Dog Training - Tips to Help You Train Your Dog
It is important that you teach your dog to act appropriately, just as you would a child. A dog needs to know there are boundaries and behaviors that are allowed and those that are forbidden.
The first thing you need to do is identify the reason for the bad behavior. For example, if your dog is digging holes in your backyard while you are at work, you need to find his or her reason for digging. You might be led to believe that he or she is digging because it is trying to punish you for leaving it home. This is rarely the real reason. The two main reasons a dog will dig is either a nutritional issue or boredom.
To find out if it is a vitamin deficiency or a behavioral issue you should consult with your veterinarian. He or she should be able to determine the underlying cause for your dogs behavior. If indeed the issue is related to the dogs diet it might be suggested that you add a vitamin supplement to the food.
Another common problem is teaching the dog to only go to the bathroom outside. This is going to be quite a task no matter what the age of the dog. Although if the dog was not trained as a puppy it could be a bit more difficult to train. Positive reinforcement is the best way to teach a dog good behavior, such as relieving itself outside. Start off by rewarding with small treats and praise, slowly wean off of the treats and continue with praise and occasional treat. Eventually, you can eliminate the treat altogether.
As with teaching or training anything you should always be consistent. Stay on top of the training, no matter how short on time you are. You should always use the same command for the action you are trying to teach. For example, if you are teaching your dog to stop jumping on company you should stick with one command that is one word, "down." This will teach your dog a lot faster than by changing the command to "stop it," "get off," "no," or others. Simply and repetitive. Dogs love to please their owners, so pleasing you will eventually be the only reward needed other than praise.
There are a few tips that can help you teach your dog to walk with you on the leash instead of dragging you down the road. However, the best way might be to combine two different methods into one. Try brining a pocket full of treats with you on your walk. Once you begin to walk show the dog that you have a treat, let him smell it but do not give it to him. Begin walking and say "walk." As he begins to pull say "no" "walk" and again show the treat. The dog should be more interested in the treat than pulling. As you are walking every ten steps or so repeat the "walk" command. When you make it through half of your walk you can give the dog the treat or a couple. Repeat the same steps on the way back. After a few days of this your dog will be more than willing to walk with you.
It is important that you are not only rewarding your dog with treats but also with a love and attention. Eventually, you will be able to leave the treats alone and only give them on occasion. Remember that you need to practice teaching your dog as well as yourself on a daily basis. There realy is no such thing as a bad dog, only a bad dog owner.
