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Published by thepawkeepers, 2018-01-15 12:25:12

dogtraining_ebook

dogtraining_ebook

10USEFULTIPSONHOW TOSOLVE
COMMONDOGBEHAVIORPROBLEMS



READOURLISTOF10USEFULTIPS
ONHOW TOSOLVESOMECOMMONDOGBEHAVIOR
PROBLEMSANDCONTINUEHAVINGFUNWITH
YOURLOVINGPETEVERYDAY.

Dogslivewithpeopleforalongtimekeepingthemcompanyand
keepingthemsafeandthat'swhytheywantdogstobehaveina
waythatmakesthempleasanttobearound.
Butdogsdonotfigureoutbasicobedienceontheirown.
That'swhytheymustbetrained.
Thehardestpartoftraining
iscommunicatingwiththe
dogsothatheunderstands
whatwearesaying.
However,atriedandtested
recipeforcommunicating
whichisverysimpleis:
rewarddesiredbehavior
whileignoringorcorrecting
undesiredbehavior.

Ifyouareadog-owner,you THESEAREJUSTTHEMOST
probablyhaveaskedyourself EFFECTIVEWAYSTOPREVENT
thesequestionsmanytimes, YOURDOGFROM DIGGING
"Whydoesmydogdig"?

Diggingispartlydoginstinct.An Beforeyouspendthousandsonfencing,
inherentqualityofdogsaregood trythebehaviouraltrainingroute.Play
"noses",sotheypossiblyjustsmelt withhim,takehimforwalks,ortakehim
somethingandarehavingagood alongwithyouonerrands.Youneedto
look.Anothercommonreasonfor help"Tigger"burnoffsomeofthat
diggingispartlyboredom.Mostof boredom.
thedogbreedsarehighlyintelli- Youneedtogivehimagreatermotiva-
gentandneedlotsofmentalstim- tiontostop.It'snogoodtellinghimoff,
ulation. youneedtorewardhimwhenhestops,
Whateverthereason,thereare withasupertreat,oratoy,oragameof
manywaystokeepadogfrom tug-whatevermotivateshim.
digginginthegarden. Ifyounoticethatyourdogdigsinthe
sameplaceandwhenyoufillinthehole
theyonlydigitupagain,youmayhavea
dogtryingtotellyouthattheyarein
needofshelter.Asimpledoghouseor
coveredshelterwilleasilysolvethis
problem.
If"Tigger"isgettingplentyofexercise
butstilldigging,thereareseveralthings
you
cantry.

Getatin(likeabakedbeantin),putafew
penniesorstonesinit,thentapeup
thetop,thisworkswelltogetthedogs
attention.Wheneveryouseehimgoto
dig,rattleitanditshouldstophim.

WHATDOESN'TWORK

Regardlessofthereasonyourdogis
digging,donot:
•Punishyourdogafterthefact.This
won'taddressthecauseofthebehavior,
anditwillworsenanydiggingthatis
motivatedbyfearoranxiety.
•Stakeoutyourdognearaholehe'sdug
orfilltheholewithwater.Thesetech-
niquesaddressneitherthecauseofthe
behaviornortheactofdigging.

Excessivebarkingisacommon
complaintwithdogowners(and SOHEREAREAFEW TIPSTO
theirneighbors).Dogsbarkfora TURNDOWNTHEVOLUME
varietyofreasons:outofboredom, Trainthem from dayonewhatwill
warning,loneliness,fear,commu- andwillnotbeallowed.Remember,
somebreedsaremoreproneto
nication,togetattention,itisfun, barking,butanydogcanbea
etc. nuisancebarker.

Thequestionis:CanIStopDog •Teachacommandthatletsthedog
Barking? knowyouwanthimtobequietlikeNO
BARKorENOUGH.
Shortanswer:No.Surgicaldebarkingis •Keepyourdoginsidewhenyouarenot
neverhumaneandrarelyeffectiveintotally home.Dogsleftoutsidealonealldayare
eliminatingvocalizations.Dogsbark!You morepronetonuisancebarking.
can,however,trainyourdogtostopexces- •Wavethetreatinfrontofyourdog's
sivebarkingbehaviorifyoulistentowhyshe nose.Mostdogswillinstantlyquiet
barksandrespondappropriatelywitheffec- down,becausetheywillbeconcentrating
tive,positivetraining. onsmellingandattemptingtolickthe
TheeasiestthingtodoisNOTallowbarking treat,ratherthanbarking.
togettobeabadhabit.Assoonasyour •Adequateexercise,properattentionto
puppyordogjoinsyourhouse,youneedto him,mentalandphysicalstimulation.A
startteachingwhatwillandwillnotbe dogthatgetswhatheneedsmentally
allowed. andphysicallyislessapttobeaproblem
barker.
WHYDODOGSBARK? •Teachyourdogwhenhecanbarkand
thatonceyouhavecheckedoutasitua-
Justastherearemanyreasons tion,hecanstopalertingyou.
humansspeak,dogbarkingoccurs •Trytofindthetriggerofthebark–like
foranumberofreasons.Herearea neighborhoodkidsteasingthedog.
fewofthemostcommon: •Donotinadvertentlyteachthedogthat
constantbarkingisgood.
•Distancedecreasing •Positivetrainingmethodstoencourage
•Boredom thedogtostayquietwhentold
•Frustration
•Separationdistress/anxiety
•Invitationtoplay
•Distanceincreasing

