Make sure you walk your dog and do not let your dog walk you! This article offers great information for any dog owner.
Spoken directions should be made using a simple, concise and forceful tone. Don’t rant on and on about how bad your dog is. Simply address the issue and move on. Remember that your voice’s volume gets their attention and that you are talking business.
Use control to acknowledge positive behavior while training. If your dog follows a training command properly, then it is acceptable to reward the behavior to a calm animal. Don’t get too excited, though, as your excitement may cause them to break their concentration. You should stay calm and then give the reward.
Whenever you want your dog to complete a task, you must reward it. The treat helps your dog to know that you think he has done well. This helps the dog understand what is right and what is wrong.
Using a loose leash is key when you are training your dog to accept a leash. Dogs love exploring new land whenever they get the chance to go walking. Excited pups tend to place some strain on the limitations of the leash. To discourage this behavior, encourage your dog to walk beside you with a leash that has some slack.
What is your dog’s diet like? Like kids, a dog’s mood can be severely affected by their diet. Consider changing your dog’s diet to something more species-appropriate, and he’ll have long-lasting, consistent energy all day. Check with your vet about any specific nutritional needs he might need attending to!
Teach your dog to get “down”. It can be very useful during emergencies and also serves as a great foundation for future lessons. “Down” is the perfect command to keep dogs out of danger.
Pay attention to what makes your dog bark. Knowing the triggers will help you control the behavior. For instance, if it happens when you have visitors, ask a friend to help you deal with it when the trigger occurs.
You need to reinforce that you are in charge by never chasing the dog with a ball and instead making it always bring the ball back to you. If the dog drops it nearby and you retrieve it, the dog feels as though he has the leadership role. Teaching the dog that he must bring the ball to you each time helps your dog to understand what is wanted of him at all times with the ball.
Train your dog by reinforcing positive behavior. Negative behavior should be ignored. Punishment can adversely affect your dog and cause behavior problems. You do not want your pooch to be afraid of you. Instead, use positive reinforcement to have your dog look forward to the results of good behavior.
It is important to take your dog to the vet for checkups. Check your dog’s health if you notice him having a hard time with training. Dogs are great at hiding discomfort and pain. A lot of the time you will find that your dog is sick when they act differently. For instance, aggression can signal pain, and a sudden house training regression may indicate an infection in the urinary tract.
Try using a shake-can during training. Place a couple coins within an empty can of soda, and then seal it. Shake the can whenever your dog misbehaves. Your dog will stop when they hear the shaking. Your dog will soon realize their behavior is unacceptable after a few shakes. Just shake your can a single time, because doing so more often will result in desensitization.
A bad day at work or fight with someone else should never result in you “kicking the dog” when you come home angry. Keep your interactions with your dog positive, especially if the dog has done nothing wrong.
Bad Behavior
If your dog possesses specific triggers associated to bad behavior, try to keep him busy while the temptation passes. For example, if your dog doesn’t like other dogs, try to keep him entertained and busy as you pass by other dogs on walks. By doing this, you prevent your dog from making a habit of bad behavior by giving him something positive to associate with the trigger situation.
If a dog is experiencing separation anxiety, you need to increase its base of social support. If your dog has other important connections in its life, it will feel less reliant on you.
A clicker is a good way to reinforce behaviors. When you begin using a clicker, positively associate the clicker noise with positive reinforcement. Use the clicker and give your dog a treat immediately several times a day. Your dog quickly learns that the clicking sound means a treat is coming, so you can then use the clicker to train.
When a behavioral problem suddenly occurs you should take the dog to the vet to eliminate health problems. Certain health conditions, or even pain, can completely change an animal’s demeanor. It could even be to the point that the dog may become more aggressive and lash out at people. Since they can not communicate with us easily, they resort to the means that they think will give them more attention.
If you don’t know what to do in order to train your dog, you may quickly be losing patience with your furry friend. Use these tips and your sorrows should float away.