Housetraining Puppies Lessons
Focus On Your Goals
If you don’t know where you’re going, how can you get there? That’s true of most things in life, particularly when it comes to training your dog.
It’s a natural emotion to concentrate on the things we don’t want in our lives. And it seems to be a wide spread phenomenon with dog training too. Not wanting our dog to pee anywhere inside our house is right up there, or start chewing slippers, or disobey our commands, or start barking incessantly when we have friends come into the house.
Just think about it for a moment. Especially if you’re thinking of getting a new puppy in the home. Do you really want to spend the next ten, twelve, or fifteen years chasing your dog telling him off for things you didn’t want him to do? Wouldn’t it be better to guide your dog into behaviors that you want?
A perfect example is when you think, “The dog had better not chew my shoes, or furniture,” try, “I want my dog to chew his toys.” Instead of, “I don’t want my dog to jump up on my guests,” try instead, “It would be nice for the dog to sit nicely and welcome visitors.”
Simply by wording your aims in a positive manner, you’ll know exactly what is you are aiming for. What better way to start your training program.
Let Him Know When He’s Been Good
Probably the best thing that has happened in housetraining puppy just recently is a move in focus from highlighting corrective action, or penalties, and moving towards rewarding good behavior.
The practice of rewarding your dog’s good behavior is a smart one, especially for dog training tips. A fundamental reason for using rewards is that when you punish your dog, for whatever reason, the consequences could be very demoralizing for both of you. Punishment can make a dog feel threatened when she might respond with aggression to being overly punished. It’s always possible that he will withdraw completely and become very timid. They lose their sparkle. Some may simply curl up and shy away all the time.
Many people also find that reward-based training feels better. It’s a great feeling to be the bearer of rewards and praise for a well behaved pet.
But the icing on the cake is that rewards based dog behavior training works a treat. That’s because rewards help to nurture and strengthen behaviors we want in our dogs. When he learns that a particular behavior gets rewarded, your dog will associate one with the other and learn to repeat the behavior when called upon. By practicing with your dog the best way to use this technique, using rewards will make your training days a lot easier and more productive.