Chewing,rippingthingsapartand THEREARENUMEROUS
shreddingisaverynormalthing STRATEGIESYOUCANTAKE
foryourdogtodo TOSTOPTHISHABIT.
whetherit'syourcouch,your
newspapersoranyotherobjectin Thesearethemosteffective:
thehouse. •Astheygenerallychewbecausetheyare
bored,thefirstthingtotryaresome
Dogsnormallydothisbecausethey're goodtoysfordogsthatchew.Createa
anxiousorbored.Keepingyourdog "toybox"fullofrawhidechews,bones,
occupiedisthekeytosolvingthechewing regulartoys,etctoentertainher.
probleminyourdog,butdoexpecttohave •Secondbestistosticktoasetschedule.
somechewingandshreddingfromyour Theyarejustmoreconfidentand
dog,it'sperfectlynormalandyourdog comfortablewhentheyknowwhat's
shouldn'tbepunishedbutcorrectedfor goingtohappenandwhenit'sgoingto
theirmistakes. happen,andwhentheyarerelaxed,they
rarelycheworripthingsup.
AnticipationChewing •Giveyourdogplentyofphysical
exercise.Youngerdogs(upto3yearsold)
Mostdestructivechewingoccursjustbefore canhavealotofenergyandevenan
theownerreturnshome.Thedogisanx- extra30minutesadaycanhelp"takethe
iouslyanticipatingtheowner'sreturnand edgeoff"extraenergy.Playfetchinside
thisenergyisreleasedbychewing.Youcan thehouse,takeherforawalkorlether
preventyourdogfromindiscriminately runatadogpark.
chewingwhateverishandyandinstead •Ifyoudon'thavethetolerancetowait
chewherowntoys. untilyourdoglearnsmanners,then
Wheneveryoureturnhome,insistthatyour you'regoingtohavetogetoveryour
doggreetyouwithatoyinhermouth.At beliefthatdogsshouldn'tbecagedup.
firstyouwillhavetohelpherbytellingher That'stheonlywaytoensurethatyour
to"find"hertoy.Donotgiveyourusual dogwon'tchewuntilhehasoutgrown
homecominggreetinguntilshehasatoy thisstage.
firmlyinhermouth.Withinafewdays,your •Makeorbuyaweeweepadholderthat
dogwillrealizethatyouneversayhello hasagratethatgoesoverthetopsothe
unlessshehasatoyinhermouth.Now dogorpuppycan'tgetattheweewee
whenyourdogstartsanticipatingyour padtotearitup.Thegrateallowsthe
return,shewillautomaticallybeginlooking liquidstogothrough(somesolidsas
foratoywithwhichtogainyourgreeting well)withoutgivingaccesstothepads
andapprovalwhenyoudoreturn.Ifatoyis themselves.
alreadyinhermouth,shewillbelikelyto
chewonit,ratherthanonthefurniture,to
releasetension.

•Ifyourdogripsupcarpetandflooring
whenyou'reawayfromthehouse,itis
calledseparationanxiety.Inthiscase,
findalargesturdyhollowbone-avail-
ablefromyourpetstore.Fillitwith
peanutbutter.Giveittohimonlywhen
you'regoingoutandhe'sgoingtobe
alone.Ifhe'slikemostdogs,he'llbeso
busytryingtolickoutthepeanutbutter
fromthatbonethathewillbarelynotice
yourabsence.Leavethehousefor5-10
minutes.Whenyoureturn,takethebone
awayfromhimandwashitout.
Thegoodthingaboutjumpingupproblemsindogsisthattheyareusuallyeasytofix.
Aslongasyouaredeterminedtocorrecttheproblemandfollowtheabovetrainingtech-
niquesconsistentlyyoushouldbeontherighttrack.

Doesyourdogjumpalloveryoueverytimeyoucomehomeoronyour
visitors?Ormaybeyouareworriedbecauseofasmallchildorelderly
personwhocanbeknockedofftheirfeet?

Ifyourdogjumpsonpeople,thereasonis Whatstartsoutasacutehabitinyoung
becausehe'shappytoseethemandhe puppiesoftenescalatesintoabigproblem
wantssomeattention.Butdon'tbeathimfor thatcanbeverydifficulttocorrectlater
it,it'snotverynicetoharmsomeonewho's whentheygrowup.Ifyoucan'tstandyour
justsayinghello,evenifhe'sobnoxious muchloveddogjumpingonyou,just
aboutit.Also,asharp,loud"NO!"or"OFF!" imaginewhatvisitorstoyourhomemust
won'tsolvetheproblem.Ifyourdogis think.

jumpingbecausehe'slookingforattention HowToStopYourDogFrom
andhegetsanykindofattentionatall,the
behaviorisworkingforhim.Thatway,you
maybereinforcingjumpingevenifyou JumpingUp

thoughtyouwerecorrectinghisbehavior. Therearesometrainingtechniquesthatwill
Somedogsjumptoshowdominanceover dothetrickandinmostcasesyouwillsee
youoryourguests.Thisisarareonebutcan somepositiveresultsverysoon,almostina
happentoo. matterofdays.

