Ever since the beginning of time, dogs have been the most preferred choice as pets by most households. Many have proven that they are proficient, steadfast, smart and trainable in diverse farm duties and simple household tasks. They can be charming and submissive to their owners but vicious to total strangers. These qualities make them an ideal escort for those who are single in life as well as to couples who are just planning to start their own brood. Babies to older adults will not have a hard time adjusting to their presence.
It has been said that a dog’s behavior only reflect his breeding and training. Obviously, there is nothing that you can do anymore to change his breeding. However, there is still a lot you can do with his training. You can still teach new tricks. Now, if you are thinking of getting another puppy as a pet, here are some of the best-kept secrets of puppy training that you should bear in mind.
The first thing that you have to do is to make your pet feel secure in your company. Spend some quality time by playing with him after you have gotten home from your office. This process will ensure that you have established a good rapport. It’s a no-no to start implementing difficult tricks that would boggle his mind because it will not lead to any learning. After making your pet comfortable, slowly impose discipline by taking away his comfortable lifestyle.
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 choices. If there are tricks or tasks that he can’t easily act upon like not digging the front lawn or backyard, then provide another alternative like another digging space beside the dog house yard.
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