Dog Obedience: Curbing Dissatisfying Behavior by S. Lee
Does your dog need work in the behavior department? Perhaps your dog barks too much, chews on items that are or were valuable to you, digs his way out of enclosures or gets into things like the garbage that make a huge mess for you to clean. There are steps you can take that may work to curb the dissatisfying behavior.
Dissatisfying Behavior
1. Chewing on Items of Importance: Visit your local pet store and purchase a spray product that tastes terrible to dogs. Spray this product on the items that your dog loves to chew on, but you would rather he wouldn’t. Also, be sure that your dog does have appropriate items to chew on as chewing is important to your dog’s overall well-being.
2. Incessant Barking: Barking is a common complaint amongst dog owners. Barking is natural for your dog. They may bark when separated from loved ones or when experiencing anxiety or frustration. Therefore, it is important to introduce your dog to many new people, noises and situations to minimize the need to bark for the purpose of sounding an alarm. Barking should only be allowed to alert the guardian of an unknown situation. Attention-getting barking should not be tolerated and can be stopped by never giving in to (or rewarding) this type of barking. Teach your dog to bark on command. Then try teaching a simple, one word command to associate with the request to stop barking preceded by a gesture to calm your dog.
3. Digging to Escape: Your dog may be bored. Is he getting enough exercise and play time? If not, try going for longer walks on a regular basis. Also, be sure that your dog has some toys and other appropriate things to chew on. Your dog may also be chewing if it is too hot, so be sure there is a place for your dog to keep cool in the enclosure. If your dog is still escaping, you will need to look at methods of keeping the enclosure more secure for him.
4. Making Messes of the Garbage: Dogs have an acute sense of smell and often will get into things after being tempted by this sense. It is important to keep garbage containing leftovers or other delicious-smelling items out of your dog’s reach. If this is not possible, be sure to have a sturdy, well-sealed lid on garbage cans. If your dog still manages to get into the garbage, put items on top of the garbage can that would cause a great commotion should your dog knock it over. The noise should alarm your dog and make the garbage less appealing.
S. Lee writes about dog and other pet related issues. For more information on training your dog, please visit http://leeshe.bezoogle.com/pp/dog-training/.
How to Discipline Your Dog by Benjamin Velner
If your dog is a dog at all then chances are he has some bad habits that drive you up the wall from time to time. He barks incessantly at the mailman, gets into the trash and fights with his siblings. He chews on inappropriate items and sometimes even mounts your leg. So what's a dog owner to do? Rather than screaming at him and chasing him about the house it's time to get creative. Here are 4 common doggie habits you can break with creative discipline methods:
1. Incessant barking: When your pet gets riled up and barks constantly at the slightest distraction there is a simple solution that does not require you going hoarse yelling at him to stop. Rinse out an empty soda can, fill it one quarter full with buttons, pennies or other small hard items and tape it shut. When your dog starts barking walk up to him, firmly say no and shake the can vigorously. Your dog will be surprised by the sound and stop barking. The moment he stops give him a treat and some praise to keep him from resuming his behavior. This method is great because you were able to stop a bad behavior and then encourage a positive one. As is the case with the spray bottle, your dog will begin to stop barking when he sees you move towards him with the can.
2. Playing too rough with your other pets: If your dog has a tendency to corner the family cat or fight with your other dog then a simply spray bottle or quirt gun will perform miracles for you. Try purchasing a small spray bottle designed for wetting hair and setting the nozzle to spray (not mist) and squirt your dog from the comfort of your own armchair. It is best to do this when rough play first appears rather than waiting for a full blown dog fight as those are more difficult to break up an might require more than a squirt in the face. If timed properly a squirt to the face will almost always cause your dog to stop what he is doing and run from the spray. The best part about this method is that your dog will eventually stop and run at the sight of you picking up the bottle. Note that he will fear the bottle and not you so he does not associate the punishment with you.
