Friday, August 7, 2009

Top Puppy Training Tips

By Miyagii Moto

History has shown that most people prefer owning a dog than any other animal as a pet. This is due to the fact that they have proven themselves to be efficient, intellectual and trainable. Dogs have the uncanny ability to be loyal to their masters but wary of strangers. These qualities make them a perfect buddy for those who are living alone as well as to couples who are just beginning to start their own families. No matter what is the age of the person, he can still benefit from the presence of a dog.

Studies show that a dog's behavior as an adult is a result of his breeding and training. Because you can't do anything anymore about a dog's breed since it is an inherent part of his personality, you just have to make sure that he was trained well in his younger days so that you won't be experiencing any attitude problems when he is already a full grown adult. This is a big consideration to mull over when you want to get another puppy in the future. Here is a list of puppy training secrets that you must know in order to have a well-mannered pet in the future.

The first thing that you should bear in mind when training a puppy is to start low and go slow. This means that you must first establish a good rapport with your pet. Do not instantaneously start the complicated tricks that will make him want to run away with his tail between his hind legs. Create a favorable mood that will make him relax and be conducive to training. Upon reaching that ideal state, then you can already commence your training schedule. This might seem cruel but you have no alternative if you want to enforce obedience in his existence.

Chain him, put him in his kennel or place him inside a crate to show that you mean business. At first, they might get a little noisy and howl until the wee hours of the morning, especially if they have been previously used to a very free lifestyle. Try to be immune to this kind of suffering. Sooner or later, they will realize that all their whimpering will have no effect on you. This will inculcate the fact that you are the boss and your orders must be followed strictly down to the last letter. It won't be long before they get used to this set up and will look forward to your arrival.

Second, teach him a simple trick followed by a nice reward. The treat could come in the form of a chicken or pork meat. As exemplified by Ivan Pavlov, the famous Russian psychologist, this method will make the dog associate good behavior with food. This will be stored in their memory for a long time if done repetitively.

Third, you can go the opposite way of the second step and let your dog learn through the negative conditioning process. Instead of giving a nice reward, teach him the power of the words no, stop and don't in a strong and authoritative tone. They will distinguish that it is something significant in relation to your voice.

Fourth, you have to be unswerving in your reward or punishment. When you either of the two, make sure that it is appropriate to the excellent job or the awful deed. Variety should be avoided at all cost or else your dog will develop some kind of a crisis. The same premise applies to all the people in your household.

Lastly, give plenty of alternatives. If there are chores that your dog can't easily do as told, like not peeing on the plant, then provide another option like giving him a pee box. This will shift his attention and result to a more favorable attitude. Don't be such a strict disciplinarian all the time that you will take the fun out of this training exercise. Have fun with your pet dog.

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