Thegoodthingaboutjumpingupproblems
THESEARESOMEMETHODS indogsisthattheyareusuallyeasytofix.As
USEDTOSTOPDOGSFROM longasyouaredeterminedtocorrectthe
JUMPING problemandfollowtheabovetrainingtech-
niquesconsistentlyyoushouldbeonthe
•Whenyouseethatyourdogisreadyto righttrack.
launchupatyou,turnyourbodyaway
fromhim.Thiswillmakeyourdogmiss
youandwonderwhyyoudidit.During
thisdon'tmakeanyeyecontactwithyour GENERALTIPSFOR
doganddon'tsayathing.Ignoreyour CORRECTINGDOGJUMPING
dogandmakeitcleartohimthatwhen
hejumpshegetsnothingfromyou. Alwayskeepinmindthatyourdog
doesn'tunderstandthatthejumping
Whenyourdoghassettleddownand upbehavioris"inappropriate".Itis
stopsjumping,youshouldinitiate uptoyoutoclearlycommunicate
contactwithhim,praiseandgivehima thistoyourdog.

nicescratchbehindtheear.Ifyouare •Startasearlyasyoucan.Itismuch
consistentandpersistentwiththis
method,yourdogwillsoonlearnthat easiertopreventbehaviorproblemssuch
stayingonallfourlegsisamuchbetter asdogsjumpingonpeoplewhenthey
alternative! arestillpuppies,thantocorrect
ingrainedhabitslater.
•Thenextmethodisaboutsituations
whereyourdogisexcitableandproneto •Ifyoupunishorhityourdogfor
jumpingup.Youshouldgivehimsome- jumpingitdoesn'tmakesensetohim
thingelsetodolikeinstructyourdogto andsowillneverwork.Yourgoalshould
"sit"or"stay". betoclearlycommunicatethatjumping
upisalwaysanunacceptablebehavior.
•Forbigger,strongerbreedslikeGerman Rewardedbehaviorisreinforced
ShepherdsandRottweilers,dogtrainers behavior,meaningitwillbecomemore
useandrecommendcorrectingjumping common.Don'tgiveyourdogwhat
upproblemswithapinchcollar(oryou he/shewants(attention)everytimehe
mayknowitasaprongcollar).Thekeyis jumpsupandyou'llfindthebehavior
toputthepinchcollaronyourdog decreases.
wheneveryouarearoundandhavea
shortleashattachedtoit.Atthemoment •Youhavetosendaconsistentmessage
yourdogjumps,giveashortsharpsnap toyourdoginallcircumstances.This
downwardsontheleashbecausethis meansthateverybodywhocomesinto
tightensthecollarandcreatesanegative contactwithyourdoghastoreinforce
associationtoyourdog.Youshouldnever thesamemessage.It'spointlessand
pullontheleashformorethanasecond unfairifyougiveyourdogacuddleand
ortwo,andneverhurtyourdog.Your attentionwhenhejumpsuponyou,but
dogwilllearnveryquicklythatwhenhe thenyellathimwhenhejumpsupona
jumpsuponpeople,itwillbeanunpleas- deliveryman.
antexperience.

Therearemanykindsofaggres- Adangerous,unpredictablebullythatmay
sivebehavioramongdogs.Such intimidatesomeorallfamilymembers.He
behaviorcanmeanavarietyof hasaproblemwithstrangersanddoesnot
discriminate.Hemaybefriendlysometimes
thingsfromamedicalcondition andsometimesnot.
thatiscausingyourdogpainand
requiresmedicalattention,toa FearAggression
Heusuallyreactstoalmostanydisturbance
threatthatcanmeaneventual fromringingdoorbellsandtelephonesto
harmtoapersonorotheranimal. approachingpeopleandanimals.Reactions
Aggressivetemperamentsthat rangefromaggressivebarking,growling,
baringteeth,snapping,bitingoracombina-
appearinpuppyhoodshouldbe tionofanyofthese.
dealtwithearlyonorsuffermore
seriousconsequenceslateron. Territorial/OverprotectiveAggression
Usuallyadangertoanyoneenteringhis
domainandmaygrowl,lungeorbite.When
Thegoodnewsisthatmanytypesofaggres- walkingwithhisownerhemayclaimtheter-
sivebehaviorcanbecontrolledormodified. ritorytheyarewalkingorstandinginand
Theeasiestwayhowtostopdogaggression thereforecanbeaggressivetowardany
istofirsteducateyourselfaboutthedogs approachingpersonoranimal.
andsecondlytolearnhowtotrainyourdog
forobedience.Youdogisverysmart. PossessiveAggression
Physicalforcewillnotachieveanything-just Willbark,growl,barehisteeth,snaporbite
likeinhumans.Beingcalmandacting whenanypersonoranotherpetgoesnear
anythingthedogconsidershis.Approaching
friendlywillgetyouveryfar.Theverybasic thedogorgettingclosetothingshehasin
thingyoushoulddotostopdogaggression
istofindthereasonswhyorwhenyourdog hispossessionlikefood,toysandyourbook,
getsupset.Actingproperlyinthosesitua- shoeetc.,willtriggeraggression.
tionsandnotlosingyourheadwhenyour
dogstartsbehavingaggressivelyiswhatyou PunishmentAggression
shouldstrivetowards. Peoplecausethisformofaggressionby
beingabusiveandoverlydominantintrying
tocorrectorpunishtheirdogs.Thisincludes
DominateAggression wrappingthedogonthenoseorunderthe
Adangerous,unpredictablebullythatmay
intimidatesomeorallfamilymembers.He chin,chasingorcorneringthemwithanger,
hasaproblemwithstrangersanddoesnot standingovertheminathreateningmanner,
discriminate.Hemaybefriendlysometimes orfrighteningthemwithangryreprimands.
andsometimesnot.
PainAggression
FearAggression Justlikepeople,dogshavevaryingdegrees
Adogthatisnervous,insecureandfright- ofpaintolerance.Someaggressivebehav-
enedagreatdealofthetime. iorsareinvoluntaryreactionstoinjuriesor

