ALL ABOUT DOG TRAINING
Tags: Dog Training, Dog Behaviour Training, Dog Food, Dogs Care, Dogs

EVERY THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT DOG TRAINING

STARTING WITH DOG BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

1-Dog Barking

There’s no denying the fact that barking is a natural reaction for most canines. But sometimes, dog barking can become a problem and an annoyance. Oftentimes, owners try to stop a dog from barking in ways that fail to address long-term behavior. Examples include yelling, rewarding bad habits, or inconsistently disciplining.

When looking for a permanent solution, keep in mind that it is important for you, as the dog’s owner, to find the source of the behavior. If your dog is barking because of boredom, providing your pet with something to do may be the answer. However, if separation anxiety issues are the trigger, this may require a completely different approach.

Sometimes, the most straightforward solutions work. For dogs who have established barking as a leisure-time activity, though, a simple solution does not always work. Luckily, there are several recommendations trainers and dog behaviorists offer for dealing with your dog’s barking.

Make sure your dog has an adequate amount of physical and mental exercise before you leave in the morning. A tired dog is more likely to rest when you’re not at home. If possible, have a dog walker come to walk your dog mid-day.

A dog may bark at people or other dogs if they haven’t been socialized well enough. A dog that has had many positive experiences with all ages and types of people, including people on bikes, in wheelchairs, children, etc., is less likely to bark at them. Letting your dog meet the mailman and the UPS driver, for example, and asking them to give your dog a cookie can help.

There are a number of interactive dog toys that will give your dog something to do. For example, treats can be placed inside a dog puzzle toy, and the dog will work to get the treats out.

A common suggestion by trainers for dogs who bark when owners are gone is to leave the dog with some familiar sounds, such as a radio or television program. The idea is that these approximate the household sounds when the owner is present. Additional steps, such as closing the blinds before you leave the house, can help by removing your dog’s opportunity to see things, such as squirrels or the mailman, that will tempt them to bark.

A popular method of curtailing excessive barking is teaching the “quiet” command. Use a calm, firm voice to tell your dog to be “quiet” and positively reinforce correct behavior with treats and affection.

Many dogs will bark to get your attention, ask for food, or to tell you to open the door or let them out of the crate. Don’t respond. Wait until your dog is quiet to give them what they want. And be sure to recognize the behavior you want i.e. provide positive reinforcement to your dog when he’s lying down quietly.

2 - Stop Your Dog From Jumping Up on People

Jumping up on people is a natural canine behavior. Dogs get to say hello face to face when they jump and even better, it’s guaranteed to get attention. However, from a human point of view, jumping to greet is annoying and dangerous. Dressy clothes can get soiled by muddy paws and people can be knocked over, especially seniors and children. It’s more polite and far safer to teach your dog to greet people appropriately.

Why Dogs Greet by Jumping

Dogs repeat behaviors that earn them rewards. And few things are more rewarding to your pet than your attention. Similarly, other family members, visitors, and strangers can all reinforce the behavior too. Even negative reactions like yelling at your dog or grabbing their paws are still attention and can reinforce the behavior. For many dogs, pushing them away is simply part of a wrestling game.

To eliminate jumping from your dog’s greeting repertoire, you need to eliminate the associated rewards. That means managing your dog so they don’t get the chance to practice jumping while you teach them an alternative and more appropriate way to greet people.

How to Train an Alternative Greeting Behavior

If you ignore your dog when they jump, theoretically their jumping behavior should eventually stop. After all, it’s no longer being rewarded. However, every person you encounter in your home or on the street isn’t going to know those rules. And even worse, that’s incredibly frustrating for your dog. They need to be taught what to do instead.

How you want your dog to greet people is up to you. You might simply want all four paws on the floor, or you might want your dog to sit or lie down. But remember, you need to tell them what TO do, not just what NOT to do. For example, sit for greetings is an easier rule than don’t jump.

How to Train Four on the Floor

You can teach your dog to keep all four paws on the floor when they greet people by placing treats on the floor during greetings. The idea is to prevent your dog from jumping by rewarding them before they can even think about leaving the ground. The following steps will teach four on the floor:

With your dog on leash, have somebody approach your dog. Before the person gets to your dog, toss several treats on the floor. While your dog is eating off the floor, have the person pet and greet them. Before your dog is finished eating, have the person back away again. After several repetitions, repeat the steps above but this time extend the greeting, continuing to toss treats on the floor the entire time. Once your dog can keep all four feet on the ground, let them greet the person before you place the first treat on the ground. As your dog begins to understand the rules, you can feed fewer and fewer treats until the greeting is the only reward.

The trick to this technique is being fast with the treats. You need to anticipate your dog’s jumping behavior and provide the goodies before it can occur. If you’re too late and the dog jumps, have the person turn and walk away as you stop feeding the dog. In time, your dog will come to realize that four on the floor brings attention and treats while jumping brings nothing.

How to Prevent Jumping While You Train

While you’re teaching your dog an appropriate greeting behavior, you need to manage their behavior so they don’t get the chance to practice jumping. For example, if your dog has a strong “Go to Your Place” cue, you can send your dog to their mat or crate anytime the doorbell rings. Alternatively, you can place a baby gate at your entranceway so your dog can’t get to visitors. Putting your dog on leash whenever guests arrive can also help you prevent jumping.

Another management trick is keeping toys and treats at the front door. You can throw the reward away from the doorway to occupy your dog’s time while your visitor enters. Or your guest can use the treat or toy to reward your dog for greeting appropriately.

