Train Your Dog

There are thousands of different dog training tips you could try. You don’t need to teach them all those fancy tricks but there are a few basic skills that every dog should learn. To avoid this, it’s important to choose the effective dog training tips that have proven to work. These are a few of the most basic but important dog training tips that you should be working on with your dog.

Teaching a dog to sit sounds simple but it can actually be quite challenging, especially if you’re working with an older dog. Teaching a dog to sit is so important so they’ll know not to jump up on guests at your home and make it easier for you to calm them down when being checked at the vet. To teach your dog to sit you want to have the dog standing and then tell them sternly to sit. Then you want to tell them sternly to “sit” and make sure that you repeat the command several times.

As soon as your dog sits you need to reward them, either with a clicking device or a treat. This positive affirmation is going to let them know that they’re getting rewarded for doing what they were told. The dog may seem confused at first but with practice and patience you’ll teach them what “sit” means and that they’re being rewarded every time they do it when they’re told. This way they understand what they’re being rewarded for.

If your dog has a problem with going to the bathroom in the house, the eworst thing that you can do is stick their nose in it or start yelling at them. While you may think this would show the dog that they’re bad for doing that, it will actually just frighten them and they’re more likely to do it again afterwards. Instead you want to talk to them sternly as soon as they have an accident and take them outside so they understand that this is where they’re supposed to be going to the bathroom. It’s also very helpful to create a schedule for the dog, which will teach them what times they eat and what times they’re supposed to go to the bathroom.

If your dog has a problem with barking, using a dog training aid may be your best bet. Barking can be helpful if it’s at night when you want your family and home protected, but if they’re doing it constantly for no reason it can just end up being downright annoying. It’s good for dogs to bark at night when they hear noises but when they’re doing it constantly during the day and night this can be a huge bother to you and your neighbors. This collar gives a slight shock to the dog every time they bark which teaches them to only bark at certain times.

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If you have a young puppy, we recommend that you wait until he’s at least 8 weeks old to begin formal training.
Before you begin the formal training lessons with a dog of any age, please plan to follow these keys to success:

1. Be patient. Each dog is unique, and can only learn at his own pace. Some dogs learn quickly; others take more time. Patience is indeed a virtue when it comes to effective dog training!

2. Be kind. This goes hand-in-paw with “Be patient.” Don’t lose your temper if your dog doesn’t “get it” right away, or appears to be ignoring you. Please do not punish your dog for not learning quickly enough. As a matter of fact, don’t punish your dog at all. (We’ll be teaching you effective ways to stop or prevent inappropriate behavior—without punishment.)

3. Be flexible. If your dog is struggling to learn, be willing to change your training routine. The location may be too distracting. The time of day may be too close (or far from) feeding time. The length of your training session may be too long (or too short). The training exercises may need to be broken down into smaller, simpler steps. Remember, each dog is unique. Be flexible and willing to do whatever you can to help your dog succeed.

4. Be generous. Be generous with your rewards and your time. Always reward your dog’s correct responses generously. Don’t be stingy with the treats—he’s worked hard and deserves a generous reward! And commit ample time to your training lessons. We’re all busy these days, but this is “quality time” for you and your dog. You’ll both enjoy and benefit from the lessons, so make sure your schedule is adjusted accordingly!

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Some dogs simply will not get along with a new dog being introduced into the household. Certain breeds and individuals can be territorial and possessive; his opinion is, this is my house, my toys, my food, my owner, my bed, etc. The new dog is viewed as an intruder. A good test is to have friends bring their dog over to your house and see how your dog reacts. If this ends up being an unpleasant experience, that’s what will probably happen when you bring home a new dog.

Sometimes dog owners make the mistake of paying so much attention to a new puppy that the dog that has been a loyal friend gets neglected, causing resentment. Even though a puppy is great fun, make sure you don’t forget to play with your old friend, too.

Your research into your new dog’s breed characteristics can provide clues about how well he will get along with your dog, but you must have the same knowledge about your existing dog to see if the two are a good match. If all works well, and you introduce the new dog with care, you can convince your existing dog that you are rewarding him with a new friend.

If you are adopting your dog from a shelter, many of them allow you to bring your existing dog in and see if the two can get along. They have private areas where all the prospective new family members can meet each other. This is especially effective because it is on neutral territory. Your dog will not feel threatened by a new dog coming into his space. If you are selecting a puppy, the breeder may let you do the same thing. Keep in mind that certain breeds are predisposed to not get along; one may be too dominant, one may be dangerously aggressive to other breeds. The staffs at animal shelters often have information on what breeds work best together.