3. Chewing on inappropriate items: This problem can be especially frustrating if the item in question is a piece of furniture or something else of considerable expense. There are products on the market that are non-toxic, but taste terrible to dogs. These products are inexpensive and come in convenient spray bottles. Simply spray the solution on items your dog chews on and shouldn't and sit back and relax. Your dog will find the taste unpleasant and discontinue his destruction.
4. Getting into the trash: Even the most well behaved dog might be tempted to get at something in the trash can. Your dog has an acute sense of smell and can be tempted to go after delicious leftovers discarded in the rubbage bin from time to time. If you have tried cans with lids to no avail, never fear, there is a more creative solution. Before you leave the house construct a pyramid of empty soda cans on top of the trash can lid and go about your exit from the house. If your dog knocks over the can to get at a tasty piece of trash then the pyramid of cans will fall on top of him. The resulting commotion will be unsettling to your dog cause him to think twice about doing it again. If this does not work simply repeat with more cans the next time.
The beauty of these methods is that they do not involve physical punishment to your dog. They are simply unpleasant stimuli resulting from a bad behavior. Your dog will not associate you with physical pain as he would if you smacked him with your hand or a rolled up newspaper. Discipline is essential in raising a well adjusted and obedient dog; however, physical punishment can cause your dog to fear you in the future. Dogs will often bite out of fear so always try to be firm with your dog without instilling fear in your friend.
Benjamin Velner is the expert of dog training and author of this article. A good site to visit: http://www.dogproblems.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_Velner
What to Do If Your Dog is Aggressive by Aleesha London
You have a problem in your hands if your dog is aggressive. Then again, this is not something that you can't stop. As long as you have the right resources and strategies, you can help your dog overcome its aggressive tendencies.
Determine the Reason for Aggression
Aggressive dogs are the way they are for a reason. Your first priority would therefore be to find out why your dog isn't as gentle and as obedient as you want it to be. It's possible that your dog may have experienced some abuse or it may have been neglected. These are common reasons for dogs to develop aggressive tendencies. Knowing the reason behind your dog's behavior will help you determine how to help it and who should help. Severely abused dogs need a behavioral specialist.
Use Positive Approaches
Some trainers use physical punishment as a dog training technique. When your dog is aggressive though, physical violence can only make aggressive tendencies worse. It is always best to use positive reinforcement for dog training. At the same time though, it is crucial to ensure that you are able to maintain some level of firmness. This simply means you have to mean what you say when you train your dog.
Avoid Aggression Enhancers
You can't blame anyone but yourself if your dog is aggressive even after training. This may mean that some of your words and actions may be encouraging aggression. Dogs may become aggressive if they are constantly threatened or neglected. Make sure you have more than enough time to cater to your dog's need for affection.
You can stop aggressive dog behavior in your pets. Here are the top techniques that dog trainers don't usually tell you about training when your dog is aggressive.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aleesha_London
You Can Make Them Stop Barking - Dog Barking Tips by Bryan Burbank
The dog is man's best friend but if you have a dog that barks all the time then this can be a problem for you. It is important to know that there are things you can do to control when and how your dog barks. All animals do things for reasons, and when your dog is barking and chasing cars and in most cases, it is to protect you. You have to understand that the dog thinks that you are being threatened by a passing car so they may barking and chase it. You need to teach your animal win is a proper time to bark and when it is okay for them to feel safe.
There are so many cases, where our pets act a certain way and we think something may be wrong with them. In reality, it is just that they may feel threatened, and they want to protect us. If this is the case for your dog than what you need to do is to create a word that they understand as being okay to bark for instance, if you use the word "speak" so that when you tell your dog this word they know it is okay for them to bark. They will eventually catch on in this will make your life much easier so they are not barking at everything they see.
Remember that training your dog not to bark all the time is not as hard as you might think. The best method to do this is to teach your dog a word that they can identify with barking being okay for them to do. Remember and will take a little time for them to catch on, but when they do it will make you and your pets life much easier.
Get Free : Dog Barking Tips
How to : Make Them Stop Barking
Bryan Burbank is an expert in the field of Animals and Pet Issues
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bryan_Burbank
