Super Baby Album

Posts Tagged ‘dog behavior’

The dog is never really bad; they are just reflecting the behavior of their owner. When you are taking a walk down a sidewalk, it is indeed disturbing when a dog grabs at your clean clothes. When your front yard turns into a ready made toilet for your next door neighbor’s dog, it can be equally irritating. Just like the kid next door who has not been taught any manners, these dogs can be compared to them.

What is wrong with the kids or the pet when the concerned adults are not doing their duties? Ask any smart owner and he would tell you that it is wise to take the help of a dog trainer to learn the handling methods without dampening his natural spirits. To get to know a good trainer approach your vet or pet store; these trainers often hold private lessons with the pet and the owner but it is just as easy to solve your pet behavior problem by attending any online course on pet management or get some ideas and help from a dog training book or from online dog training tips. This training could teach owners how to be in command of their pets.

There is a saying amongst trainers however that it is far easier to train dogs than the people that own them! When you want the dog to be leash trained, make them practice in a small area away from other distractions. Both owners and neighbors get angry when they hear barking which although irritating is quite normal behavior. When they bark, they are simply communicating with us; a reprimand him might give them the wrong signal and confuse them.

So why does a dog bark?
Well, just like a young child or baby, it needs attention, food or something to drink. The noise of a dog barking can alarm the owners of a burglar intrusion so attempting to stop him from doing this may work against you. Many owners make the mistake of letting a puppy bark as they please but change their attitude when they grow older. You could learn from your trainer how to reinforce certain behaviors in a puppy, which you desire, by giving them the occasional gift for being good.

How do you make your new puppy stop the undesired behavior?
Well, simply learn to reward your new puppy when he does something which is ‘desired’ behavior. Most important to note: you can not expect a dog to learn certain behaviors which are against his genetic behavioral pattern. The best option for getting certain specific behavior is to acquire your pet from a breed which displays those traits.

When does a dog become good?
Good dogs are developed by patience, persistence and kindness.

Dog obedience training requires the use of some principles which differentiate effective training from training without results. Most dog training and dog behavior schools use these rules. These are:

Principle One: Consistency. You must be consistent in the use of words, the tone of your voice and your actions, that go with your command. During the beginning of the training, the trainer or the dog owner must decide what should be the parameters of training- what you are trying to teach the dog and how to do it. A word or a phrase, let’s say ‘come’, does not make sense to a dog. He does not understand things the way we understand, and he does not understand the language we use.

So to make the training understandable, you should use the command in a very consistent manner such that the dog will learn to associate the word with the meaning you attach with it. For example, if you are using the command ‘come’, make sure that everyone in the household use it in a singular manner. If you are using this command make it a point that you would not do actions that would make the command confusing for the dog. If your dog does not come to you instantly, do not punish him when he does. This would make him attribute the command with the punishment.

Then what would you expect?-If the command leads to punishment he will not follow it next time. The same command used, by all people, must be consistent. For example, if you use the words ‘come’ make sure everyone in your family uses that word also, not ‘come here’.

Principle Two:The hours devoted to training and the words used as command should be kept short. Remember that the attention span of dogs is extremely short so it is almost impossible to keep them engaged in the one activity. Combining children with your puppy obedience training is an example of keeping your training sessions short as they would lose interest very quickly.

Your dog becomes easily bored and their interest at the beginning soon fades. Training should be kept to ten to fifteen minutes and set at regular times.

Principle Three: Do not use force and punishment to hurt your dog when training. Also, never force the dog to follow the command if he is not prepared for it or punish a dog for something he did. Don’t push the animal too hard while training.

Your dog has no understanding of your impatience for his lack of learning speed. He only knows you are angry. So do not use force as this does not communicate your meaning properly, instead use negative reinforcement. Do not send him mixed signals, by making him feel praised for doing something wrong, only when he obeys the command, should he feel praised.

You have to be patient and understanding, especially during your dog obedience training sessions. The result will be a very obedient and well trained dog.

Dog behavior training for chewing is an issue you will need to address early on in your relationship

Dogs carry out destructive chewing for three main reasons, they are simply bored, they find it pleasurable to do so, or they find it helps get them through emotional times. The nearest human equivalent for which might be to consume a bar of chocolate!

Anything that gets in the way of this chewing normally ends up in poor state. Unfortunately you dog has a lot of pointed teeth that can damage lots of things.

This is okay of the chewing is directed at their play things but very quickly becomes a problem if it is your own possessions and those of your family that are being destroyed by this destructive chewing.

How To Avoid Your Possessions Being Destroyed

The first tip for dog behavior training is to not place valuable objects in the way of temptation. Preparing your house for a new dog is much the same as proofing it for a baby. Why tempt fate.

In addition, when hiding things be aware of just how agile your dog is. How high can she reach when standing on her back legs for example?

Consider that common targets in the home include books, eyewear, clothing, shoes, garbage, and small appliances like cameras, cell phones, and remote controls.

I am sure you do not need telling that food needs putting away securely. When considering what to do with food in the kitchen the safest bet is to assume that your dog will reach all but the tallest cupboards and will always get packaging open.

The phrase prevention is better than cure applies to dog behaviour training too, if your dog is not given the opportunity to discover the delights of chewing a forbidden item then it is a lot easier for her to learn your house rules.

Allowing your dog to carry on some old habits can seriously undermine your training efforts. Once she has the taste do not be surprised to find shoes you care about being treated to the same destructive chewing.

Why not buy some doggy toys to show your pet what it is she can play with. Take a look around your local pet store for tough items such as rubber bones and balls etc. Buy a few and rotate their use as a way to keep your dog behaviour training interesting.

Some final advice on dog behaviour, when you catch your dog chewing something inappropriate be sure to interrupt her immediately and provide a suitable alternative and give lavish praise when this is accepted as a way of reinforcing good behaviour.