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These steps will help you train your dog

November 8, 2013 By

Puppy Training

Your dog can be taught and trained how to act properly and drop very annoying habits. Even if they don’t disappear completely these behaviors can be ameliorated by using the tips contained herein. Proper training can turn any dog into the perfect pet.

Get your dog into a feeding routine. You can set a firm schedule by teaching the dog to anticipate that the food will be removed within 10 to 15 minutes of the start of mealtime. This will set a quality schedule for your dog so that they are ready for all meals.

As you train your dog to use the bathroom, keep in mind what whatever they eat will also come out. If you feed your dog at the same periods of the day, he will have regular bathroom habits. Doing so helps you to learn your puppy’s schedule.

Shock Collars

AVOID costly training tools such as shock collars. They often do not function properly and their cost is rarely justified. Also, shock collars and like devices are just not nice things to use. These techniques don’t normally work.

To house train your pup, get him on a set feeding and potty schedule every day. This gives you important forehand knowledge to prevent accidents and your dog an association of cause and effect to follow. Using this schedule can teach your dog how to hold their piddle until the upcoming potty break.

Teaching a dog to walk correctly while on its leash is important. The safety of both of you while out walking is paramount, and the proper training will ensure this.

Begin the dog training process with a simple task. Smaller, more easily learned behaviors are more likely to produce timely successes and a solid foundation for future training efforts. This way you will have better results throughout the course of your training experience.

Training Sessions

Your daily schedule should consist of regular potty breaks, regular training sessions and an hour of good exercise. Making sure that your dog gets enough exercise makes your training sessions a lot more effective and it will also encourage your dog to have good behavior. When your dog is exercised, he is also happy.

Teach your puppy his or her name before you start to train him or her, as this creates a bond. Use his name frequently, and train him to come to you when called. Your puppy’s name should be one of its first words learned. Be around your puppy a lot, so he knows to trust you. A puppy that trusts you will respond better your training.

Don’t bog your puppy down with more information than he can process. Puppies have short attention spans and they cannot focus too much, so have shorter sessions and try to be positive during them every time. If you try to do too much too fast, he will associated it as a negative experience and will resist in the future.

It should be clear that training a dog really is doable for everyone. By having the right frame of mind and following the right steps, anyone can train their pet. It is possible for any dog to fulfill its potential and flourish under the tutelage of its master.

At Pawsitive Solutions, we specialise in helping you get the best possible relationship with your dog.

Why not enquire about our services using our enquiry page – https://pawsitivesolutions.com/enquiries/

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Case Study – Severe Separation Anxiety

October 27, 2013 By

Collie Separation Anxiety

I was recently called out to a 4 year old Collie cross called Dougal who could not be left alone at all or he would bark and destroy the house until the owners returned.

The owner had re-homed the dog from one of the rescue centres 4 months earlier. She knew the dog had not been ill treated but had been handed into the centre because his elderly owner had gone into a care home.

The owner lived on her own and was at the end of her tether when she called me for help.

She had tried going out and had come back to complete devastation The pillows on the chairs were no more ,a book left on the table top was ripped to pieces, ornaments had been knocked over and broken and the front door was severely clawed Dougal was bleeding from his paws and needed to see the vet.

The second time she left him in the kitchen and returned after a short time to the dustbin emptied over the floor and yet another door clawed.

This time a friendly neighbour told her her had barked almost constantly since she left.

I suspected Dougal had never been taught to separate from his elderly owner and had been given everything he wanted.

Dogs with Separation anxiety can be helped but it is not a quick fix and does require total commitment from the owner.

The first thing we did was tighten up on the owners leadership skills. Dougal was off the couch and into his bed on the floor. I showed the owner how Dougal had her so well trained he got a pet when he asked for it. He went to the back door and barked and was let out instantly.

He barked at the front door when anyone rang the bell and sat for hours watching out the front window so he could bark at any person or dog passing near the house. He also had the annoying habit of following the owner wherever she went – like a shadow.

We did lots of work teaching Dougal he did not need to bark at doors, windows etc. We stopped him guarding the front door and reduced the amount of following he was doing.

