An End To Excessive Barking

It is an inconvenient, yet universal, truth that dogs love to bark. Dogs will bark for any reason; it can be for joy, for annoyance, or in the – often misguided – attempt to protect their home or owners. Whatever the cause, the simple fact is that many dogs indulge in barking because they enjoy it in some way – and the hardest bad behaviour to erase is that which a dog enjoys.

The first thing that must be remembered when it comes to a dog barking is that, sometimes, barking is unavoidable. The only way to truly mute a dog would be to remove their vocal chords; something no one would ever do, and something that could also be detrimental in that barking is occasionally useful (such as when alerting to an intruder). If your dog barks, before your embark on a training regime, you must allow for some element of barking in a dog’s life. It’s what they do! So be realistic, and only when barking becomes truly excessive should you seek help. Never look to eradicate a dog barking entirely, merely to make it manageable. Realism is an absolute key to halting excessive barking.

When trying to halt excessive barking, you will need to curb your natural instincts just like you’re hoping your pooch will learn to do. When your dog barks, what is the first thing most people do? That’s right: they yell at their dog, often saying “shut up!” or similar.

However, this is quite simply the worst thing to do. By reacting in such a manner, you are giving the dog the attention they want and zoning in on this bad behaviour. Just think – how many dogs have you actually seen stop barking when they’re yelled at to do so? Not many, and it’s because by yelling, you are simply reinforcing the dog’s point of drawing attention to a situation.

There are many different training ends, some of which are extremely expensive, that are designed to curb excessive barking. Yet the most effective is also the most simple, and the cheapest: ignore the barking. This is an utter ignorance of the act of barking – don’t move, don’t look, don’t respond. Quickly, the dog will learn that their barking – for whatever reason – isn’t getting the attention it deserves and they will desist. This solution takes a lot of patience and it may be best to warn your neighbours and seek their approval before embarking on this course, but it is arguably the most effective.

Get Out and About With Effective Leash Training!

One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the opportunity to walk your dog. Your pet can quickly become a constant companion and friend, as the two of you set out into the world and discover it together. And let’s face it; all dogs love being walked and it’s great exercise for both you and your canine companion.

However, without effective leash training, a simple walk in the park can suddenly become an utter nightmare. Suddenly, the dream scenario of bracing walks and canine fun become a palaver of trying to control your dog and follow a leash. With leashes now becoming legal requirements for any dog outside of their own home, good leash obedience training is an absolute necessity for any dog owner. In fact, most professional dog trainers rate it as the second most important skill an owner can give a dog, only coming after house training.

The idea of a dog walking on a leash is, to most humans, simple and correct. The image of a dog trotting along merrily next to their owner, complete with leash, is one we rarely pause to question and it is therefore understandable that may new dog owners don’t understand this isn’t a natural situation. A dog no more understands the concept of walking on a leash than you would; however, once shown what to do and how to do it, it tends to be a trick easily picked up by most canines and then remembered for life.

When you first introduce a young puppy to the leash, try and remember how odd the situation must seem to them. How would you feel, for example, if someone came and attached a rope to you for seemingly no reason? You’d probably be pretty nonplussed, and your dog is going to react in exactly the same way.

Therefore, the biggest contribution you can make toward leash training is to be patient. Instead of affixing the leash and expecting your dog to understand what you want immediately, allow your puppy to get used to the idea. Encourage them to walk on the leash by incentives, such as food or treats, rather than dragging them along until they get the idea. Be patient and consistent, rewarding good behaviour and keep calm in the face of bad behaviour. Keep this attitude up, and soon you’ll be walking along together happily in a perfect pose of content dog and owner.

Socializing Your Puppy: A Forgotten Essential

For any new puppy owner, there are several things that are planned for. You know that you need to house train your puppy, introduce them to a leash and teach a few basic obedience commands – but by the large, this seems like enough. Unfortunately, there is another aspect of dog training that is often forgotten, yet the training and understanding it provides is absolutely essential: socialization.

It is a sad fact that a percentage of dogs that are put to sleep are not actually ill; they tend to have some kind of social defiency which manifests itself in dangerous behaviour. Sometimes euthanasia can be the decision of the owner, but often – in cases of dogs biting humans or other dogs – the euthanasia is determined by the courts. It is therefore imperative that you take steps to prevent this from happening, and properly socialize your dog.

The idea of socializing a dog may sound complicated, but in reality it’s very basic. Socializing is simply about making sure your dog is, if not totally comfortable than at least calm, in a variety of situations. You need to ensure that your dog is comfortable with other people and animals, or the consequences could be very difficult to deal with. It is for the good of you, your dog and the general populace that they are controllable and preferably happy in a variety of social situations.

No one is saying that your dog needs to be sweet, cute and cuddly around everyone and everything; while ideal, this is rarely achievable. Instead, socialization is just about ensuring your dog is able to handle various situations that may arise without becoming aggressive or violent.

Unfortunately, this is much more difficult with older dogs, as behaviours that are learnt young – such as reacting badly to other dogs – often become ingrained. It is therefore, wherever possible, essential that you begin socializing your dog when they are as young as possible – no age is too young, provided they are suitably vaccinated.

The best thing is to try and control, and if possible manufacturer, a new situation for your dog to deal with. Introduce them to other dogs, but keep your dog on a tight leash and be ready to act swiftly yet calmly should problems arise. The same applies to dealing with children. The absolute essential is to remain calm when socializing your dog and not lose your temper, as doing so can increase the likelihood of bad behaviour. With time and patience, your dog will soon be able to cope with most situations presented to them, and you need worry no more.

Don’t Get Physical: Dog Training Advice

When trying to train a new dog or puppy, there are a lot of mountains to overcome. To a human, what you want the dog to do is simple, and this concept of simplicity is reinforced all the more by social acceptance of dogs being able to be obedient and perform tricks. Most people who experience dogs will see them performing a variety of commands, even if it is a simple ‘sit’ command, and fail to realise that the dog has had to learn that behaviour. This translates badly when it comes to new owners trying to train their own animals.

It is absolutely essential that, when trying to train a dog, you remember how utterly alien the entire situation is for the dog. There is nothing whatsoever in a dog’s natural make up to suggest they are born aware of what words and commands such as ‘sit’ or ‘stay’ mean; it all has to be taught. And, as would happen with a human child, some dogs take longer to grasp a new command than others. There is no reason to assume that all dogs are able to learn quickly and stay in grasp of these lessons throughout their life; some will take a little more work than others.

However, there is no doubt that dog training can be very frustrating. This is often made all the worse when owners are trying to curb difficult behaviour, such as excessive barking, often on the request of unhappy neighbours or family members. The pressure of those outside the owner-dog relationship means that training can be fraught and an unnecessary worry is placed upon it, meaning the training is actually more likely to fail. When it comes to dog training, it is essential in the quest for success to remain calm.

One of the main ways that people lose their composure is to physically hit their dog when trying to train them. While it is widely accepted that few of these owners are actually trying to cause physical harm, this is not an advisable course of action.

It is easy to think that a quick, short, ideally non-painful tap on a dog while trying to teach them something will be effective. Those that do this often say that they are trying to get the dog to focus or regain attention, or perhaps teach that the dog is doing something wrong by not completing the trick. However, while the notions behind this school of thought are not senseless, they are in actuality incorrect.

The second you resort to physical contact with a dog is the second you have lost impetus for that training session. Training should be fun and engaging, encouraging a dog to enjoy their new obedience and tricks and get rewards for it. Physical contact is the exact opposite of that, and quite simply will never produce long lasting results.