illnesslikehipdysplasia,arthritis,skindisor- "SIT"commandwithaloudandsharp
dersandearproblems.Adogcan'tsay,"Hey voice.Repeatitafewtimesandyour
I'minpain,"sohemaysnaporbitetotryto dogwillstopbarkingorgrowling.
stopyouorsomeoneelsefromtouching •Insituationsyouknowaresafe(suchas
him. yourfriend'svisit)youcancalmyour
PredatoryAggression dog'saggressivebehaviordownwith
Itisassociatedwithhuntingandtheytend tappinghimonthebackorevenhugging
toattackwhenthevictimorobjectmoves him,lettinghimknowit'sOKforthat
away.Thisdogwillchasejoggers,children, persontobeinthehouse.
cats,bikes,cars--anythingthatmoves, •Praiseandrewardyourdogwhenhe
includingsomeonejuststrollingby. calmsdown.Thiswayhewillknowit'sOK
MaternalAggression tobecalmandwillacceptagivensitua-
Seenmostofteninafemalethatisnursing tionasknownandthere'snoneedtoact
orraisingalitterofpuppies.Thedogmay aggressively.
bark,growlorsnap.Usuallydiminisheswhen •Asafinalmeasureifnothingelseworks,
thepuppiesareweanedandalmostalways youneedtogotoveterinaryclinicand
stopscompletelywhenthelitterisgoneor determinethebestsolution.
thedogisonitsown.
DogAggression DON'TS
Dogsthatfightarecompetitive,territorial
andfocusedondominanceversussubordi- •Neveruseanyphysicalforcetocorrect
nation.Fearandterritoryareotherinflu- yourdogwhenbehavingaggressively.He
ences.Thebarking,chasing,growling, thinkshe'sdoingtherightthingby
lungingandbitingthatisevidentinmature defendingwhatishis.Usingthephysical
dogsisgenerallyseeninpuppiesduring meanstostophimfromdoingsowill
learningandplaying. resultinconfusionandevenmore
RedirectedAggression aggressivebehavior.
Thedogmaybark,snaporbiteapersonor •Don'tignoreit!Don'tjustputyourdog
animalthatinterruptsaggressivebehavior.A intheotherroom,closingthedoors
combinationofadrenalineandasharpfocus behindyou.Hecanstillsmellorhear
whenadogfightsmakesinterruptingthe whatisgoingon,evenifintheother
fightextremelydangerous. room.Notbeingabletodosomething
aboutit,yourdogislikelytobecome
DO'S evenmoreaggressive.
•Don'tgetupsetbyyourdog'saggres-
•Usetheleashwhenyourdogis sivebehavior.Hecansenseyou'rebeing
behavingaggressively.Thiswayyoucan upsetandwillonlyenhancehisaggres-
gentlybutfirmlypullontheleashin siveness.It'slikeaddingtothefire.Stay
ordertocalmyourdogdown.Ifonly calm!
pullingontheleashwon'tdo,saythe

Thefirstthingistorealizethat whileyou'regone.Ifyourewarditwith
pottytraininganindoordogmay treatsuponenteringitscrate,itwillsoon
takemoretimethanyouthink. enjoyspendingtimethere.Thiswillhelpto
Onceyoubringthatcutelittleguy establishthehouseasano-pottyzone.

homeyou'llrealizethatpuppies Youhavealifeandyouwon'talwaysbe
relievethemselvesalot.Insome there,evenifyouarejustansweringthe
phone.Socleanupispartoftheprocessof
casesasmuchasonceanhour! pottytrainingdogs.

