Friday, May 24, 2013

How To Get What You Want From Your Dog

Any pet owner will agree that proper dog training techniques are critical to a happy, fun-filled home life. The best way to embark on the process is to thoroughly educate yourself about effective methods that have stood the test of time. By taking these tips to heart, you and your pet will be well on your way to a cooperative, symbiotic relationship. When training your dog make sure you never stop training. This may sound silly but it is actually very sensible. Your dog may learn tricks quickly and not forget them, but dogs never stop learning so you need to take advantage of this by teaching often. Also, it never hurts to reinforce what has already been learned.
TIP! When teaching your dog discipline, regardless of what training method you use, you should always apply it with speed and consistency. Not correcting your dog for bad behavior every single time, sends him mixed signals that may only make the problem worse.
To get your dog to crawl on command, have him start in a lying position. If you are tall enough, or your dog is small enough, place your leg, heel on the floor, knee up, in front of him. Take a treat and lead him underneath your leg. If your dog cannot fit under your leg, find another low threshold, like a chair, that he can crawl under. This makes him have to scoot forward to get the treat and will reduce his urge to stand up to follow your hand. Be careful that you do not inadvertently punish good behavior. For example, when you are house training a puppy and you take them outside, do not leave them out there by themselves and go inside. This can actually teach the puppy that going to the bathroom outside means you leave them. Instead, after praising, further reward the puppy with some outside play time. This keeps the whole experience positive. A good dog training tip is to be aware of the body language you use. Dogs pay close attention to our body language and it's important that you are sending the right message. Talking too much can also confuse dogs, so it's best to be succinct with what you're trying to say.
TIP! When you are training your dog, make sure you are very patient. Different dog breeds learn at different rates.
It is important to teach your puppy that it is never okay to put his teeth on you. Puppies interact with their litter mates by using their mouths, both to play and to express when they are upset and he will more than likely try to do this to you. You can gently push his face away and say 'no' to teach him that this is not acceptable behavior. There is little room for debate about the importance of dog training in the lives of pet owners and their families. Making sure that a pet exhibits the proper level of obedience is something that requires a comprehensive understanding of sound training methodology. Put these tips to work today, and you will soon have the well-behaved companion you desire.