15

Dog training - dealing with problem puppy behaviors

Embed Size (px)

Citation preview

Dog training -

Dealing with

problem puppy

behaviors

Everyone who owns a puppy or dog will

eventually have to deal with

and correct less than desirable behaviors on the

part of their

companion animal. There are a number of

behaviors that should be

nipped in the bud, including:

Jumping up on people

This is one of those behaviors that many owners

inadvertently

encourage in their animals, since jumping up,

wagging his tail and the

like can be adorable in a young puppy. When

that puppy is older,

larger and heavier, however, this jumping up

behavior ceases to be

cute and begins to become annoying and even

dangerous.

A large, heavy dog jumping up on people can be

dangerous to young

children and even to some adults, since a large,

100 pound plus dog

can easily knock down a child or small adult. Since

you as the owner

are responsible for the behavior of your dog, it is

important to nip this

problem behavior in the bud.

The best time to do that, of course, is when the

puppy is still small and

easy to handle. When the puppy jumps up on

you or someone else,

gently place the puppy’s feet back on the floor.

When the dog remains

standing there, be sure to praise it extensively.

It is also important to give the puppy an

alternative to jumping up.

Puppies jump up on people to express their

enthusiasm, so it is

important to redirect this energy in a more

socially acceptable

direction. Try teaching the puppy to present his

paw instead of

jumping up.

When teaching the puppy to not jump up on people,

it is important to

be consistent. Consistency is important in any

training program, and

all members of the family must understand that

the puppy is not

permitted to jump on them.

Pulling, charging and tugging on the lead

One problem you definitely want to nip in the

bud is this one. It is

important that the puppy learn to respect the

collar and leash now,

when he is still small and light enough to handle.

Teaching this lesson

to a 10 pound puppy will be much easier than

teaching the same

lesson to a 150 pound dog.

Using a good strong body harness or head collar

can be a big help

when training a puppy not to pull, or to retrain a dog

that has already

learned to pull on the leash. When first fitting

a harness, it is

important to allow the puppy to walk around

wearing it, so that he can

get used to wearing it.

The first thing your puppy must learn, and the basis

of all subsequent

training, is teaching your dog to heel. Teaching

your dog to walk

quietly at your side on a loose lead is the basis of all

dog training, and

until your puppy has mastered this vital skill he will

be unable to move

onto more advanced training.

When walking with a puppy on a leash, it is

important to always keep

slack in the leash. If the puppy begins to pull

on the leash, the

handler should quickly change directions. The

puppy will then find

itself lagging behind instead of forging ahead. The

least will be loose

except for the split second it takes to change

directions. It is

important for the handler to use a quick tug of the

leash, followed by

an immediate loosening, when teaching this lesson.

When teaching the puppy to walk properly, it is

important to never

allow the puppy to pull you around, or to forge

ahead on the leash.

Allowing the puppy to pull you around will teach him

exactly the wrong

lesson.

To Learn More About Dog Training, go to

http://howtohousetraindog.com/go/dog-tr

aining

http://howtohousetraindog.com/go/theonl

inedogtrainer