Having more than one dog—assuming they get along—can be of tremendous benefit to both you and the dog. Many dogs need more attention than an owner can reasonably provide; the second dog provides some of this attention for you. The two dogs will form their own little “pack” and play and romp together. This keeps them both active, alert and may even help with fitness and weight control.

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Your children and your dog can be best buddies, or there can be friction between the two. Both dog and child need to be trained to respect each other. Otherwise you will find yourself having to scold one or the other—or both. There has to be a good match between the temperament of your child and that of the dog. If you have a high energy child, you want a dog who can keep up, such as a lab or a retriever. Very small dogs don’t enjoy romping with children as much as the larger breeds. Small dogs and puppies can be injured by children who are not careful how they treat the dog. Aggressive behavior in children—poking, pulling on or hitting the dog–can lead to a dog snapping or becoming afraid of the child. And aggressive dogs can react badly to things such as a child yelling, or sudden movements that from the dog’s perspective seem threatening. Remember, almost any dog will snap if severely provoked.

You need to make sure that all child/dog interaction is supervised. Dogs should never be left alone with infants. Breed characteristics come into play as well. The herding breeds are bred to—herd—and they will try to herd your children around the house unless the dog is trained not to do so. This experience can be upsetting to a young child.

The dog’s safety can be an issue as well. Children can forget to close doors or fence gates. Many times that is how a dog escapes and gets lost—or worse, gets hit by a car. An astounding number of dogs are separated from their owners this way every year—a totally preventable problem. Everyone in the household, and even your child’s friends who come over, need to be reminded to keep screen doors latched and fence gates closed. Losing a dog that a youngster has just become bonded with is a tragedy no child should have to go through. When you research the various breeds, find out which ones are most prone to escaping the house. Some breeds just simply love to run, and take any opportunity to do so.

Toy breeds can be injured by toddlers by dropping it, holding it too tight or falling on it.
Extremely boisterous dogs can hurt a child by knocking him over. The dog is much more coordinated than the child, after all, and wants the child to “play like a dog”. Breeds that were bred to be guardians can become agitated by children engaging in horseplay or running around the house.

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There are pros and cons to considering puppies vs. adult dogs. Puppies are great fun, but plenty of work. Puppies need a great deal of attention, much more care and training—and lots and lots of play time. Puppies cannot be left alone as long as adult dogs. They must be watched at all times or kept in a secure place such as a crate when you can’t watch them. They need frequent trips outside to relieve themselves; they eat several times a day. An advantage of having a puppy is you train and socialize the dog right from the beginning. A puppy will quickly bond with family members.

Your house will have to be “child protected” with latches on cabinets where potentially dangerous things like cleaning supplies are kept. Puppies are curious and explore everywhere, often by chewing. New pups often have difficulty adapting to being away from their littermates and your sleep will be interrupted for the first days after you bring him home. Housebreaking a puppy can be a messy chore. You have to be patient when the puppy makes mistakes. The good thing about a puppy is he is a blank slate: he can be trained and socialized so he is a perfect fit with your family. You don’t have to worry about breaking him of bad habits.

An alternative is adopting an adult dog from a shelter or foster home, or breed rescue organization. An older dog is usually already housebroken and can be left alone for longer periods of time. With an adult dog, you know right away what you’re getting in terms of: the size of the dog, the temperament, the activity level and personality. What you don’t know is the dog’s past, what may have happened that led the dog to be in a situation of being rescued—or abandoned. Adult dogs sometimes have developed behavioral issues because of past neglect or abuse. It may take time for you and your new adult dog to develop mutual trust. Some adult dogs can be nervous or have separation anxiety when introduced into a new home.

Many well-trained, sociable dogs are available for adoption, however, and you can certainly find one that will fit right into your household with minimal stress or period of adjustment. Just remember to give the dog extra care, attention and love when he first comes into your home. If he feels completely welcome and loved, he is bound to make a smoother transition.

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Many pet foods are based on healthy, whole foods. Some are not. If you flip over the package of dog food, for example, what are the first words in the ingredient list? If you can not say them, chances are that they are less than whole foods.