It can be particularly hard to prevent jumping when you’re walking your dog. You can’t expect strangers to know or abide by your rules. Until your dog understands appropriate greetings with friends and family, avoid greeting strangers. Instead, get your dog’s attention with a “Watch Me” cue or by squeaking a toy and let the stranger walk past. When your dog is ready to try greeting people on the street, be sure to tell people the procedure. Ask them to ignore your dog if your dog doesn’t follow the rules. In no time, your dog will understand how to say hello politely whether at your front door or out on the sidewalk.

How to Prevent Jumping While You Train

While you’re teaching your dog an appropriate greeting behavior, you need to manage their behavior so they don’t get the chance to practice jumping. For example, if your dog has a strong “Go to Your Place” cue, you can send your dog to their mat or crate anytime the doorbell rings. Alternatively, you can place a baby gate at your entranceway so your dog can’t get to visitors. Putting your dog on leash whenever guests arrive can also help you prevent jumping.

Another management trick is keeping toys and treats at the front door. You can throw the reward away from the doorway to occupy your dog’s time while your visitor enters. Or your guest can use the treat or toy to reward your dog for greeting appropriately.

It can be particularly hard to prevent jumping when you’re walking your dog. You can’t expect strangers to know or abide by your rules. Until your dog understands appropriate greetings with friends and family, avoid greeting strangers. Instead, get your dog’s attention with a “Watch Me” cue or by squeaking a toy and let the stranger walk past. When your dog is ready to try greeting people on the street, be sure to tell people the procedure. Ask them to ignore your dog if your dog doesn’t follow the rules. In no time, your dog will understand how to say hello politely whether at your front door or out on the sidewalk.

3 - Why Dogs Growl and How to Handle It

There’s no mistaking the low menacing rumble of a dog’s growl. Dogs use this vocalization in all kinds of situations from guarding their favorite bone to playing tug-of-war. But what is the underlying motivation for growling? Is it aggression, fear, bossiness, or something else? And what can you do about it? Read on to learn why dogs growl, what it means, and how to handle it.

Play Growls

Just like barking, growling is a form of canine communication that has many triggers. It all depends on the situation and the dog. In fact, some growling is positive. Many dogs grunt and grumble during playtime because they’re having fun. Have you ever seen two dogs wrestling? Chances are you heard some growling. You might have thought that meant the roughhousing had gone too far, but it was likely all part of the game.

Growling during play does not mean your dog is aggressive. It simply means they’re having a great time. Your dog might even growl during a particularly pleasing cuddle or patting session. Many dogs growl talk to communicate contentment or as a greeting. These types of growls simply indicate happiness.

Warning Growls

Of course, other growls have an entirely different meaning. A dog might growl to threaten another dog, or it might be a response to feeling cornered. Growling is also a common symptom of resource guarding. An injured dog will often growl to keep others at bay. In these cases, and more, growling indicates something is bothering your dog.

Unlike play and talk growls, you can think of these growls as stress growls. They tell you your dog is uncomfortable. And that’s invaluable. Now you can intervene on your dog’s behalf and change the situation before your dog feels the need to resort to more serious measures like biting.

How to Tell the Difference

How can you tell the difference between happy growls and stress growls? Look at body language. For instance, if your dog is giving you a submissive grin or play bows, then it’s likely any growling is just fine. If your dog seems stiff and is staring with a hard expression, that growl is serious.

When you know a dog well, sometimes the tone of the growl can help too. A loud, higher-pitched growl might tell you something different from a soft, lower-pitched one. However, when in doubt, act as if the growl is a threat. Especially with dogs you aren’t friends with, it’s better to mistakenly end a fun game than misjudge and wind up injured. Particularly with young children, teach them to treat all growls with caution.

What Stress Growling Means

Stress growls are a warning signal. Their purpose is to tell others to back off before the dog is forced to take further action. Most dogs don’t want to attack or bite. They use growling to prevent the situation from escalating. And that gives growls great value. A dog that attacks without warning is incredibly dangerous. Appreciate growls for the insight they give into your dog’s state of mind and for the time they give you to intervene, help your dog, and prevent injury.

Don’t Punish Growling

Hopefully, you now recognize that you should never correct growling. It’s either benign or a symptom of stress in your dog. If you punish your dog for growling, you will only inhibit growling. You won’t have done anything to address the underlying issue. For example, punishing your dog for growling in the presence of other dogs will stop the growling. However, your dog will still feel uncomfortable around other dogs. Even worse, the lack of growling might fool you into thinking otherwise. Meanwhile, your dog is still stressed and just might snap without the benefit of a warning.

Unfortunately, when you punish your dog for growling, you also exacerbate the underlying issue. For example, if your dog growls at another dog and you punish the growling, your dog will likely think the other dog caused your negative action. Now your dog’s discomfort will be even stronger. After all, other dogs bring about your anger.

How to Handle Growling

The most effective way to deal with growling is to determine what’s bothering your dog and then treat that underlying issue. First, in the immediate moment, do whatever you can to change the situation to suit your dog. If your pet is stressed by the presence of another dog, cross the street, leave the dog park, or whatever you need to do to help your dog relax. If it’s coming too close to your dog’s bone, back off and let them be.

Next, determine what specifically led to the growling. For the time being, if you can eliminate that situation from your dog’s life, do so. For example, if other dogs stress your dog, don’t take them to the dog park. If your dog guards their bones, stop giving them bones, and so on.

Finally, permanently address the growling with a behavior modification program. Techniques such as desensitization and counterconditioning can change your dog’s attitude toward the underlying issue that caused the growling in the first place. For your dog’s sake and your own safety, you need to help your dog become comfortable with the things that once caused them so much stress. These aren’t overnight solutions and might require the assistance of a dog trainer or animal behaviorist. But if you manage your dog’s environment while you help them become comfortable with their stressors, ideally, they will never feel the need to stress growl again. But if they do, now you’ll know how to handle it.