Having a dog can be one of the great joys in life. But when they aren’t acting the way you want them to, they can also be the most frustrating. Don’t lose heart; there are some effective ways to get your dog to behave. Here are some good ways to start training your dog.
Setup a solid plan for what you want to accomplish with your dog training. If you have goals marked on your calendar it can give you a way to measure your progress with the dog training, and offer you hints about whether or not you would need to change anything in your routine.
When your canine has misbehaved, do not give it too much attention. In doing so continually, your dog will equate bad behavior with receiving attention from its owner(it does not matter to your pet that it is negative attention) and this will only reinforce bad habits which are difficult to break in the long term.
Walking should be a time for you to work on your relationship with your dog. Your dog shouldn’t totally ignore you in lieu of squirrels, trees and other interesting things. Instead, keep him occupied with commands and rewards for great work. This will encourage heeling and attentiveness in your dog.
Start training your puppy as soon as possible. When you bring your new puppy home, it’s never too soon to start training. The first thing you should do is take him outside and let him know where he should use the bathroom. Do this after every meal. Try to keep potty training pretty short to begin with – no longer than 5 minutes at a time.
You may have to employ the help of animal-loving friends who understand that a dog cannot help his behavior without help from the people around him! Many problems like unprovoked aggression towards types of people or barking at home must be mediated by recreating the situation and providing positive experiences to shape behavior. Your animal-loving friends will be invaluable help in recreating types of trigger situations for your dog. Check with your trainer to ensure proper safety measures are taken for each type of behavior you’re shaping.
You, as the leader of the pack, should always eat first. In the animal world the Alpha always eats before the rest of the pack. This confirms dominance and establishes trust in the leader. When you exhibit this behavior you teach your dog to respect you as leader and also to trust that you are leading in the proper way.
Although many pet owners are against crate training there is quite a bit of merit in doing it. Many dogs like to have a place they can consider their own and they will never lose track of that place. This will help them with separation anxiety and surprisingly with potty training.
In order to keep your dog interested, be sure to use some kind of reward system in your training. When you’re first starting out with a command food treats work well. As training progresses you can use his favorite toy and eventually verbal praise will be a reward for a job well done.
Create a regular schedule for your dog. Make sure his meals are at the same time each day, and walk him morning and night. Try to take him out for toilet breaks using a consistent routine. Dogs tend to thrive when they have a schedule that they can follow.
Try these tips and see how well they work. It will not happen overnight, but sooner or later your dog will start responding. This will mean you can relax a little. A great dog can be a great friend, but you’ve got to take a little time to train him first.