Pottytraininganindoordogrequiresoneto HEREARETHEBASICSOF
bewatchful.Youmustkeepaneyeonyour ASIMPLEPOTTYTRAINING
puppyatalltimeswhileinsidethehouse ROUTINEFORAPUPPY.
andrecognizethewarningsigns.Themost
noticeablesignisthepre-sniff.Ifyourpuppy
beginstosniffaroundthefloor,particularly
inareaswherehehashadanaccident
before,takeitoutsideimmediately!Usually,
puppiesneedtopottyrelativelysoonafter
eatingorsleepingsoit'sagoodideatotake
themoutaftertheseevents.Youngpuppies
takeINfoodorwaterandusuallywithin15
or20minutes,theypeeorpoopOUT.Tryto
takeyourpuppytothesamespotevery
time.

PositiveReinforcement
Praiseitforajobwelldone!Lavishyour
puppywithpraiseuponcompletionofevery
successfuloutsidejob.Thisisoneofthe
mostimportantstepstopottytrainingan
indoordog.Smalltreatsalsoworkwonders
inpottingtraining.Avoidnegativereinforce-
ment,i.e.spankingandyelling,asthisonly
causesthepuppyconfusion.
WhenYouAreAway
Inevitably,yourreallifemustbeginagain.
Youmustgobacktoworkandleavethe
puppyhomealone.Whenthistimecomes,it
isgoodtohaveapettravelcontaineror
crateofsufficientsizetoputyourpuppyin

TIPS!
•Keepinmindthatyouarebuildinga •Youcouldtrytrainingyourpuppyby
relationshipatthesametimethatyouare saying"Doyourstuff!"justashepeesor
teachinghimoneofhisfirstlessons. poops.Aftertheyhaveheardthephrase
Practicepatience! maybeafewdozentimes,youcanbegin
usingittoencouragethemjustbefore
•Don'ttakehimbackinthehousethe theyareactuallydoingtheirstuff.
verymomenthehasdonehisstuff.Heis Eventually,itwillbehelpfulwhenyouare
likelytonoticethatthefunofbeing walkingthemasadults.
outsideendsabruptlyonceheeliminates,
andthisisnotanideayouwanthimto •Ifyouareclicker-training,youcouldclick
comeupwith! whenthedogdidhisstuffwhereyou
wantedhimto,thengivehimatreata
fewmomentslater,whenheisdone.

Physically,puppiesvaryinhowoldtheyarebeforetheyhavecontrolofelimination,but
ifyoubringyourpuppyhomearoundtheageof8weeks,
whichisconsideredtheidealage,expectamonthortwo
ofaccidents.

Manydogproblemsareduetoa Thebestthingyoucandoforyourhome-
lackoftraining,butitisnottruein alonedogissupplysomegood,hard,first-
thiscase.Therearetwomotivating thingin-the-morningexercise.Howmuch
factorsatwork.First,beinghome exerciseandwhatkinddependsonyour
dog’sage,fitness,bodytype,andstateof
aloneisstressfultoadog,since health,andalsoontheweather.
dogsareverysocialandcrave Theresultyou’relookingforisthatyourdog
companionship.Allthetrainingin getshomeandflopsdownonhisbedto
snooze.Formostdogs,off-leashrunning,
theworldisn'tgoingtoeliminate trotting,andsniffingareideal,becausethey
thelonelinessandboredom, supplynotonlyvariedphysicalexercise,but
whichleadstoproblems.Second, mentalstimulationaswell.

dogsareremarkablyintelligent Next,putawayyourdog’sfoodbowlanduse
creaturesandsoonlearnthatobe- food-dispensingtoysinstead.

diencedoesn'tapplywhenyou're
notpresent.

