs is a constant one; with reminders and reinforcements needed along the way.
One way to help discipline your dog’s bad behavior is to use a water bottle. This will show the pooch that there are consequences to these actions. Afterwards your dog won’t do these things anymore.
If you take your dog with you when you travel, pack everything he needs for eating, sleeping and eliminating. Things such as food and water bowls, paper toweling and waste bags are critical for a smooth trip. There is no need to bring along the bag of dog food; you can buy some when you reach your destination.
Praise is key to reinforcing good behavior during training. Get excited, smile, and give treats to help your dog relate the good behavior to something positive. Do not reward unwanted behavior.
Does your dog pull on the leash? A lot of owners have to deal with this problem, but the solution is quite simple. Go to the pet store in your town and get a harness so that you can walk with greater ease.
When you are traveling together with a dog, make a dog travel bag. Pack his feeding bowls, potty bags, toys, blankets and everything else needed for his care and comfort. Don’t fret about slugging along the big bag of dog food as you can simply pick up more dog food at your destination.
Training is not a time for you to punish your dog. You should make every effort to prevent the behavior in the first place, but if your pet does misbehave, show him what he should have done instead. Build a positive relationship with your dog during the training process.
Dogs need to play so always give your dog time to be a dog and to engage in normal canine behaviors. Any dog requires a healthy diet, room to move about freely and constant stimulation.
If you are going to be training your dog, use things like books, videos, and magazines to learn as much as you can. Talk to other owners of the same breed of dog you have. Adjust your plan to the individual needs of your pet based on the tips you have gathered.
You need to balance out the times you call your dog’s name in a positive and negative manner. You have to make the dog know that it shouldn’t be afraid to hear it’s name.
One of the key factors in successfully training a dog is the commitment to devote sufficient time to the practice and to stick with a consistent schedule. Dogs learn from repetition and consistency. When you stick to the schedule, your dog will reward you with good behavior. You will be the alpha in the pack.
Consistency is one of the keys to successful dog training. Make sure everyone knows the right commands to give the dog; keep a list if necessary. Discuss with family members what methods to employ in encouraging good behavior by your dog. If other people are not following your training program, it can make your dog confused, which will set back your dog’s training.
If you want to have a dog that sits on command you should start by holding a treat above their head when they are facing you. Throw the treat right above him and then put your hand behind his back. He’ll look up at where your hand is. This will cause your dog to sit once their head cannot go back any further, thus teaching them to sit.
Start your training sessions with a treat for each successful command. Once your dog gets used to following your command, then only reward your dog half the time. Gradually reduce the amount of treats you give your dog until they only receive one on occasion.
Many times dog owners are surprised to see they can easily train their dog on an everyday basis and promptly see the results. If you are having behavior problems with your dog, read on for some solutions.
You need to know if your dog is old and has limits to training. When you adopt a dog who is already an adult, you won’t be able to train them as fully as a puppy. Many older dogs already have developed behaviors that seem impossible to break. It’s possible for them to learn new tricks, but it’s best to eliminate the negative behaviors that can be altered and get used to the other ones.