Best Puppy Training Secrets

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 direction and make your dog realize the power of negative conditioning. This is done by imposing the words no, stop and don't in the training process. Use a powerful voice if possible. An example would be catching him rummaging through the garbage. So the moment you see him, say stop out loud and give him a slight slap on the tail area.

Fourth, you have to be consistent. When you give a reward or punishment, make sure that it is commensurate to the good task or the bad behavior. Variety is something that needs to be avoided like the plague in this situation because your dog will get confused if you can't follow through with the initial rules you have set. The same rule applies to all the people in your household including your wife and kids.

Lastly, give plenty of alternatives. If there are chores that your dog can't easily do as told, like not peeing on the plant, then provide another option like giving him a pee box. This will shift his attention and result to a more favorable attitude. Don't be such a strict disciplinarian all the time that you will take the fun out of this training exercise. Have fun with your pet dog.

-->