Teach your dog proper house behavior

Posted on January 27, 2012 by

doIf you want to your dog to be able to move around the house, then you must make certain that s/he is ready to do so. This means that s/he follows the rules you have set, i.e s/he is calm and obedient. If your dog is not properly trained before left unleashed in the house this could create numerous problems. Don’t feel bad for your dog this will only happen for a short period, until s/he learns what you want after consistent and proper training.

In the begging you should leash your puppy and walk him/her around the house in order to teach the appropriated behavior. When your puppy tries to reach for a shoe, or walks towards your bedroom, you can gently pool him/her back and continue your walk around the house.

When you are teaching your puppy proper behavior in the house you must be consistent and have patience.

After you have finished with your walk in the house you should lead the dog to a safe place. You can leash him/her somewhere s/he can see you and teach him/her to stay there and not walk around in the house. Please be careful when you leash your puppy. Avoid places where s/he can climb because it can be dangerous for him/her to hang from the leash!!! You can use a rag, or pillow for your puppy to stay on, or give him/her a toy, in order to make your puppy enjoy staying in the safe spot you have chosen.

If you use a crate, you can make it really enjoyable to your dog by putting all his/her toys and give him/her some food treats while in there. Then the dog will associate positively and s/he will want to stay there.

If your puppy starts doing “crazy” things when in the house, like running around or grabbing items,don’t worry, this is normal and shows energy. What you can do is take him/her outside to play and exercise.

Smart Tips on Dog Training

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Who’s Training Whom at Your House?

Posted on January 19, 2012 by

January 19th, 2012 by Minette

stare1 Who’s Training Whom at Your House?

Does your Dog Stare at what He wants?

The other day I found myself, staring blankly around my kitchen. I guess I am getting old, because as with numerous other times I had forgotten what I was doing!

As I glanced around trying to get my bearings, my pupils caught the pupils of my oldest dog. He is 12 and my very, very best friend, dare I say my furry soul mate? He commonly follows me from room to room and I rarely am capable of completing any task without his help, or so he thinks (and I am afraid I agree)!

As my gaze matched his, I watched him very consciously look very lovingly from me…to the top of our refrigerator.

I giggled a little and acted totally brainless. As I waited, to see what he would do, he very calmly caught my eyes and even more slowly turned his head to stare at the top of my refrigerator, languishing there for a moment or two before again glancing back to my face.

I must admit I found him completely endearing and totally hilarious. You see, I keep my dog treats on top of the fridge. This was his way of calmly, quietly asking for a treat, AND it must work!

I quietly asked him “What do you want” and again he slowly pivoted his head toward his awaiting treats. By now, since I had engaged him in conversation, he was drooling in apprehension.

This got me to thinking… As skilled as he was at getting me to deliver a treat (and yes, I admit I did give him one because his request was so quiet, calm and intelligent) I wonder what else he has trained me to do for him!

You see, I think we are the inferior species when it comes to dog training! I believe they are much, much better trainers than we are! They are more patient, more insistent and less distracted than most of us! Most of all dogs are incredibly consistent! Could you scream in a crate for 2 hours straight?

Dogs learn very quickly what behaviors we like and what behaviors we don’t and what behaviors get them the most interaction. What behaviors reward them and what behaviors don’t. Make no mistake about it; sometimes those are not related. In fact sometimes dogs choose naughty behavior simply to get some kind of interaction from us because inadvertently we reward them when we don’t mean to!

AND, sometimes naughty, bad, deplorable behaviors are reinforcing!

Whenever I have a behavior problem or a struggle in my dog training, I ask myself “What is my dog getting out of this?”

This is the root to good dog training and understanding dog behavior.

When there is a problem, whether it be a human or dog related problem the person or dog is getting something out of the behavior.

In order to find a solution we must determine what the “payoff” is and if we are looking to change a behavior we must deny the subject the payoff they are use to or that they desire!

steal Who’s Training Whom at Your House?

Does your Dog Steal?

For instance, I often hear of people who complain that their dogs steal objects, show their owners, and then dash off around the house for a fun game of “cat and mouse”.

The bad behavior: Stealing

The payoff: The “chase” game, where the owners scream profanities, throw objects, cry and run around chasing the dog, is in fact the dog’s favorite game! What could be more fun for your dog than a game that you will probably NEVER win (because you simply aren’t quick or agile enough to catch him)? AND, it is completely interactive! This is why your dog steals and often shows you the stolen article before darting off.

So, in order to change the bad behavior: Stealing…you must prevent the behavior or change or cease the pay off. More on this problem in this article “Teaching your Thief to Retrieve”

It doesn’t matter what the bad behavior is: stealing food, barking, jumping on people, having accidents on the floor, aggression; there is a payoff for your dog.

As the more intellectual animal you need to figure it out and decide how to change the behavior.

My ability to do so has often been the precursor to people saying I am part dog. In order to conquer dog behavior, you must put yourself in his paws and “Think like a Dog”

My challenge to you is to observe your world, watch what you are doing with and for your dog and ask yourself who is the better trainer in your home; you or your dog?

chase Who’s Training Whom at Your House?

Do You End up Chasing Your Dog?

What do You do About it?

