Friday, June 29, 2012

Turn Your Pet Problem Into A Good Companion

By Jessika Chopra


Many people want to raise a healthy, happy and well-adjusted dog. It is not too hard to do this at home, as long as you know what you are doing. Read on and you will find a large collection of tips that have been used in training dogs all over the world.

Working on your dog's recall is essential. Your dog should learn to return to you when called no matter what is going on. Build this essential behavior in steps so your dog learns to obey despite distractions. Recall may save your dog's life one day, so don't skip out on this training, even though it can be time-consuming and challenging.

If you live near a body of water, whether a river, lake, stream or pond, and have a dog, make certain your dog knows how to swim and knows how to get himself safely out of the water. Surprisingly enough, not all dogs possess the ability to swim and even for those that do, they might be taken by surprise by a river's current or waves and tides. Take care to test your dog's swimming ability in a variety of water conditions for their safety and your peace of mind.

All dogs need daily exercise and it can be an important part of your training efforts. Daily exercise shows your dog that he is a member of the family, as well as letting him know you are a strong leader. Exercise encourages his confidence and provides you with wonderful bonding opportunities.

When you are training your dog and establishing your leadership role, do not be adverse to letting the dog lick you on the face. This is common behavior in dogs when dealing with the Alpha in the pack. Do not discourage this behavior as it can confuse the animal and confuse your role because you do not show proper response to this servile behavior.

Not showering your dog with enough positive reinforcement when he does good, will reduce the power you have over him in training. Since dogs love attention, giving them plenty of it, provides him with incentive to listen to you. If all he ever hears from you is what not to do, he is not getting any encouragement, only discouragement, so be sure to reward him with praise often.

Learning to listen to your dog will make you a better trainer of him. Animals are not robots that can be programmed and your dog has a personality with preferences and quirks, just like you.

If your dog has a problem with play biting or excitement nipping, try giving him the cold shoulder. Mouthing dogs are only reacting to their excitement, so cutting off attention will give him the signal that this is an inappropriate way to show that he is happy.

With consistency across members of the household, excitement mouthing can be a thing of the past.




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