Forchampionchewers,freezethestuffed occupied.Nevergiveyourdogoldsocks
toyuntilit’shard,soastomakealong- orshoestoplaywith,becausehewon't
lastingexcavationproject.Othertoys knowthedifferencebetweenoldshoes
releasedryfoodpiecebypiecewhenthe andnewones.Dogsjustlovethetasteof
dogknocksorpushesthemaround. leather!Whenanxious,theyoftenresort
Someofthesetoysoffervariablediffi- tothingsthatarecomfortingandmake
cultylevels,soyoucanfrustrateyourdog themfeelgood.Hideyourshoes!
justenoughtokeepheractiveand Althoughit'snotpracticalforalldog
engaged.Didyouforgettowashoutthe owners,acompanionanimal,likeanother
foodtoysfromthedaybefore?Thentake dog,canhelpalleviatethestressofbeing
yourdog’sentirebreakfastrationofdry leftaloneallday.Sometimes,twodogs
foodandscatteritonthefloorasyou canbebetterthanone!Notonlydothey
leavethehouse.Successfulforagingis keepeachothercompanyduringtheday,
mostdogs’ideaofagoodtime. buttheyprovideexerciseforeachother,
Oneideathatisnotsogoodisleaving whichmeansyoumaynothavetodevote
yourdogoutintheyard.Evenassuming asmuchtimeto"doggyactivities"
yourfenceistallenoughanddugdeep afteranexhaustingdayatwork.
enoughtokeephimfromescapingno
matterwhat,dogsleftaloneoutsideare TIPS!
vulnerabletointruders.Besides,adogin
theyardbyhimselfisn’tkeepingfitwith •Starttrainingyourpuppytobealonefor
calisthenics.Atworst,he’sworkingon shortperiodsoftimewhileheisstill
problembehaviorssuchasbarking young.
andlungingatpassersby;atbest,he’s •Trickyourpuppyintothinkingthatyou
hangingaroundbythebackdoorhoping areabouttoleavewithoutactually
somebodywillcomeandlethiminagain. leaving.Getdressed,openthedoorand
Also,oneotheridea.Restrictingyour thenimmediatelycloseit.Thenexttime
dog'sspaceinthehomewhileyou're youreallyneedtoleave,thesightofyou
goneaccomplishesseveralthings.It gettingdressedwillnotmakeyour
removesyourdogfromalotofpotential puppytooexcited.
temptationsinthehouse.Itlimitsyour •Beforeyouleaveyourpuppyalone,
dog'sactivity,whichnotonlyreduceshis exhausthim.Engagehiminsome
needtoeliminate,butalsoencourages drainingactivity,likerunningorplaying
himtodowhatyouwanthimtodo ball.Whenyoubringhimhome,hemay
duringtheday-sleep. betootiredtopayattentiontoyou
Ifyouhavedecidedtolimityourdog's leaving.Hemayevenfallasleep.
spacetoaparticularroom,makehimas •Thereisnoneedforlong,emotional
comfortableaspossible.Makesurehe goodbyes.Ifyouleaveandthencome
hashisownbedorsomethingsofttolay backtoreassureyourpuppy,hewillthink
on.Makesurehehastoysavailableso thatyouarerewardinghistantrums.You
thatifhegetsenergetic,hewillhavean areactuallyencouragingpuppysepara-
appropriateactivityinsteadoffripping tionanxiety.
thelinoleumupfromthefloor.Makesure
hehasaccesstofreshwater.
Makesureyourdoghasplentyoftoys,
especiallychewableones,tokeephim

•Beforeyouleave,turntheradioon. •Whenyoureturn,don'tmakeabigscene.
•Loveyourpuppy,playwithhim,spend Ifyoudo,youareencouragingyourpuppy
timewithhim,butlikewithalotofthings tolookforwardtoyourreturn.Thisantici-
inlife,everythinginmoderation!Exces- pationwillmakehimmoreanxious.
siveattentionthatyourpuppyisgetting
canmakepuppyseparationanxietyeven
worse.

Trainingyourdogtostoppulling Oneofthefirstthingsyouneedtoteach
ontheleashisoneofthemost youryoungpuppyishowtobehaveona
frustratingandcommontraining leash.Itisacrucialskilltomasterforboth
youandyourdog'sfuture.Aftertraininga
issuesusdogownersarefaced puppytowalkonaleashtheyaremuchsafer
with.Inrealityleashtrainingadog andmoremanageable,plusitmeanswalkies
isn'tallthatdifficult.Whatitdoes isanexperienceyoucanbothlookforward
requireisaneffectiveplan, toandenjoy.

absoluteconsistencyinapplying Thisfirststepcanbeginassoonasyour
theplan,heapsofpracticeanda puppyarrivesathisnewhome.Allitinvolves
dashofpatience. isgettingyouryoungpupfamiliarwithand
comfortablewearingacollar.Asimplelight
weightleathercollarisidealforthistask.
Placeitonyourpuppywhenyoufeedhimor
asyouareplaying-thisprovidesabitofa
distractionfromthecollar.He'llprobablyroll
aroundtryingtodislodgeit,ortryhisbestto
scratchitoff.Whenheisdoingthisitis
importantthatyoudon'ttakeitoffhim.Wait
untilhehassettleddownandforgotten
aboutitbeforeyoutakeitoff.
Onceyourpuppyishappywearinghisnew
collar,itistimetointroducetheleash.Same
thingagainhere,youjustwanttogethim
comfortablewiththeleash,andtoshowhim
theleashisnottobefeared.Anylight
weight,thinleashisfineforthisstep.Youcan
buyyourpuppyafancyleatherleashafterhe
isproperlyleashtrainedifyouchoose.

Allyouneedtodoiscliptheleashontohis praise,pettingandevensometreats.When
collar,lethimcheckitoutanddragitaround hestrainsontheleash,stopimmediately.
thehouse(alwaysunderyoursupervision). Don'tyankhimbackovertoyouwiththe
He'llforgetaboutitafterawhile. leash,justcallhimbackovertoyouand
Nowthatyourpuppyiscomfortableinhis praisehimwhenhecomes.Nevereverkeep
collarandwiththeleash,itistimetopickup walkingwhenyourpuppyispullingonthe
theotherendoftheleash.Makethesefirst leash,thisonlyrewardshisbehaviorand
leashtrainingsessionsshort,sharpandfun. reinforcesthehabit.Yourpuppyhastolearn
Atthisearlystageyouwillprobablyfindthat thatwhenhe
yourpuppylovestofollowyouaround pullsontheleash,hegetsnowhere.Ifhe
everywhere-usethistoyouradvantage. wantstocontinuewalking,ithastobeby
Tostartwithjustwalkaroundthehouse yoursideonalooseleash.Thesamerule
withtheleashinhand,andyourpuppy appliesifyourpuppysitsdownwhenyou
trottingalongsideyou.Whenheiswalking arewalking.Don'tyankhimforwardtowards
alongonalooseleashgivehimplentyof you,justcallhimoverandrewardhimwhen
hearrives.Thensetoffwalkingagainwith
yourpuppybyyourside.

