Dog Training Basics

Posts Tagged ‘puppy crate training’

In 1904 a Russian scientist, Ivan Pavlov made a collection of experiments that became part of folklore. I am making reference to his famous “Pavlov’s Dog” project. In simple terms Pavlov applied impulse (bells, electric shocks, sounded tuning forks etc) when his dogs were eating. Over time he revealed that the stimulus alone (e.g. The sound of the tuning fork) was adequate to cause the dogs to slobber. The spit production had become a conditioned, reflex reply to the impulse

So what does that have to do with house training dogs? Well, everything actually! Your goal is to create a conditioned, reflex response i.e. When your dog feels the need to get rid of it should immediately feel the insistent desire to go outside to its toilet area.

The easiest way to create the reply

House training dogs is a method that involves some trial-error (some things will work and some will not) and lots of patience. The better news is that you have total control over the most important part “you! That is right! You! Your dog wants to delight you and will do anything to make you happy so your actions will set the tone for the entire training.

Here’s the basic recipe:

1. Figure out when your dog is probably going to have to go. The most likely times are shortly after waking or after a meal. Watch punctiliously for the “signs” (they're different for each dog, but your pet’s should become obvious fairly quickly)
2. Fast and fastidiously pick your dog up and take it outside to the appointed “toilet area”
3. Wait till the dog has eliminated. When he's finished ensure that you spend some time praising him and making physical contact. This is the main reason, use a happy, animated voice, your dog doesn't speak English but he will understand your tone. If he believes that you are happy he will start to form the organisation between you being cheerful and his toilet visit. Repeat this a number of times and he's going to understand that his elimination outside makes you happy and you are just about done.
4. Never, ever, ever get indignant with your dog if he has got an accident. The organisation process works all ways, if he suspects you're irritated with him as he went to the bathroom he may try and prevent him self from going and cause all sorts of medical issues.

Andy is an engineer, part-time online marketer and full time dog owner He has a 7 years old beagle call Mortimer that get’s into more trouble than you would believe and has taught him all he knows about house training dogs

train your puppy

Getting ready to discover to train a puppy will be a lot more successful if you record everything you do. I know that sounds very “fuzzy” and lacking substance – there’s a lot more to it than you think, as it will be a big help when you come to review your progress, and shows you exactly what your dog responds to. These notes show exactly what works and how your puppy responds to various techniques, along with areas that either need improvement or a completely different technique. And just like anything else in life, spending time planning increases the odds of doing things right a lot more frequently than doing it wrong or the hard way. You know it makes sense.

Planning ahead needs to be at the top of your priority list when you start thinking about train a puppy, as it will make a big difference when relocating a young dog or puppy from his happy and playful home to his new and unrecognizable surroundings. It is a very stressful and worrying event for a puppy when his mother and littermates suddenly disappear, and he is thrust into an entirely new environment with a whole range of new and unknown faces and scents.

And it’s not just puppies and young dogs. Even adult dogs are somewhat bewildered by everything new that happens to them when they get relocated. An adopted adult dog has no idea of all the wonderful plans you may have in store for him; all he knows is that he is in a strange and somewhat frightening place.

If you have the time, take a few trips to meet your pup while he’s still at his “old place”. He’ll get to recognize your face and smell and make his move a lot less stressful. When you start out, tips for training a puppy the familiarity between you will result in a quicker learning experience. If you can’t make friends in this way, perhaps you will be able to take something from the dog’s former home with you – such as a cushion or familiar toy or just something that will remind him of home and adjust to his new home.

The perfect time to bring your new dog home is when you will be available to set aside a block of time to spend with him. A holiday period is perfect. But you do need to be at home with your dog during the holidays. Please don’t move you dog in, then home him in kennels while you go on vacation. Being there for him in those first few days will help him settle in, and help him overcome any separation anxiety he may experience.

Just as parents prepare for the arrival of a new baby by creating an environment to satisfy the baby’s needs and requirements, tips for training a puppy should be just as exciting. The new dog owner should be organizing his or her home for the puppy’s arrival.

The perfect place for your new puppy is a cordoned off area in a main living area, as your puppy house training regime will go much smoother as accidents can be cleaned up much easier from tiled or lino flooring. Kitchens are great places because we spend a lot of our time in these rooms, which helps to accustom the newcomer to day-to-day living in your household.

Before you moved your new puppy in with you, he was used to lots of playmates. Without them, he will be lonely so you will need to take their place at least for a few days. At the same time, you must not let the puppy do whatever he chooses for the first few days and then suddenly expect him to start following rules that prohibit him from doing exactly those same things. Puppy house training can begin with the easy techniques, but needs to start as soon as he moves in.

Being permissive in this respect is not being kind, simply because your rules aren’t consistent. Much of these techniques for training a puppy apply to the adopted adult dog as well. Being homesick and lonely is not just a puppy issue. When you bring a new dog home he or she will need to learn the rules from the start. All dogs need discipline and affection in equal amounts. But it will be a very rewarding experience for both of you.