Doggy Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘dog obedience’

When you first set out to teach your pet dog or puppy to come, there are a few tips and tricks that Im going to share with you, to make it more successful!

I have adapted these free techniques from the outstanding ‘Secrets to Dog Training‘ by Daniel Stephens. Jump straight to it here, if you wish to read more.

“Come dog”

Firstly, and possibly the most crucial, is that you should never call your dog over if you are going to do something that he might class as ‘negative’ to him.. Some prime examples are include tying him up, bathing him (if he hates that!), telling him off, smacking, hitting or generally disciplining him..

Dont call over and punish your pet for running away, when he comes over. You dont want your dog to learn that doing as you say, is a punishment.If your dog already knows bad associations with come, like he thinks it equals 'run now!' or if he becomes oblivious to it you may have to use a different command with a new sound. 

Forget your old come command and teach this exercise using a new, clear word. ‘Here’ is a popular one, as is 'oi', but you can make up any command that suits you or that you think your dog might respond to.

Ideally, your dog should hear this new command, stop whatever hes doing and sit in front of you! For best results, you should master teaching this exercise as two seperate pieces.

The two processes can be taught seperate till the dog has them both mastered, when this happens you can bring them together.

“Come sit in front of me”

Start with putting your dog on a short ish leash. Get the attention of your pet and position the treat at nose level. Now walk back 3 or 4 steps with the treat held up.

With your waiting dog in front, you can hold up a tidbit of food so that he is motioned to sit and wait.

Command him to sit, and when he sits to your satisfaction, give him the treat by lowing it to his mouth. Never let him jump up to get it!

Next time, do the process standing in place and holding your ground, instead of moving back. Try to eliminate the treat part of the exercise, and change to a reinforcing command. Doing this helps your dog to accept your praise as a reward.

You can read part two of this article, for free, as my website (that has hundreds of other free dog training tips) here, at dog commands.

Now that you have brought your new dog home it is time to start the housebreaking. One that can only lead to confusion for the dog later on is giving your new dog a little time to get to know the family and the house before laying down the law. Your dog will be confused if you have allowed it to run free with no discipline, then all of a sudden expect it to be well-behaved.

It Is Never Too Late

If you have already allowed your dog to run free without rules you can still correct the situation. Unlike a popular belief out there, it is never too late to start dog training with a dog. Whether your puppy is young or old you can still include housebreaking into his/her daily routine. It is important to pick out the behavior that concerns you the most,whether it is dog chewing, dog biting, or dog growling that you are dealing with. It is important to work on housebreaking these behaviors first, then move on to other things.

You have to start housebreaking as soon as possible to ensure that your puppy never develops into one of those aggressive dogs you hear about on the news. If your biggest problem at the moment, especially if you have a puppy, is where the dog is and is not allowed to go potty then you will need to start with that.

Tips For Housebreaking

* Restrict food and water to the appropriate meal times
* In the event that you are utilizing pee pads, choose a single spot and make sure to place the pads only there
* When your dog is good, praise them
* Never strike or slap the dog if it misses the pee pad
* After fifteen or twenty minutes of giving the puppy something to eat or drink, it needs to be taken to the pee pad

A lot of people leave water and food out for their dog all day long. While this is an okay routine for older dogs that can hold their bladder, it is not advisable for puppies. Even if they really wanted to, younger puppies just are not able to hold their bladder until they become a bit older. This can result in accidents in the home for which you cannot really blame your puppy. Making food and water constantly available can be counter-productive to your housebreaking goal.

If your puppy always misses the pee pad and continues to go to the bathroom in another part of the house, simply place the pee pad in that spot. At this point in housebreaking, you should really just be getting the puppy used to going to the bathroom on its puppy pad. Once they are used to it, you can continue with housebreaking by slowing moving the pee pad every few days towards the spot you eventually want the pads to reside at.

Even though housebreaking can take a long time, it is very important. You definitely do not want your dog “going” everywhere. You would also like an easy process of housebreaking for your dog to prevent it becoming disinterested. Seek outside help in puppy training if need be. No matter who is in charge of doing it, just know that housebreaking takes time.

Dog training is no simple process, and it can very easily push your patience to the limit. But keep in mind that the tough part does not last long. After a bit, your dog will be able to run about and play without you having to worry about accidents or misfortunes taking place. You will be able to relax and enjoy time with your dog after its obedience training is complete. It can be a bit stressful to complete the initial phase of dog training no matter how long it takes. This is why it is important to make sure that you get all of the help that you can.

Even though it may be frustrating and seem like a never ending process, housebreaking a dog and training it in commands is just one of those things you have to do. Giving up on training your pet could result in many unwanted consequences such as; destroyed furniture, accidents inside the house, biting, aggressive behavior and others.

To avoid these and other consequences, and to make sure you are giving your dog the best ability to have a happy, well-behaved life then it is important to maintain a strict parental relationship with your pet. Dog training is the process of teaching a dog right from wrong. Unfortunately, many people incorrectly believe that dogs innately know how to tell right from wrong. This reasoning is flawed, because dogs only know instinct without the proper dog training. The dog does not instinctively know the human rules about being allowed on furniture in a home.

Guiding our pets meticulously through the dog training is what we, as the teachers and protectors of the pets, need to do to teach them how we go about our days. Your dog is eager to please, but won’t know what to do until you teach it. Dog training will teach the dog the behavior you wait it to have. This will teach your dog the proper way to receive treats and affection.

Resources Used for Dog and Puppy Training:
A. A Class
B. A Book
C. A DVD
D. A Magazine

Even though you may find a lot of classes that can help inform you on how to teach your dog about housebreaking and biting, you must remember that these classes are merely for your information. These classes will not transform your puppy’s behavior overnight. The tough part does not begin until you and your dog arrive at your home. Anything you learn at the dog training sessions must be repeated at home to be effective.

You can always look into books, magazines, DVDs or videos to help you with your dog training plan. Ensure that you pay attention to all the advice you receive and apply it wisely. Depending on the breed of your dog, you could be looking at anywhere from a couple of weeks to several months of dedicated dog training. The dog training can pay off quickly with some consistent diligence from the owner.