The ingredients at the front of the list have the largest percentage in the food packaging. With that thought in mind, realize that some are filled with fillers, non natural foods and even chemicals.

Switch your pet to a diet that is based on whole foods, keeping within their dietary restrictions. You will find that this allows your pet the best nutrition in their diet and takes out many of the fattening qualities of the food, too. Many people find that this is the best way to keep a pet healthy: whole, natural foods.

You can find these foods on the web or in quality pet stores. Again, they likely do not cost as much as you believe they do and they may even be within your current spending amounts.

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Before you bring a dog home, you have to consider all the other members of your household. If you have children it will be an extra challenge. Households with children must take extra care before making the decision to purchase a dog—and in deciding which breed is appropriate. A rambunctious puppy may be overwhelming to a toddler. A miniature breed may be treated like a stuffed toy rather than a living creature. It may seem fun to the child to dress up their new canine companion in doll clothes and wheel him around in a stroller but it’s not good for the dog. Training may be more difficult since you’ll have to train both the child and the dog.

Similarly, if you have other dogs in the house, or cats, you have to decide whether your current pets will accept a new member of the pack. Some breeds have instincts as predators that make conflict with a cat highly probable. If you adopt an adult dog, you have to find out whether that dog is friendly with other dogs—before you bring him home.

If you take your dog to the dog park, observe the breeds he typically plays with and those that he might have conflict with. This can be a clue to guide you in selecting your new dog. You may be in for a surprise as well. Your cocker spaniel may prefer to run with the bigger hunting dogs instead of dogs his own size.
Consider your neighbors as well. Some breeds of dogs are relatively calm, quiet, and easygoing. Others are energetic “barkers” who sound an alarm whenever a noise or passerby disturbs them. Training is important to help your dog to be a good neighbor, but you also have to objectively look at where you live and whether a given breed will be a nuisance to the people nearby.

All family members need to agree on the decision to add a dog to the household, and each member should have input into the type of dog you eventually select. Your children may have met and interacted with their friends’ dogs and be able to provide valuable input.

If you’ve never had a dog before, or at least not since you were a child, try taking care of a friend or neighbor’s dog and reacquaint yourself with the responsibility and care required.

And it may well be that when all factors are considered, it may not be the right time to add a dog to your family. Maybe a pet that requires less care, attention, and supervision might be more appropriate.

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A common misconception that many people believe is that having their pet spayed or neutered will cause them to gain weight. This is false!

What is true is that animals that have been neutered and spayed will use less energy and therefore should require fewer calories in their diet. With that thought kept in mind, realize that all pets that have had this done should also see a small reduction in their calorie intake requirements.

When you talk to your vet about this procedure, learn what your pet will need to have done afterwards. It is important to realize that pets will likely consume slightly less in terms of food naturally, but again that food needs to be based on a healthy diet.

Provide your pet with the nutrition that it needs but be sure that the calories are less after they have been fixed. This will help them to continue to burn stored fat too.

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As mentioned earlier, dog treats are a large factor in many pet’s diets and that is a problem. The good news is that you can monitor how much they take in and how much you give them in a day.

Your goal should be to make sure that no more than 10 percent of the pet’s intake of food comes from treat related products. Any and all treats should have the dietary information that your pet needs so that you can record it. This does not mean that you have to sit down with a piece of paper and keep notes.

Instead, know what the calorie goals are for your pet and multiply this number by .10. This number is the number of calories that are allowable to come from treat products. Anything more than this and your pet is consuming too much of their diet on treats.

Look for treats that are no more than that 10 percent. Or, break treats in half and do not give them the full recommended serving size. Pay attention to the numbers on packages!

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It is important to realize that if a pet is overweight right now, he needs to consume less than his recommended calorie intake to lose weight.

As your body takes in too much food, food is stored as fat in the tissues of the body so that when there is not enough food, this stored fat can be used to help them to get through the rough time. Most pets will never have that situation since you are taking care of them.

To help them to lose this stored weight, then, you must reduce their calorie intake by a small amount so that their body uses stored fat instead of using the foods that they are given for energy needs.

Depending on what your pet’s calorie intake goal is, reduce this number given to them by just 5 to 10 percent. This small reduction will help them to use stored fat as energy and therefore help them to lose weight. More than this amount will cause the body to go into starvation mode which will not allow them to use stored fat. Monitor restrictive diets closely here!

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