Posts Tagged ‘training’

Dog Behavioral Problems – 4 Simple Solutions

James M. Hussey | February 10th, 2010

Often, you may find your dog acting up, and if you\’re contending with dog behavioral problems, it\’s advisable to act as quickly if possible. If bad dog behavior is simply ignored, you may end up with a major issues on your hands. The good news is, there are a plethora of simple techniques to implement change in dog behavior issues in a humane and patient way.

Dog behavioral problems can vary from cute, but annoying little problems, to full on threatening issues such as biting. Though there are many causes of behavioral problems, the solutions are pretty consistent. The old saying, \”You can\’t teach an old dog new tricks,\” isn\’t an excuse and with consistent training, you can address dog behavior problems. Let\’s look at 4 user-friendly dog training tips.

1. Be Consistent. This is the absolute piece of advice when training any animal. You may be tempted to let them slide every once in awhile, but this will only serve to hinder your training. Keep giving your dog rewards as well as with corrections and your pet will begin to realize that you are absolutely the pack leader.

2. Positive Reinforcement is Vital. While many Old-School dog training techniques, e.g.: newspaper smacks, may seem initially effective, they may actually cause more issues later on. Building up and praising your dog helps your dog relate good behavior with good rewards, and is a very effective technique of addressing even the toughest dog behavior problems.

In brief, reinforcing good behavior means that you reward your pet when he or she does the right thing, and withhold the reward when they misbehave. Even the most stubborn dog will begin to respond to these strategies, when they are applied every time.

3. You NEED a Crate. One of the easiest ways to stop destructive behavior is to provide your dog with clear cut boundaries. Crating them while you\’re away, or when you just want some space is an effective and humane training aid. You may need to introduce them to the crate slowly, and allow them time to get used to being confined. Remember, be consistent and reward them for good behavior in their crate. A crate should never be used as a punishment, insted as a safe place for them to go and be at ease.

4. An additional cautionary note for you and especially your loved ones. Once the dog behavioral problems are addressed, and the corrective training has started, it is imperative everyone who deals with the dog use the same-exact training techniques. Everyone must be consistent in the handling of the dog. If not, your poor pooch will become very uncertain and may act out even more than before the positive reinforcement training was initatied.

Once you have these methods in place, you can easily begin to solve dog behavioral issues without undue stress to you or your pet. A well behaved pet is a happy pet and you\’ll appreciate the lack of destructive and potentially harmful dog behavioral problems.

James M. Hussey loves his dog, no matter the dog behavioral problems. He freelances on Elance as \”JamestheJust,\” writing killer web content and SEO articles for his clients. Dog Pet Stores is one of his recent blogs, and has answers to dog behavior questions and doggie goods.

Dog Training for Newbies

John Sommer | January 10th, 2010

Bringing a new puppy into your home is a very happy occasion; but this can also be a stressful time, particularly if you have never had a dog before. There is a lot that you\’ll need to learn about caring for a dog.

First you will need to make sure that your puppy feels safe and secure in its new environments and you can be do this by showing your that you love it. Speak with a loving voice and don\’t start out by yelling when it does something that you do not want it to do. You can actually give your dog mental scars for life by treating it the wrong way and that is one of the reasons why it is important to attend dog or puppy training as soon as possible.

But there are other reasons that you would want to have your dog trained and it in reality it is not just your dog that needs training! You as the dog owner will also need training so that you know what the right way is and what the wrong way to handle a dog is.

Training a dog will become obvious to you when you get your puppy inside the house. It will be filled with energy and might run around and brake things, pee on the floor and chew its way through anything.

You\’ll learn a lot of useful things in dog training classes, such as which commands are the most effective and just as importantly, what tone of voice to use when giving your dog a command. You\’ll need to learn these things and practice them regularly? This will make your new dog a better behaved member of the family and while some puppy damage is almost inevitable, can prevent much of the damage your new dog may cause.

Every single day you will need to take your dog out for a walk. You will soon learn that you need to teach your dog to walk without pulling the leash and that it has to follow your directions.

There can be very serious consequences to being unable to control your dog while going for a walk? And a leash is necessary at all times, no matter how well behaved your dog may seem. Your dog will naturally want to chase squirrels and other small animals? Even into the middle of the street!

Car accidents are one of the top causes of death in pets, particularly dogs. When dogs are struck by cars, it is often due to the owner\’s inability to control their dogs with their commands. Dog training classes can literally save the life of your beloved puppy or dog.

Dog health and well being is very important in order to have a fun and joyful dog. As a dog owner you should spend enough time and energy in teaching your dog and yourself the best ways to love and respect each other as you will hopefully be together for a long time.