RULESFORPREVENTINGLEASHPULLING

•Pullingisanaturalbehaviorfordogs. latetostartyourleashtrainingthough,it
Whenadogisrestrainedorpulledback willjusttakealittlemoretimeifyourdog
bysomething,itsfirstandnatural hasanexistingleashpullingproblem.
responseistopulltheotherwayagainst •Nevereverrewardyourdog'sleash
it. pullingbehavior.Thismeansthatthe
•Theyget"rewarded"forpullingonthe pullingnevergetsyourdogtowherehe
leash.Therewardisintheformofyou ispullingyoutowards.
walkingalongmorequicklybehindthem •Alwaysbeconsistentwhenleash
oriftheyfindsomethinginterestingout trainingadog.Makeitasimpledecision
infrontlikeasquashedbugonthe foryourdogtomake-ifhepullsonthe
pavement-theirpullingbehavioris leashhegetsnowhere,iftheleashisnice
beingreinforcedeverytimethisoccurs. andloosehegetshiswalkies.Each
•Manydogspullbecausetheydon't personwhowalksyourdogmustfollow
knowanydifferent.Theyhaveneverbeen andenforcethesameleashtrainingrules.
clearlyshownthatpullingontheleashis •Putthemajorityofyourfocusinto
anunacceptablebehavior. showingyourdogthebehavioryouwant
•Theearlieryoustartleashtrainingadog (lovelylooseleashhangingdown
thebetter.Startingearlyensuresthat betweenthetwoofyou)ratherthancon-
youcreategoodbehaviorhabitsinyour tinuallypunishingundesirablebehavior.
puppyandpreventleashpullingfrom Educateandthenreinforceappropriate
everbecomingaproblem.It'snevertoo leashwalking-makeitamoreattractive
optiontoyourdogthanpullingonthe
leash.

Throughpositivetrainingmethods Takeoneofhisfavoritetreatsandwaveit
andpatience,yourdogwillhave overhisshoulderinarollovermotion.Ifhe
funashelearnshowtorollover rollsovertoreachit,tellhim“Rollover!”and
givehimthetreat.Praisehimasifhe’sjust
anddoothertricks. wonthelottery!Ifhestartstogetupinstead,
takehislegsgentlyandrollhimover,saying
“Rollover!”Thengivehimthetreatand
Teachingyourdogtricksisagreatwayto praisehim.Makeitfunandhewillcatchon
havefunandstrengthenthebondwithyour afterseveralsessions.
pet.Yourdogwillgainconfidenceashe
learnstopleaseyouandhisintelligencewill
increaseashelearnsnewthings. WSpitihntAhreoduongdinfrontofyou,lurehimintoa
Sometricksmaybeeasierthanothersfor circlewithatreat,rewardinghimoncehe's
yourdogtolearn.Buttherearemanytricks doneacompleteturn.Thiswon'ttakehim
thatareeasytolearnandfuntoteach.Allit longtolearn.Oncehe'sgottheconcept,use
takesarecleardirections,lotsofpatience, thetreatintermittently,butalwaysgiveboth
andgenerouspraise.Payattentiontoyour averbalcommandandthespinhandsignal
dog'senergylevelandattitude.Ifhe'snot sohefollowsyourfinger.
havingfun,oristired,stopandpractice Youcanhavehimspinrighton"Spin"and
morelaterintheday.Ifyouarelosingyour lefton"Nips”(spinbackwards).Oruse“Left
goodattitude,tryagainlater. and“Right”.Withalittlepractice,he'llbeable
todothisdogtrickjustonyourhandsignal
HTeaavechthYeoculirckDeorgretaodyS,iatndholdafoodtreat alone.
nearyourdog’snose.Whenyourdognotices IShhaavkeetahuisghptamwydoghowtoshake.First,I
thetreat,moveitupandslightlyoverhis madehimsit.Thengentlytapthebackofhis
head,forcinghimtotilthisheadbackto paw.Ifheliftsit,shakeit,thensay"Shake".
followthetreat.Whenhisheadgoesup,his Rewardhimwithaclick,thenatreat.Ifyou
bottomshouldnaturallygodown.The don'thaveatreat,petandpraisehim.
momentyourdog’srearendhitstheground, Repeatitoverandoveruntilyoufeelconfi-
clicktomarkandgivehimthetreat.After4-6 denthecandoitwithoutyoutappinghis
repetitions,startlabeling“sit”asyourdog’s paw.Dothiseveryonce-and-a-whilesohe
hindquartershittheground.Thisisan doesn'tforgetit.
invaluablecommand,andyoucanuseitas
analternatebehaviorwheneveryourdogis
doingsomethingyoudon’twanthimtodo, Hideandseek
suchasjumping. ItaughtmyGoldenRetrieverhowtoplay
hideandseekbyfirsthidinginaneasyto
seeplacewhilemyyoungerbrotherwould
RollOver holdhimattheotherendofthehouse.
I‘Rollover’isacutetrickthatisusuallynot WhenIwashidden,Iwouldyell,"hideand
hardtoteach.Manydogscanlearntoroll seek!"andmybrotherwouldbringhim
overoncommand.Startwithyourdoglying aroundtodifferentplacesinthehouse.Isaid
onhisside.Ifyourdogisveryactiveand "hideandseek!"everyminuteorsountilhe
won’tliedown,waituntilheiscalmorfirst foundme.ThenIgavehimatreat.
won’tliedown,waituntilheiscalmorfirst

