Does Your Dog Pass Obedience Class 101?
If you already own a dog, you know it takes a lot of work to train them. If you’re a brand new dog owner, then prepare yourself to work with your puppy to make sure they don’t pick up any bad habits
What are some of the pitfalls of not training your dog? Well, people who come to visit can be trampled on, climbed on, and maybe even knocked off their feet if your dog is very large. They are unable to carry on a conversation because the dog is licking them, barking at them, maybe even trying to nip at them, and, generally, causing a nuisance of themselves. A well behaved dog will become useful and rewarding portion of the situation rather than a time-consuming and disturbing distraction.
Consistency is essential: If you’re working with your dog on a specific skill or trick then try to train them at the same time every day. This helps your dog know what to expect. Most dogs thrive on structure and will perform and learn much faster when they know what’s expected. If you’re training using food rewards, try to train your dog before mealtime so they’re a little bit hungry and motivated.
Use hand cues in addition to verbal cues: Some dogs have an easier time understanding and remembering hand signals than they do with verbal cues. Assign a hand signal to each trick or behavior you are training.
Potty Training Issues: It depends on the breed of your dog plus your dog’s personality, but potty training can be a long training period and can certainly train you to learn patience. Some people believe that a dog should be crated when the owner is not at home. While this can work to train a dog, it should become unnecessary as the dog learns more how and when to expect the owner home to attend to his needs. A dog that is kept confined in a very small area tends to become depressed and aggressive and very rowdy when removed from the crate. It is very hard to train an animal that does not listen due to his excitement in being let out of confinement and has definite ideas about making sure he does not get put back into that crate!
Walking/Leash Issues: Can you picture this? A 75 pound Labrador retriever pulling it’s owner along at a fast clip while zigzagging from tree to tree. The poor owner, with a now dislocated arm, vows never to walk the dog again. This is sad because dogs can be trained to walk nicely and they LOVE to go on walks.
If you have taught your dog the basic things, you may want to graduate to teaching tricks to your dog. In order to get your dog to start doing tricks, you need to find a trick that you know he could easily adapt to. That is to say, if your dog likes to fetch things you could teach him to fetch the morning newspaper.
Seeing a dog dance is also another amazing trick that you can teach. Since many dogs tend to jump on people that visit the house, by teaching your dog to dance you can bypass that unwanted behavior. When your dog excitedly jumps up on you to play, gently hold his front legs. Then you can command him to “dance” a few times after which you should give him his treats. Then when guests come over, have your dog dance rather than jump on them. Teaching a dog to dance is usually easier for owners of smaller sized dogs, and in fact, many small dogs can dance on their own without needing their owner to hold their front paws.
Many people complain about their new dog chewing up everything in sight and tearing up their gardens, and admit that they don’t know how to stop the dog from doing this. There are some solutions, though they may take time to implement, which will help to stop this problem. There are a large variety of toys available which should keep the dog amused. Some are capable of hiding treats inside them, making the dog work for its reward by rolling the toy around until a treat falls out. Others can be placed into the freezer overnight and given to the dog on a hot day, letting the dog lick the cool treat over a period of time as the toy defrosts.
Many other variations of dog toys can be found or can even be made out of existing household items, just be sure to make them safe for the dog.
It may seem an impossible task now, but if you’re consistent with the above exercise, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how quickly your puppy gets the message that learning his lessons and obeying your commands is what will get attention.
To make sure your dog is healthy and happy you should check out our dog care tips guides and make sure he has plenty of dog toys to stop boredom.
