Friday, March 16, 2012

Dog Training Fundamentals For Newbies

By Tony Bergin


You want to begin your dog training as early as possible, but not too early. You want to wait until the dog is at least 49 days old before you begin trying to train them. But after that, you'll want to begin quickly so that your dog can learn while he's still adapting to his environment, and you don't have to undo behavior that he's already learned.

Specific feeding habits should be established with your dog. Training your dog to expect that when fed, once or twice a day, you will be removing the food bowl in 10-15 minutes, will lay down a feeding schedule that your dog will adhere to. Soon your dog will be finished with the meal before you are ready to remove the dish.

Puppy chewing is a natural and necessary behavior, but it can be redirected. A puppy's chewing is one way that he explores the environment around him. Provide your puppy with clear leadership and a lot of human interaction and stimulation. Also, provide him with fun chew toys. This will help stop him from chewing on the things that he should not be chewing on.

Make sure to get everyone involved in training. If you are the only member of the family working with Fido's behavior, then the other members of the family are giving him mixed signals. Consistency is extremely important in dog training. Also make sure that everyone is using the same key words and rewards so that the behavior will be reinforced correctly. Off and down are two different things to a dog, so make sure you aren't confusing him.

To introduce a new animal into a home that already has dogs, you should give that animal their own territory. This could mean initially giving the new cat or dog their own room or taking your old dogs out of the house before bringing the new dog in. Because dogs are very territorial, this tactic gives your new dog more leverage and makes your older dogs more reluctant to get aggressive.

When you are training your dog, focus on what your dog does right during the training sessions, not what they do wrong. This will make training more enjoyable for both you and your dog. Enjoyable training sessions will ensure that your dog remembers what you taught and is ready to come back for more at the next session.

To teach your dog to mush, you should start by introducing him or her to common mushing terms before you have them pull weight. Start by taking your dog for a walk and saying "Gee" when turning right and "Haw" when turning left. Make sure to praise and reward your dog for turning with you in the right direction. Eventually, your dog will learn the commands and be able to move in the right direction without your physical guidance. Simple directions are essential for mushing dogs to know because it can prevent lead tangles and confusion when pulling an actual sled.




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