Walkingandtrainingarethetwo Don'toverlookroutinedogfootcare.
mostimportantthingsyoucando Becauseyourdogspendssomuchtimeon
withyourdog.Alldogs herfeet--withouttheprotectionofshoes--
she'spronetopuncturesorwoundsfrom
loveandneedtogoforawalk, glassandothersharpobjects,aswellas
eveniftheyareintheyard.Ithelps scrapesandabrasionsfromcementand
gravelwalkways.Examineyourdog'sfeeton
theminbondingbecausethat's aregularbasistomakesureshehasn't
whatthe"pack"doesandalso pickedupanyfoxtailsorgoatheadstickers.If
theycancheckouttheotherdogs grassseedsbecomeembeddedinthepaw,
intheirneighborhood. removethemwithtweezers.Cleansmall
cuts,andapplyantibioticointmentorcream.
Seekveterinarytreatmentformoresevere
Theywalktogethertoo. cuts.Nothingelsematterswhenyourdogis

lost.Takingafewsimplestepswhenshefirst
Itisgoodpracticetoalwayshaveyourdogs comeshomecansaveeveryoneheartache
earntheirtreatsandfood,somakemealtime later.Therighttagcangetyourdogback
alearningopportunity.Teachyourpet homewherehebelongsinamatterofhours.
commandssuchascome,sitanddown,then Herewediscussthebestmethodsofprovid-
giveacommandforthedogtoobeybefore ingidentificationforyourdog.Wewillalso
youprovidethemealortreat.Dogslikethe discusssomeidentificationoptionsthatyou
opportunitytoshowthattheyunderstand maynothaveheardof.Didyouknowthat
theirpeopleandenjoyinteractionthatleads somepetownerstattootheirdogswithvital
torewardsandpraise.Otheradvantagesof identificationinformation?Howabout
teachingdogstotakefoodonlyuponyour microchipimplants?Regardlessofthe
command:yourpetwillbelesslikelytotry methodyouchoose,wewillalsotellyou
tostealothers'food,ingestunauthorized howtoregisteryourdog'sidentification.

substancesindoorsoroutdoors,oraccept
treatsfromstrangers.There'snothingwrong
withgivingyourdoganoccasionalsmall TIPS!
tasteofpeoplefood--aslongasit'sreally
occasional.Asaregulardiet,it'snothealthy •Don'tusemetalwaterdishesoutsidein
atall. winter,becauseyourpet'stonguecould
sticktothefrozenmetal.Also,inthe
summerwhenit'shotmetalbowlscan
Brushingyourdogshairwillkeepit'scoat getveryhotandburnyourdog'stongue.
shinyandhealthy.Brushyourdogcoatonce
aweekwithavarietyofdifferentbrushes.
Youshouldbrushyourdogsteethregularly •Ifyourdogrunsawayfromyouandyou
tokeepthemcleanandhealthy.It'salsonice finallycatchuptoit,nomatterhow
angryyouareatthedog,donotyellor
whentheydon'thavethatdogbreathwhen smackitoryourdogwillnevercometo
yougotokissthem.Alwaysuseatoothpaste youwhencalledforfearofbeing
madespecificallyfordogs.Youshouldnever punished.
usehumantoothpaste.It'snotgoodfor
them.

•Dogurinationburnsyourlawn?Trygivingthemsometomatojuiceeveryday(eitherina
bowlorontheirfood)anditshouldsolvetheproblem.

•Teachyourdogtricksonlyforonlyafewminuteseachdaysothatyourdog
doesn’tgetburntout.Keepthingsfunandalwaysusepositivemethods.

Dogscareaboutattention.There'snothingtheywouldcaremoreabout
thanbeingwellandregularlyfed,spendingsometimeplaying,running
andfeelingsomeonecaresaboutthemandtreatsthemnicely.That's
whyyoushouldusepositivereinforcementandbypraisingand
awardingyourpetyoucaneasilyshapeyourdog'sbehavior.Ifyourpet
hassomebehaviorissuesyoushouldspendsometimewithitandtrain
itsoyoucanallcontinueenjoyingandhavingfuneveryday.


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