Dog Guidance Blog

Dog training can be a learning experience for your dog, but you can also learn other important things, as well. This article can help you make the most of training your dog. You will find that your time spent training your dog will have benefits for both of you, for years to come.

When it comes to grooming activities, familiarize your pet with common handling as early as possible. Dogs require grooming regardless of breed and getting your pet used to having her paws, face and ears handled regularly makes the grooming process less stressful for both of you. Whether you do your own grooming or have it done professionally, train your dog to accept handling common to grooming.

If you are having problems with your dog’s behavior, one of the best things that you can do is to avoid aggression triggers. For instance, do not put them in a situation where they are likely to feel protective. If they do not like other dogs, simply try to separate them.

House training your puppy can be a lot faster and more effective using a crate. The crate should never be used for punishment. The puppy should be put in it at night and in between times of interaction with his owner. His natural instinct is to not relieve himself in his sleeping area.

To introduce a new animal into a home that already has dogs, you should give that animal their own territory. This could mean initially giving the new cat or dog their own room or taking your old dogs out of the house before bringing the new dog in. Because dogs are very territorial, this tactic gives your new dog more leverage and makes your older dogs more reluctant to get aggressive.

You need consistently let your dog know it when he is not behaving like you want. Do not reinforce undesirable behavior. By reinforcing what is wrong, it will help the dog develop bad habits and they will start ignoring your commands for behaving right. They will then regularly misbehave, and that’s not good.

Never punish your pet for coming when called. A good recall command is essential, not only for obedience, but for your dog’s safety as well. It may seem obvious that calling your pet to you for punishment is bad, however when you are angry at a dog who has darted out of the yard or refuses to come for a bath, it is easy to forget. By keeping their “come” command associated with positive experiences, you can be assured that next time they get away from you, they will reliably return when called.

For dogs that bark unnecessarily, do not shout at your dog. Shouting to counteract barking can actually be a positive reinforcement for dogs, since they do not understand that you are not reacting at their barking. This feedback loop leads the dog to believe that whatever they’re barking at is actually a big deal, so stay calm and distract your dog to deter problem barking.

When training your dog to deal with its fear or anxiety related behaviors, go slow. Responding to a fear or anxiety response with aggression only leads to more fear and even mistrust. Take your time and give your dog the opportunity to succeed. He will grow in confidence and reduce fear induced behaviors.

Be consistent. It is going to take a lot of work to train your dog. And if you aren’t consistent, you can undo all the work that you did in the first place. You have to teach your dog the way to behave, and that is true whether you feel great or whether you’re busy, stressed or sick. Consistent behavior from you leads to consistent behavior from your dog.

Reward good behavior during training with control. If your dog follows a training command properly then it is acceptable to reward the behavior to a calm animal. Though you may be happy with the accomplishment, excitement on your part leads to excitement on their part and diminishes control of the situation. Be calm, expect calm, then reward appropriately.

As was stated previously, dog training can be a learning experience for you and your dog. By taking the advice in this article to heart, you can ensure a bond between your dog and yourself. This time will be well spent and create a friendship that will benefit the both of you.