Do you have a dog that you adore, but that now and again acts up? Maybe they bark incessantly when the mail truck drives past, chews on everything in sight, or pees in the house whenever you let a visitor come inside?
No matter what type of behavioral problem your dog may have, you want to manage it so that everyone can enjoy your dog, not just you. Each dog is unique and it is important that their problems be approached that way, too. However, there are a few starting points you can turn to when trying to correct behaviors.
Best Behavioral Dog Training Tips
All Dogs Need Training
If you have never gone through and gotten your dog trained, now is the time. Even if you have had your dog go through training classes in the past, there are times where a refresher course is the best option. Dogs are servants. They love to serve their masters, and training lets them do that. They want to obey, especially if it leads to positive attention.
By training your dog away from problematic behaviors, they learn that better things please you. It may take a few different commands to get them to understand how to bypass a negative behavior. However, once they do, they tend to hold that information for a long time.
Remember Positive Reinforcement
You are not going to get a dog to listen by screaming at it. The old days where people chased dogs around with rolled up papers are long gone. You need to help your dog push past those instincts and learn better behaviors.
Whenever they do the right thing, make sure to make a big deal about it. Give them the positive reinforcement they need and crave when they make a good choice. You can tell them no when they make a mistake, but leave it at that. Don’t yell or scold them to where they feel afraid. Instead, always make the positive the strongest impression.
Make Sure to Offer Substitutions
Sometimes problematic behavior in dogs is because they need an outlet. If they do not get enough time outside running around, they can become destructive. Some dogs have a very strong drive to chew or chase prey.
Make sure there are options available for your dog if you want to curb these behaviors. Give them lots of play time outside. Offer them plenty of appropriate chew toys, especially when you are not right next to them. Make sure they get enough of your attention when they get rambunctious. The more positive options they have, the less trouble they are bound to get into.
If you need additional puppy behavior training for your dog, then reach out to the experts here at AlphA and Omega Dog Training. We can work with you and your dog to get the behaviors to stop. Let us know what you need help with, and we will give you our best advice. We may suggest you put your dog through one of our individual sessions for you and your dog, and we have several to choose from depending on your needs. Contact us today to find out more!
