As they say, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. Dog training should start as soon as you bring your newly adopted dog home. Whether it’s a puppy or an adult dog, puppy and dog training require consistency, positivity and lots of patience. One of the most important training to establish is housebreaking to prevent your dog from randomly eliminating or having accidents in their later life.
Keep in mind that dog obedience training will help your dog live their best lives and help you to be a responsible dog owner so before you call it quits, try researching the different methods and tools that might help. Here is a handy guide that might help!
Behavioural Issues
Imagine after a long day at work, you come home to your favourite shoes chewed to pieces or pee and poo everywhere. Understanding how your dog learns is crucial and together with using high value training treats, you can set your dog up for success, and in turn less problems in the future.
From chewing furniture, randomly peeing and pooping to pulling and tugging their leash on walks to being aggressive to humans and other dogs, identifying behavioural issues is the first step to finding solutions. While you can hire a dog trainer, it is best to know that without consistency and commitment from you as a dog parent to practise the training with your dog on a daily basis, it may not be as effective. Good Dog People offers a range of training and behavioural tools that can help you in your puppy or dog training.
As a rule of thumb, a dog that is lacking exercise and mental stimulation is more prone to poor behaviours as compared to one who lives a healthy and active life. Socialising with other dogs can help correct certain behaviours and always choose positive reinforcement - rewarding good behaviours, rather than punishing bad behaviours.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Potty spraysare good to encourage your dog to eliminate at the designated potty spot you have set up. Don’t forget to reward your dog with a high value treat each time it eliminates at the designated spot! Having a training pouch to store the treats that your dog loves helps greatly in dog behavioural training.
For puppies that are teething, it is handy to have a no-chew spray to protect your furniture from getting chewed. To complement this, get a range of different toys for your puppy! KONG toys are one of the best dog toys around and they have many good quality chew toys that are durable for your puppy.
For dog parents training their dogs to walk well on leash, getting a comfortable harness will help greatly. Here at Good Dog People, we carry a big range of top quality harnesses for your choosing. You are sure to find one that works for your dog.
It is never too late to start. However, the earlier you start puppy training or dog training, the better and more receptive your dog will be towards the training. That is to say, more effort and time will be needed for training an older dog than a puppy.
Basic obedience training includes teaching a dog a few important commands that can help them stay safe away from danger, enjoy their daily walks and play dates. Here are a few commands that you will want to teach your dog as soon as they come home with you:
Recall training – teaching the dog to come on command; Sitting training – teaching the dog to sit on command; Walking or heeling training – teaching the dog to walk on or off lead with the handler; Staying training – teaching the dog not to stray on command; Sociability training – teaching the dog not to be aggressive to humans, other dogs or other animals.
Once your dog masters these commands, you can give yourself a pat on the back! Check out Good Dog Peoplefor the tools and treats you can use in your journey to becoming a responsible dog owner.