You thought you were bringing home Lassie from the pound, but some days it feels more like you might have brought home Cujo! However, there’s still hope! A bit of training goes a long way in reducing bad dog behavior.
A new dog needs to feel safe and happy in their crate during training. During meal time, place their food in the crate while allowing the door to remain open as they eat. Thus, they will associate a good thing like yummy food with the crate.
Teething Pain
Always give your puppy plenty of toys to chew on to help with teething pain. Otherwise, you might find your shoes becoming chew toys. Instead of allowing it to continue chewing on your important furniture or toys, provide a well-loved chew toy. A wet frozen washcloth is great for a puppy, who has teething pain, to chew on.
The rule of thumb with puppies and house training is to remember: what is eaten will pass. To keep your puppies toiletry habits regular, feed him a high quality food 2-3 times a day at the same time each day. This will get your dog into a solid routine for bathroom breaks.
To strengthen your training efforts, you can use a designated verbal command to help your animal understand what your expectations are and when they have been fulfilled. Using a positive word such as “yes” will fill the time between the performance of the desired behavior and the delivery of the reward.
With the right encouragement, most dogs can learn to roll over pretty quickly. First, place your dog in the “down” position. Hold a treat between your forefingers near the left side of your dog’s head, and then slowly pass the treat in front of his face and to the opposite side. Your dog is probably going to follow the treat in your hand with his nose, which means he will rollover his whole body. While he rolls, say “roll over” and repeat this action until he is able to roll over with only the command. It will probably take multiple attempts, but you will be the talk of the town when the trick is learned.
Incorporating training your dog into your life can yield amazing results in a short period of time. If you and your dog need to spend some quality time together, try working with him on some of these puppy training tips.