The first step to true change is to acknowledge the problem.

Once you realize how YOU have been trained you can begin the re-training or the reorganization of your relationship with your dog.

Are you “Rewarding the Wrong Behavior”?

My dog, would personally like me to be a human PEZ dispenser! Like all “animals” he would like to get everything in his life and in his world for free or at the very slightest with the least expelled energy as possible.

I don’t mean to dash everyone’s feelings about dogs, but they don’t care about pleasing you, unless of course in some way it pleases them.

We are all out for ourselves in the end. The point is to make sure that what pleases you is what positively affects your dog! Simple as that!

Will my senior dog continue to seek my gaze in the hopes of staring at the things he wants in life? ABSOULTELY! Especially since I rewarded him with what he desired the last time he did it, but in the scheme of things I didn’t feel this was a negative behavior.

However, I know that many of you are suffering from some nasty behavior problems and because of that I admonish you, step back and look at the big picture. Take notes if you have to and make a list of the possible payoffs for your dog and only then can you begin to change that behavior!

Dog Obedience Training Blog

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Common Reasons Why Your Dog Is Having Trouble House Training

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

Housetraining your dog quickly and easily can only be done by understanding what is causing him to use the bathroom inside the house in the first place. Many times the issues are not what they seem, and in fact the problems are typically connected to behavioral reasons.

Dogs can eliminate inappropriately for a number of behavior-based reasons. However, clinical signs vary for these types of issues and are not always distinguishable between medical problems or housetraining relapses.

For example, urine found on upright objects or in a place out of sight of the owner suggests an intentional marking of a surface. Urine found only in a bed at night could suggest unintentional incontinence, although there are plenty of dogs that make a point of urinating on their beds. And diarrhea could be from a physiological problem but could also be from internal stress in the animal.

A recent poll taken from experts in canine behavior problems around the country, identified the following tips as the most common causes of behavioral elimination:

1) Submissive & Excitement Urination

Submissive and excitement urination may not be under the dog’s control as it is a reaction to a social stimulus. There are lots of submissive and excitement urination in dogs younger than 1 year of age. With this behavior, dogs tend to dribble or wet when their owners come home, when they’re scolded or petted, or in the presence of other dogs.

2) Territorial Marking

Territory marking in the house occurs most often in intact (unneutered) male dogs older than six months of age, although spayed females and neutered males sometimes exhibit this behavior.

Usually, areas are marked with small squirts of urine (seldom feces) in response to a need to claim or reaffirm a territory in the presence of other dogs (including neighborhood dogs and cats seen through a window) or involving household changes (like a new baby or a new spouse).

3) Anxiety

Arousal or increased activity of the dog caused by anxiety can bring about defecation and urination. Dogs with separation anxiety may eliminate with regularity whenever the person to whom the dog is attached is physically separated from the dog.

Fear of noises, novel objects outside or an attack by another animal outside can cause a dog to refuse to go outdoors to eliminate. Some dogs refuse to leave the porch if it is raining or snowing, thus not eliminating when given the opportunity. Some dogs refuse to go in the presence of the owner.

Dog House Training

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Is Your Dog Refusing To Follow Your House Training Rules?

Posted on January 1, 2012 by

Some dogs just absolutely refuse to become house trained. No matter how long and hard you have tried to implement techniques to get your dog to use the bathroom in the proper areas, he still chooses to be “vengeful” towards you by not following your instructions, right?

Wrong! The common misconception that your dog is trying to be vindictive and countermine your housetraining efforts by refusing to follow the rules is a complete myth.

Dogs only have the capacity for simple, direct emotions, such as being happy, sad, or scared. Their minds are not capable of plotting ways to seek revenge for that swat on his rear, or how you scolded him an hour ago.

Dogs do, however, remember and draw upon past experiences that they associate with current situations. But it is important to understand that these associations only create an emotion in which they will feel when going through a similar experience.

In other words, lets say that you punish your dog for urinating on the front porch. If you continue to scold him for this behavior then eventually your dog will become fearful of using the bathroom outside. All he knows is that he is “outside”, not on the front porch. Your efforts will countermine your housetraining goals.

For this reason alone, it is important never to punish or yell at your dog when he uses the bathroom inside the house. Most housetraining problems actually stem from owners who completely instill fear in their pets when they go potty on the floor. This creates enough trauma to completely halt all of your housetraining efforts.

The key is trying not to react. Instead, remove your dog from the room and take him outside in a very calm and relaxed manner. Be sure that he does not see you cleaning up his mess. Quietly clean the area and be sure to use an enzyme-containing house cleaner. Vinegar or liquid soap will do just fine as well. By completely removing all of the older, this helps reduce your dog’s need to urinate and mark the same spot over and over.

Tip: Avoid using ammonia because the smell is very similar to that of a dog’s urine and can stimulate him to pee in the same area.

When all else fails, schedule a visit with your veterinarian so that the doctor can do a complete health checkup of your dog to make sure that there is not a health-related reason for his inability to become house trained.

Some dogs can be harboring illnesses that may prove to be the cause of not having the ability to control their bowel movements. Such illnesses could be caused by ticks, such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, or the most common reason: a urinary tract infection.

Dog House Training