Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Disciplining Your Dog

Constant encouragement is a requirement when you are training your dog. Food, treats, toys and praise and contact are the rewards your dog should be given. Punishment should never be physical, it is not necessary, he will respond much better to your love and affection. Dogs want to please those they love, loving them in return you will find an ease in training that will surprise you. Rewards should be along the following lines:

Food, a tasty treat will go a long way in rewarding your dog for his training successes. Hold the treat above his nose to get his attention, it is much easier to train a dog once you have his attention. Food rewards are best used when your dog is hungry.

Your touch is one of your dogs favorite rewards. They are very important in training. Praise him often during training, along with long strokes to his body, do not make the mistake of patting your dog on the head, it is a dominant gesture and should never be used as a reward. Always stroke him along the length of his body.

Toys are another great training tool, it wont take long for you to find out which are his favorites. As an incentive show him the toy and make eye contact with him by holding the toy above his head. If he misbehaves there are several means of discipline.

One means of discipline is isolation, this should only be done for a very limited time, a few minutes is sufficient, as it may cause him to feel as though he has been deserted. He loves contact and communication with you, and being isolated will make a big impression on him. Never tie him up and relegate him to the backyard for life, it may result in aggressive even vicious behavior.

My favorite discipline is what I call the rattle, I dont remember where I learned this, but it is a great training tool. Put 15 or 20 pennies in an old can and tape the top shut, a vigorous shake will make a lot of sudden and unpleasant noise.

When a dog is misbehaving, an unpleasant surprise will put his attention on you and off what he is doing wrong. Plan to have several rattles around your home.

Obinna Heche: Los Angeles- California

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1 comment:

Amber Sunshine said...

Just wanted to say hi and I like your boxer picture on the side. Boxers are such fabulous dogs!!!

Those things work with me!!