I absolutely love my black lab! He’s truly is my best friend and we’ve shared some wonderful times together. But, it wasn’t always as easy as it is now. It took some time and adjustments (from both of us) to get to this point. To be candid, he was just annoying, rude, and extremely rambunctious. I loved him through it because I loved seeing the energy, but there had to be some training to get to a disciplined place that I could actually feel comfortable taking him out in public. I had to get some additional training.
Are you upset at the way your dog has been acting? If that’s the case, your dog might need more training. With the proper training, even the most difficult dog can learn to be more obedient. This article will give you the tips you need to start properly training your dog.
You can try a little bit of ingenuity if you are going with crate training for your indoor dog or puppy. To entice a hesitant puppy into the crate, give it the incentive of a toy or bone inside, with the door shut. Your dog will want the bone and will be unable to resist entering the crate. Open the door, and praise them when they go inside.
The space you share with your pet should be calm and relaxed. It’s great to play freely with your dog, but when you enter a room, you should not be bombarded. You can retain control over the environment by allowing a few moments before acknowledging your pet. You are behind the decisions to play or interact.
Give your puppy something it can chew to help it lessen teething pains, like a toy or a piece of rope. Keep any items you treasure out of reach of your puppy while it is teething. Put the chew toy in front of it immediately so it learns that this toy is what it should be chewing. In cases where your puppy is suffering a great deal of pain, try soaking a washcloth in water and freezing it as a numbing chew toy.
To ensure success, you must ensure that the crate you are using is appropriate for the size and breed of your pet. You should keep in mind that your dog will get bigger. Choose a crate that is sure to be the right proportions for the adult dog you will eventually have. Your dog should be able to easily turn around and sleep without being overly crowded.
Before you begin training your dog, you need to establish yourself as the alpha. You must command your dog’s respect by being able to maintain discipline, or his obedience will be out of the question. Always walk in front of the dog when you go on walks, because this is the position to show leadership.
One of the very first commands you should teach a new puppy is the “leave it” command, which tells them to drop an item and step back from it. It ensures they don’t eat food they shouldn’t, chew on items not intended to be chewed on or even pick up dangerous or poisonous items in their mouth.
Brief Training Sessions
Maintain brief training sessions. Your pet probably lacks a generous attention span, making it more likely that he will thrive on brief training sessions. If more training is desired, work in some break times so your dog can play before continuing with training.
Train your dog in a positive manner. Praise your dog when he deserves it, and give him treats to show that you are pleased. Never shout towards your dog, nor ever hit or physically strike him. Doing this will cause your dog to act out even more and lose respect for you. You should talk to them in a stern voice but always be nice to them if they do a good thing.
A dog needs to be trained from the outset. It will make your life less stressful if you are teaching the dog good habits rather than trying to change bad ones. Never feed your dog from the table, if you don’t want him to get the habit of begging for scraps.
Ensure that your dog knows the rules to follow, and be consistent; this will teach it right from wrong. You will need to have these rules enforced by everyone in your home. This will undermine your efforts and make you work twice as hard to train your dog.
Don’t ever assume that a dog won’t bite. Until you have established yourself as the pack leader, you dog may think that the position is his. Understanding the behavior that makes you an alpha will help the dog understand he needs to give deference to you as the leader. If your dog is not sure what you are doing, they might still bite you.
Make sure your dog gets checked out regularly. It it seems like your dog is struggling or regressing with certain parts of training, make sure that your dog has good health. Interestingly, many dogs often hide negative feelings and habits. Often, you will not see physical symptoms of illness, but you will see behavioral indicators. Common changes include losing control of their bladder and a sudden onset of aggressive behavior.
Set your dog up for success when training him to stop chewing inappropriate items. If a dog chews the wrong things make sure he is kept away from things that can hurt him. Items commonly found in a household can serve as elements of danger to the unsuspecting dog who is merely satisfying an urge to chew.
Try shaking a can when training your dog. Place a hand full of coins in any empty can, and then seal it up with tape. When your dog does something wrong, give the can a shake. Your dog will be startled by the sound and will cease the behavior. The dog will quickly learn that his behaviors are causing this negative outcome. Do not shake the can too much, as this will teach your dog to zone out the sound.
If you know that your dog will react negatively in response to certain triggers, distract him until the moment is over. When you are passing others, you should keep the dog busy and not paying attention to other dogs. This could re-jigger his associations and make him associate other dogs with positive reinforcement.
You can relax and enjoy your pet more if you take the time to train him properly. Maybe your dog is currently a real handful, but a little training will go a long way. By remembering these things, you will be more successful in your endeavors.