Dog Training Basics

Posts Tagged ‘puppy chewing’

Is your new puppy chewing on everything in the house?  This is normal behavior for a dog.  But chewing on the wrong things is a bad habit.

When training a new puppy, you need to think like your pup.These three puppy training tips will help.

1.  Look At Things From Your Puppy’s Point Of View

Get down on your hands and knees, and look around.  You’ll probably be surprised at all the fun toys your pup can reach without even trying.  Shoes and socks, clothing, your kids’ toys, the tv remote, pencils, and newspapers are probably lying in the floor.  All these things are just ripe for the picking by an ambitious pup looking for something to play with.

Have you left any good chewable stuff on the coffee table?  Or the couch?If he climbs up on the couch, is it easy for him to get at your things?

The first tip is to put everything away where your new friend can’t reach it.  This not only protects your stuff, but it protects him as well.  You don’t need an expensive trip to the vet because your puppy swallowed something, and it’s blocking his intestines.

2.  Look At All The Doors In Your House

Look around.For your dog, doors lead to cool places like your bedroom, your basement, your laundry room, your closets, and your bathroom.  Think about all the stuff on the other side of those doors.

Is there a basketful of clothes on the laundry room floor?  How about all the shoes on the floor in your closet?  Think about all that juicy trash in the kitchen garbage can.Have you considered the little chewies in the kitty’s litter pan down in the basement?

The second tip is to keep those doors closed, even when you’re home.  It’s best to limit accesss to areas you can’t keep an eye on at all times.  This is an easy way to stop puppies from chewing on the wrong things.

3.  Don’t Let Him Have Free Run Of The House When You’re Not There

The third tip is probably the most important one of all.  When you leave the house, put him in his crate.  Or put him in the bathroom (remove anything he can destroy), with food and water.Until he’s a trustworthy grown-up, don’t leave him alone in the house, even for a few short minutes, without confining him to a safe area.   

What To Do If You Catch Your Puppy Chewing On Something

Don’t make a big fuss.  Your pup wants your attention, even if it’s negative.  If he has a shoe in his mouth, say “no” or “drop it” in a firm voice.Avoid making this into a game of tug-of-war. He’ll think this is great fun.Give him a chew toy as soon as you get the item out of his mouth.  When he takes it, praise him.  

Give your pet lots of love and attention, so he doesn’t have to resort to misbehavior to get you to notice him.  And keep a wide variety of chew toys on hand.  You can rotate through them so he doesn’t get bored with them.

Need more puppy training tips?  Click on any link in this article for more information on dog obedience training.

Puppy obedience is something that starts suprisingly early in their development. The amount of respect and puppy obedience in training is determined by the actual owner you purchased from.

Puppies, according to studies, are not ready for any training until at least three weeks of age. Their entire world revolves around their mother, eating and sleeping. By the 21st to 28th day of a puppies life they begin to leave the blanket and search for somewhere to do their business. Now, dogs begin to gain an awareness of the environment surrounding them, and to respond more directly to external stimuli. Lessons that an animal learns at an early age will have a greater impact on their obedience training as a whole.

Getting Puppies Started with Encouragement

When you want your pet to do the right thing, the best thing to do is to not use punishment as a form of readiness. A great solution is to use positive treats and reinforcements. When you are needing to use negative stimuli for your puppy it should be limited to no and block any bad actions from your puppy with using your hands. You should not hit or otherwise hurt a puppy as it is counterproductive.

Puppies should receive positive affection and praises each and every time they correctly respond to a command. If not praised, puppies will lose enthusiasm and interest in obeying you. After your pet does a command correctly and you praise and caress them, they will then learn that following these things are fun and rewarding. Puppy obedience will also be developed as he learns that repeating proper actions will reap rewards. Using a positive reinforcement and a treat will strengthen the dog’s understanding and increase’s the dog’s willingness to follow commands.

Persistence Mixed with Great Timing

Timing is everything when it comes to puppy training. Details such as actions, movements, and corrections will affect the puppy’s ability to follow commands. Younger dogs may be confused by discipline, so it is critically important that puppies understand the link between their disobedience and the resulting disciplinary correction.

For instance, a puppy who’s chewing on a bone or toy in another room is unlikely to act in response to the command “come,” and if no one brings him to the trainer, he will learn that the command is the same as “ignore.He will find out that “come” means that he should head for the trainer and that it will also bring in the goodies if the puppy is told to “come” under controlled situations, like when he’s on a leash and is gently pulled toward the trainer then praised.

Puppy obedience training is best taught in easy exercises, one by one. It’s a whole lot easier to enlist in a training programs that is separated into phases rather than trying to teach your dog everything at once. Bring your patience with you when you are training and use positive reinforcement.  Slowly your puppy will learn to obey.

Canines bark, so a puppy barking is a completely normal phenomenon. It is normal that puppies bark, whine, and at times howl, just like it is normal for birds to sing. If you are one devoted dog owner, you’ll know you will experience barking, whining and howling at any time. It would be totally impossible and unfair to wish to train your puppy to stop barking at all. It is best for all, including your dog, if the barking can be controlled.

Why Dogs Start Barking

Dogs who are confined or alone a lot without exercise store up energy and need an outlet for it. A dog who is alone all day is more likely to take up barking as a hobby because there is nobody to control him and make him stop. Pretty soon, barking will become an enjoyable habit for him or her. Many dogs, once they start barking, do it because they think it’s fun and enjoyable.  

You may have trained your dog to bark too much by accident. You always obey when you hear your dog speak. “Woof” and you open the door to let them out, another “woof” and you open it again to let them in. A puppy quickly learns that barking earns him a snack; they bark and they get rewarded. A puppy gets attention from you by barking.  For this reason, it is easy for barking to become a habit.  After all, the puppy wants your attention, and if he barks, he gets your attention. And sometimes, it is very easy to forget to provide positive reinforcement such as praises and treats for your dog when they are not barking.

Exercises and Puppy Barking

To minimize puppy barking and for you to get some peace and quiet, you have to realize that most of the time; puppy barking is really due to the boredom, loneliness, frustration and fright that your puppy feels. These entire situations can be eased and improved when you spend more time with your puppy. A well-exercised, happy, and contented puppy is more likely to spend the whole day sleeping when you are not home. Be sure to give your dog some of your time.  He needs your attention and the benefit of training, exercise, and play.

Puppy obedience training is just as boring mentally for dogs as it is for their owners. Most puppies and dogs enjoy, wild rapid paced and exciting games such as “come here,” “sit,” “stay,” “heel,” but you can make it more rewarding by saying come here for a hug, a massage and other praise and treats. Don’t let your puppy get bored with training.

For dogs living in the backyard for the majority of the time, they probably need some “social” exercises. To keep the puppy barking to a minimum, it may be necessary to take them on a walk. Daily walks will be an adventure for them to investigate and find out about those sounds and smells that excite them while they are in the yard. Running around the yard like a crazy dog is a normal thing for a dog or puppy to do, but it does not count as puppy exercise. What they are doing is equivalent to the human’s pacing and fidgeting as well as other nervous activities. Give your puppies fun things to play with and occupy themselves with such as chew toys for puppy biting and a digging pit for dogs.

Dogs, like humans, are naturally social animals. Like humans, they also seek friends and companions. Your dog needs to be taken for walks and exercised every day or every week as well as to let them socialize with other dogs. Romping, playing, and dog training together all day will tire them out easily and will help them sleep happily while recovering from the hard play and great exercise session.