Dog Training Tips

Just like us, dogs like being praised for doing the right thing. But they need to know what the right thing is. Obedience schooling is a great way to help you and your dog speak the same language.

Benefits include:

¨      Your dog will gain confidence both in you and in him or her.

¨      You and your dog know each other better, and bond more closely

¨      Obedience workouts are fun for your dog

You can train your dog on your own, but a class helps you to focus on the training regularly, and can provide helpful tips and info.

There are some rules that should apply to every situation in order to make dog training a better experience, for both you and your dog. For example, whenever you are training your dog a new command, you should be instructing your dog in an area where there will not be anybody or anything to distract him. If at all possible, strive to train your dog inside and make sure that you are the only person in the room.

After you have practiced training your dog for a lengthy period of time without any distractions, it is then time to add distractions slowly to the dog training atmosphere. This will enable your dog to keep up with the commands he is being taught while learning to ignore whatever small distractions that you have placed within the confines of the area.

And better yet, once he can handle obeying the commands indoors with a few distractions, then move the dog to training outside of the house. This will put on further added distractions that your dog will have to deal with while learning to obey the same commands outside that he did inside. 

In an nutshell, your goal is to have your dog respond to commands anywhere and at anytime, regardless of the conditions. Over time you will have your dog learning to obey your commands in many different places that contain all of the distractions that normal everyday life will offer.

Also, you need to learn how to anticipate your dog's mistakes so that you can prevent them from happening. This is an essential part of learning how to read your dogs behavior, personality, and communication. For example, if you have given the command to sit and stay sat, then you will want to correct him when he thinks about getting up, not after he as already gotten up. That would be too late.

Your dog will definitely give you signs that he is about to get up. He may lick his paw, shake his rump, or make small movements with his head. Whatever his behavior is that gives him away, it is your duty to have learned this and use it as a positive tool for proper dog training.

Potty Training Checklist

Properly training your dog not to go to the bathroom in your house or anywhere else not deemed appropriate takes both time and patience. There are many factors involved with proper potty training of your dog. Some techniques may not even seem so obvious to dog owners whom have not researched how to potty train their dog.

Have you been trying to train your dog to be housebroken but still having trouble with accidents inside of the house? Then you may have missed some important information about puppy potty training.  

For your guidance we have put together a checklist below. Take a look at it and see if there is something that you are not doing;

1. Did you keep an accurate housebreaking diary for at least five days, and then studied the patterns of your dog's bathroom habits?

2. Did you arrange for everyone in your family to all agree on the same dog training rules when it comes to potty training your puppy, so that different people are not telling the puppy to do different things when she uses the bathroom?

3. Do you always go outside with your dog when he has to go potty so that you know whether he has relieved himself and so you are able to reward him?

4. Are you keeping your dog confined when you cannot watch him, even if you are in the house with him?

5. Do you allow your dog too much freedom in the house?

6. Are you expecting too much self control from your young puppy, and then being too harsh with him when he does have an accident in the house?

7. Are you being very careful to keep your dog's eating schedule on a tight time-frame each and every day? Are you being sure to feed him only at these times and without overfeeding him, offering snacks, or switching foods?

8. Last but not least, are you doing the wrong thing by punishing your dog harshly when he does have an accident inside the house, making him afraid to go in front of you even when outside?

How to deal with Puppy Problems

It is common for puppies to be lively and mischievous. They are energetic, very playful and quite a handful. These kinds of behaviors are generally normal for puppies. Certain behaviors, however, are to be discerned as disorders. These behavioral problems usually happen within the first six months of the puppy’s life. 

These behavioral disorders have to be addressed and corrected. If your puppy has been experiencing any one of these traits, try to figure out what’s causing them and then correct the situation. Correcting the situation, however, does not have to involve punishment. Below is a more detailed description of two behavioral disorders and what you can do to fix them. 

Aggression: The typical type of aggression we see in puppies is possessive aggression that occurs during feeding. This behavior is not normal and should not be accepted. Tolerating this kind of behavior in puppies can lead to a potentially dominant aggressive dog that can be dangerous. 

This is one behavior where slight punishment works and should be enforced. This can be done by performing a training exercise. Give the puppy food and then interrupt him while he’s eating. Take the food away if the puppy starts showing signs of aggression or misbehaves and offer him a treat for staying calm. Do this repeatedly until you establish your dominance.   

Separation Induced Behavior: This occurs primarily when the puppy gets separated from his mother and breeder to be with his new owner. The worst time for this new puppy usually happens during bedtime on his first night. This frightening experience usually shows in the form of howling and yapping, urination and defecation, and destructive activities.

Do not take this sign as simply signs of teething or a breakdown in housetraining. You need to address this problem with great care. Often times, coming home to see a crying puppy in bed triggers excessive excitement. Owners find this act gratifying and pet the hyper puppy or give him a treat. This can lead to reinforcement of the behavior that can also lead to excitement urination.   

When this situation occurs, do not restrict your puppy in a smaller bed area. Doing this often results in psychosomatic diarrhea and/or hyperactivity once the puppy is released. Punishing your puppy is not only cruel but it can also add to the degree of attachment or causes your puppy to attempt to escape. 

Do you have puppy issues?

Other types of problem behaviors that can occur during the first six months of your puppy’s life are usually related to the following areas: Problems of submissive urination, problems of excitement urination, and problems of chewing and biting. If your puppy is experiencing any one of this behavior, try to determine exactly what’s causing the behavior to occur.   

Below is a more detailed description of the behavioral problems and suggestions on how to solve it.

Submissive Urination: This is when your puppy squats and urinates whenever you approach him. This behavior should not be confused with house training problem. This type of behavior is initially associated to insecurity and punishing your puppy will more than likely aggravate the behavior. This problem happens because a tiny puppy is likely to be scared and intimidated when approached by a person, especially a stranger with outstretched arms and making strange noises. 

To fix this problem, carefully approach your puppy and keep your body outline small by stooping a little as you get close to him. If the puppy still reacts apprehensively and starts to urinates, make your approach more pleasant by offering treats while crouching down further. The essence of controlling submissive urination is to not point it out to your puppy but in trying to get him used to whatever is causing the reaction. 

Excitement Urination: This behavior results in your puppy having no control over urination when he is excited. This is caused by immature control mechanisms. Punishing your puppy is never a good idea and in this case and will only lead to submissive urination or attempts to get away. 

The best way to deal with this problem is to ignore it. This behavior usually disappears once the urinary control mechanisms in your puppy’s body mature.  

Chewing and Biting: Puppies usually chew and bite to ease their discomfort of teething, but can be quite annoying nonetheless. Give your puppy chew toys instead, particularly the type that squeaks when he chews it. Tug of war toys are highly recommended and puppies like it. Some people thinks that this behavior causes aggression but the growling that they make is nothing more that play – growling.

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