We then had to teach Dougal to separate from the owner when she was in the house. Every day he was put in a separate room for 20 minutes and was corrected for any barking. Slowly he began to settle on his own in different rooms. We put a dog guard on the kitchen door (he seemed to get more distressed when the door was closed) and started to leave him for short periods. He was always left with a bone or Kong toy filled with carrot or apple.

This is the tough bit as the owner had to regularly set up leaving situations and wait quietly outside for any barking. She would then have to go back and firmly correct Dougal when he started to bark. Dougal had to make a bad association with his barking (i.e when he starts he gets told off).

It took a good few weeks of hard work but gradually Dougal relaxed and learnt that his owner would come back. We also of course were teaching Dougal that the owner was in charge not him.

Dougal is still an anxious dog (he has a nervous temperament) but he can now relax and let his owner leave the house without him. His owner has also got her life back!

Is your dog suffering from Severe Separation Anxiety? Contact us today using our enquiries page – Enquiries

Case Study – Excessive Nuisance Barking

October 27, 2013 By

Excessive Nuisance Barking

This case study is about Freddie – an 18 month old Male Westie. This dog was barking manically at everything. He would watch out the window and bark at every person and dog passing his house. If someone rang the doorbell he would take off from wherever he was in the house and run barking to the door.

When people came into the house he would then keep barking and run circuits round the room. This little dog got himself into such a state the only time he calmed down and slept was late at night.

The barking had been gradually escalating as Freddie started to mature and the catalyst to get help was when in his frenzy he nipped his owner as she tried to stop him barking at a visitor.

We needed to get Freddie looking at and listening to his owners in order to get him to relax and be less anxious. He would have to learn to respect his owners and do as he was told. I showed the owners how to take control and teach Freddie that it was not his job to be in charge of the home.

We stopped him sitting most of the day on the back of the settee, once he started listening and looking at his owners he learnt to stop barking at the door. He started sleeping in his crate and was put in for a rest morning and afternoon. He was taught to sit on his day bed when the doorbell rang (in the past he didn’t know what to do so went rushing round the room).

The owners started to take charge, they were consistent and taught Freddie how he was expected to behave in these circumstances. As a result Freddie really calmed down, he slept more and also started to become more playful. It was noticeable that he would actually want to play with his owner before he was too preoccupied with minding the house. He also started to eat his food at normal times. Before the changes Freddie would only eat late at night when the house was quiet – not an ideal time for his digestive system!

He was far less anxious because he was being told what to do and knew what was expected of him. He did challenge his owners and they had to remain calm and consistent. After a couple of months he is like a different dog. He still barks a little at the door but it is the odd woof and nothing like the past manic response. He is a far happier and chilled out dog – as are his owners!

Is your dog barking excessively? Contact us today using our enquiries page – Enquiries

A few tips to help toilet train a puppy

October 27, 2013 By

How to toilet train your puppy Unfortunately unlike children we can’t put nappies on our puppies so we need to put certain measures in place to ensure as smooth a transition as possible to a fully house trained dog.

Puppies have 5 Key times they need to toilet
- First thing in the morning
- After any daytime naps
- After boisterous play sessions
- After food
- Before going to bed at night
I would highly recommend a dog crate for your puppy. It not only gives you a bit of peace when the puppy is sleeping both during the day and at night but it helps greatly with toilet training. Dogs are basically clean animals and do not like to mess their sleeping area so using the crate encourages the puppy to hold onto its toilet until let outside.
The crate should only be big enough for the puppy to stretch out and turn round When you take your puppy outside as it toilets repeatedly say a word like ‘pee pee’ or ‘quick quick’ This will get the puppy to associate the sound with toileting.
NEVER correct your puppy for toileting in the house Be patient some pups can take a bit longer than others.
If you want to discourage your pup from toileting outside or inside in certain areas it is a good idea to scatter their food over the area Dogs do not like to eliminate in the same area as they eat.
If you are having difficulty with the toilet training I would try to feed your dog outside as much as possible (weather permitting). They are more likely to relax where there is food and feel better about using the garden for toileting.
If you want to encourage you pup to use a certain part of the garden to toilet try lifting his poo and placing it in that area and leading your puppy to that spot repeatedly.

These steps will help you train your dog

Shock Collars

Training Sessions

Links

Case Study – Severe Separation Anxiety

Case Study – Excessive Nuisance Barking

A few tips to help toilet train a puppy

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