Do you want your dog to sit, stay, shake or stop using your expensive oriental rug to hide his little "gifts"? Read through this article to find tips that will help you accomplish those things you are having issues with. You may even teach him to clean up those accidents he did not mean to have.
Learn to understand what your dog is saying through facial expression. Many people fail to see that a dog says even though his he communicates non-verbally with his face, just as we do. When you are training your dog, take some time to see how he responds to commands, rewards and your behavior. Watching his facial expressions will be useful as training progresses and give you a better understanding of your dog.
Training your puppy should start as early as 6 weeks old. The earlier you can start training your new pup, the better the results will be. Studies have found that dogs are the most receptive to training from 6 to 14 weeks old so use that time wisely.
If you are getting a new dog, and you intend to train it, look for a younger dog. The old adage "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is somewhat appropriate here. Younger dogs are more receptive to dominance from a pack leader and will learn quickly in an effort to please. Another plus to this is that young dogs really enjoy learning new things, much like children do.
Young dogs can easily be trained to retreat to their crate when they are tired. When crate training your dog, always keep the crate in the vicinity of where you and the dog are interacting. When he tires from play he will naturally gravitate towards the crate because to do so doesn't isolate him from you.
When crating your dog it is best to always remove their collar. Even the best designed dog crates offer the possibility of a collar becoming snagged. The result could be catastrophic. By removing your dog's collar before you crate them you are acting to protect them from being strangled to death.
Don't feed your dog food they aren't accustomed to when house training them. Very rich foods, in particular, make it hard for a dog to control their bowels. Stick to the tried and true in terms of types of food and the quantity you feed and the house breaking experience will proceed much more smoothly.
Pick a consistent phrase to use with your puppy while house training. When it's time for him to go outside to do his business, say "Elimination Device...Activate!" or whatever phrase you chose to call his attention to the task at hand.
If you are training a high-energy dog, it may be beneficial to exercise your dog just before the training session. A dog that is overly energetic will have difficulty focusing on what you are trying to teach. The exercise session can be beneficial for the human owner's health as well!
Make sure you are feeding your dog high-quality food. Behavior problems are often caused by a poor diet. High-quality dog food has human-grade ingredients and an expiration date. Making sure your dog eats plenty of protein and avoid giving him "junk" food from the table. A well-fed dog is a happy, obedient dog.
Give your dog plenty of positive reinforcement. Discipline isn't only about punishment for bad behavior. You should make sure to reward good behavior with lots of affection and praise. It will ensure that your dog understands when it is doing the right thing, and it will help it develop trust in its trainers.
Only give commands you are prepared to follow through with, or the dog will learn that it is all right to ignore you. If you give the command to sit, the dog must sit immediately or you will enforce the command with a finger pushing down on the lower back. Never give a command and allow the dog to choose whether to obey you or not unless you want to let the dog be the one in charge.
To help train your dog, you must be consistent in your use of commands. Your dog will remember the way a command sounds, not the context of the command. For example, if you wish to use the command "come" to summon the dog, only use that command. Do not use a command "here", or "get over here" and expect the same result.
If you do not communicate that biting is unacceptable, your puppy doesn't know he is doing something wrong. When you catch your puppy biting, redirect him to a chew toy or bone. As soon as the pup starts to bite, firmly say "No!" and give him the chew toy. While you are teaching a puppy to stop biting, do not play any wrestling or tug of war games with them to strengthen what you are teaching.
Your dog should know how to "sit" like he knows the back of his paw! The "sit" command is useful for a multitude of reasons, and is a behavior that can be built upon. Use a "sit" gesture that is intuitive for his body - in other words, he should always be looking up at your hand, which will help him sit instinctively.
Build your dog's attention span by increasing challenges. If your dog knows a command well at home try it outside on a quiet sidewalk. If he succeeds at these tasks consistently bring him to a more noisy area like the park. This builds up his attention span and increases his likelihood of listening to you around inexpensive matching promise rings couples chaos.
As you can see from the article, it is possible to train your dog to be a good member of the family. It just takes patience, diligence and repetition. Your furry little friend will be the smartest on the block in no time at all and everyone will be asking you how you did it. Then you can direct them to these tips.
