YOUR DOG NEEDS TO KNOW TO MAKE YOU HAPPY :-)
What a wonderful thing to have: a new puppy at home. They look so lovely, real heart breakers. However, it is not all sunshine when we bring home a new dog. Dogs need to be trained, else things may happen that will upset the family where they live. How to train the dog in general and what the differences are between the several dog races, is essential to study as soon as possible. The rewards will be great: when a dog is well trained it will be your best friend for many years to come!
When to START with House Training A Dog?
"Starting puppy training early will lead to a lifetime of good times with your dog". A simple but universal truth! For instance: Starting the puppy out at a very young age will learn the puppy to accept this activity. Start with short periods of time, say 15 minutes, and work up as your puppy gets older and more familiar with this exercise.
HOW the Dog's MIND works (and yes, this is very differently from human minds)
Dogs are naturally good at persistent behavior, and even better if rewarded for it. Dogs learn quickly through games,just like our children. Try to play with your puppy as often as possible. Unless something was really fun (and a repetitious act like going to the bathroom is not), they are not thinking about what they did in the past.
Puppies are well known for "stealing" (being naughty :-)) anything that they can get their mouths on and then run away with it. Dogs express their feelings thru body language more so than facial expressions. A wagging tail and friendly grin are invitations to approach and perhaps make friends, while a snarl, a fixed stare, stiff, straight legs and tail are warnings to keep your distance. Dogs are, by nature, social animals.
Dogs are very smart and will quickly understand that potty belongs outside.Pups must be allowed to play with other puppies and dogs, and to enjoy numerous positive interactions with a wide variety of people, especially children and men.
HOW to Train A Dog?
Different owners will have different expectations from a similar breed of dog. For instance, a German Shepherd can make a happy, docile family pet or an aggressive, noisy guard dog. Different breeds require specific instructions as the response is not uniform from say a Poodle and a Terrier. Positive reinforcement is very important and can can come in a number of ways. First, it is a good idea to see what your puppy likes. Positive reinforcement means we are reinforcing something with a positive feeling. In other words, your puppy sits, you reward him. If barking is the problem: Start with someone at the front door knocking or ring the bell. When your puppy barks at the door, make a sound to distract him from the door and look at you.This way you will train the dog not to bark anymore when someone rings or knocks the door. It might take a little while to house train, and you may also have some furniture that is slightly chewed. Puppies have a natural inclination to mouth and nip. Though it's often encouraged by owners who understandably see the behaviour as cute, human restraint is a prerequisite to dog restraint. Puppies investigate mostly with their mouths. Murphy's Law is also applicable here: a puppy will be most attracted to the things he should least have -- electrical cords, your expensive rug, your brand new shoes, and so on.
House Training a Dog YOURSELF
It is not only fun, but surely it is the best way to make friends for life with your dog. There is very much free information available on the internet, but you might be better off to buy one of the also many available online training programs. These can be E-books, Video's, monthly memberships for permanent training and information, or even a combination of these three. If you order online delivery, you get immediate access to the products you bought, physical delivery takes some days before you can use the products. Puppy potty training is something you need your puppy to "get" right away. If your puppy doesn't seem to understand the puppy potty training, you need to change your training program. Puppy potty training is important for the puppy and for you as well. It is an exhilarating feeling when your puppy runs to you with puppy dog eyes and in dog speak says, ?I need to go out,? and you respond. Treats are very effective and a good scratching behind the ears works well too. Using the words, 'good boy' is a great way to verbally praise him. Treats are great incentives, but whether you reward with treats is a matter of personal preference. Remember, your puppy wants nothing more then to make you happy.
One of the major common problems: DISOBEDIENCE
There's a difference between disobedience and incomprehension. If your dog isn't obeying a command because he doesn't understand what it is you want him to do, that's not a behavioral problem at all; it simply means that you need to spend some more time together in training. True disobedience occurs when your dog deliberately does not obey a request or command, although he has full knowledge of what it is that you're asking him to do (and you know this because he's performed it reliably on several occasions beforehand). Although this may seem like a relatively minor inconvenience, it's actually a pretty serious thing - not only can it be dangerous for your dog (for example, if he's heading towards a busy road and ignores your 'come' command), but it's also detrimental to your relationship with your dog. Disobedience is caused by disrespect. When your dog deliberately does not obey you, he's saying, "I don't respect your authority enough to do what you want me to do". If you allow him to get away with this, you are allowing him to form the habit of passive-aggression. This is not something that can just ignore, it will get worse if not fixed and if you leave it. It's extremely important that your dog recognizes your authority: that you outrank him in the social hierarchy of the household. The concept of alpha status is one that you need to be familiar with in order to maintain a healthy, functional relationship with your dog. It may sound cruel from a human perspective, but your dog is happier when he knows that someone else is in charge of making all the decisions - including his day-to-day behavior and obedience levels. A good owner/dog relationship can only be established if the dog understands you are the authority: he must know the chain of command: you first, than him. Your first step in dealing with generalized disobedience is to reestablish your dominance. Here are some tips on doing so: When leaving the house and the car, you must always leave before your dog. This is unmistakable alpha behavior: to a dog, only the alpha leaves first. If you allow him to exit the house or the car ahead of you, you are saying to him, "You're stronger than me; you should go first because you're the decision-maker". Inside doors aren't so important, but every time you leave the house or the car to go outside, you must make him wait for you to go first, until you release him from the 'wait' with a release-word. Make him wait for his food. Your family and you must always eat before him - if it means he has to wait an extra half hour or so for his meal, it won't hurt him any. When you put his food down for him, make him sit and wait until you release him to eat. Keep his feeding schedule varied, so he's always aware that you're in charge of his food - don't allow him to form expectations of when he should be fed. When you arrive home, don't rush straight over to him and shower him in affection. That is not alpha behavior at all ( although it is very hard to not do it :-) )
CONCLUSION
House training a dog is fun, but it also takes time and effort to get the wanted results. There are many ways to train a dog well, with or without the help of professional trainers. The best way to learn how to house training a dog yourself is by getting an Online E-Book and/or Online Training Video's. They can be bought Online, with immediate download, so you also can start immediately. Most people think dog training is easier when dogs are still puppies, but that doesn't mean you can't train older dogs as well. Remember, your dog wants nothing more then to make you happy. and with a little bit of help it learns exactly how to do that.
The Author of this Article, Charles van Veen, lives in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and he is a dog lover pur-sang. Charles has created a website blog for dog lovers (it is very recent, so consider it as work in progress :-) ), please feel free to read and post as much as you want about dogs at
http://www.housetraining-a-dog.com/house-training-a-dog/11
If you want to learn to house training a dog yourself (and that is really great fun!!), Charles recommends to take a look at the following website:
http://makeyourowndogtraining.com
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