How to Get Rid of Your Dog's Bad Habits

In order to stop your dog from doing something you don’t like requires consistency, attentiveness, timing and praise. You have to catch your dog in the act of doing the bad thing, and correct the dog every time he does the bad thing. Every time he gets away with doing it, it’s two steps backward in the training because then he realizes that he can get away with it.

It is extremely important that you correct you dog while he’s committing the bad thing or immediately after he does it. If 5 to 10 seconds go by before the correction comes, your dog doesn’t know what he’s being corrected for. A dog doesn’t associate past actions to the present like a human does. Five to ten seconds after a dog has committed an act, whether it was a good one or a bad one, the act is forgotten. Any praise or punishment given more than five to ten seconds after the act has been committed is useless, because the dog does not associates the praise or the punishment with the commission of the act.

A correction can be a stern “NO!”, or it can be a sharp jerk on the lead. Whatever works, but be consistent. As soon as your dog stops doing the bad thing, you should praise him immensely. The praise is more important than the correction, so remember to do it.

As an example:

You catch your dog chewing on your table leg. You give him a stern NO! Your dog stops chewing on the table leg. You tell him what a good dog he is and pet him. Your dog associates the “NO!” with the act of chewing on the table leg. He stops chewing either because he knows what NO means or he’s startled. You praise him by telling him how good he is, and he associates the praise with not chewing on the table leg.

For some dogs it may take only one or two corrections. For others, it may take ten or more corrections. But if you’re consistent, attentive, and persistent, you will be successful in stopping any bad habit your dog has.

A trained dog is a happy dog and has a happy owner.

Socializing Your Puppy

When you have a new puppy it is important to socialize them not only with other dogs and people, but also with things in their environment that might seem intimidating at first.  You should do so in a way that is not frightening to the puppy, and ensure that it is enjoyable with the use of treats and praise.

Steps to socializing your puppy:

When you’re on walks with your puppy bring treats so that when strangers approach him they are able to reward him for being calm.  At the same time, you should also reward the puppy when they calmly react towards cars, bicycles, etc.

On your walks, try to vary the surface as often as possible.  Stairs, metal grates and gravel will definitely invoke a reaction from your puppy.  Reward positive behaviour, and ignore negative behaviour.  It is important not to pet your puppy or give him treats when he is scared in order to comfort him as it is only rewarding him for being scared.

Be sure to bring your puppy with you when you go to the pet store as it will allow you to bring him around people who are also dog lovers and will ensure positive reactions upon seeing him.

Make sure you reward positive behaviour such as staying calm when others approach, walking at your pace, or waiting patiently.

It is also a good idea to enroll your new puppy in obedience classes, as it allows them to socialize with the same dogs regularly and make friends.

Take a look at this cute video of a large older dog playing nicely with a small puppy.

Basic Commands to Teach your Puppy

It’s very important to teach your puppy some very basic commands. Here are 3 easy ones for you to try at home.

1.    Sit - A basic and easy command.

2.    Lay Down - An easy, but important command.

3.    Fetch/Retrieval - How to teach the activity of retrieval.

How to teach your dog to Sit

Stand beside your puppy and put your hand under the puppy’s neck, and the other on top of their bum. Push up with your hand under their neck, while pushing down with your other hand on their bum (directing them into the sitting position) as you say “Sit”. As they sit, praise them. Repeat this and your puppy will learn to sit by verbal command only.

How to teach your dog to lay down

Stand beside your puppy and say "Lay Down". Hold a small treat in your hand at nose level of the puppy, and as you say "Lay Down", bring it down to the ground. If they aren't completely lying down, help them with your other hand. Give them praise and the treat. Repeat.

How to teach your dog fetch

Most likely your puppy already likes balls so this process should be easy.

Throw a ball (not very far), and say "Fetch". Your dog will go get the ball. Now say "Come" or "Here" to get your puppy to return to you. When your puppy returns with the ball, ignore the ball and give your puppy praise. Do not take the ball away from the puppy. Now give the command to "Sit" and "Stay". The reason you don’t want to try to take the ball away is the puppy might get in the habit of dropping the ball before they even reach you.

Now teach your puppy to give you back the ball or "drop" it. Puppies enjoy chasing the ball might do this all on their own. Say "Drop it" as they drop the ball. When they drop the ball, give them praise. Throw the ball again while saying “Fetch” and repeat the process.

Take a look at some possibilities of what some amazing dogs can do!

Teaching your puppy tricks/ or new commands can be very time consuming and will take a lot of patience. Remember to practice and keep a positive attitude.

Potty Training

House training your puppy requires a lot of patience, attention and consistency on your part. You can house train your puppy to go only where you want.

Buy a Crate with a Divider - Puppies will always try their best to keep their den clean and will avoid peeing or pooping where they have to sleep. The crate is the puppy's den.  It's a safe and comfortable place to sleep and relax. The crate is NOT to be used as a punishment area for making a mistake.  Buy a crate large enough for when your puppy is full grown. Get a crate divider to make the area available to your puppy smaller when young, so there isn't enough room to pee on one side and sleep on the other. As the puppy grows, move the divider to provide more room. This way you don’t have to spend money on a larger crate later on.

Pick Your Spot – Choose a place where you want your puppy to go. I suggest choosing a spot in your backyard that is easy to access and clean. Some owners make a square area that is filled with gravel and take their puppy to that area until it knows to do so on it's own. Others are fine with the whole back yard or select an object to train the dog on like a Pee Post.

The Scent - Puppies like to pee where they or others have peed before. Use this to your advantage. Buy a pheromone product such as the Go Here Aid which contains those scents that dogs like to pee at, and use that on the spot that you have picked for your puppy.

When Your Puppy will Pee - Very early on, when the puppy goes will not be up to you. A puppy's bladder is tiny and until the age of 4-5 months it can't hold much for long. Up until 4-5 months of age, a puppy needs to go to the bathroom about every 2 hours on average. No amount of scolding or information provided here is going to change the size of your puppy's bladder.

To minimize accidents and speed the housetraining process, take your puppy out often and at regular times. Decide when you will feed your puppy each day, play with it, take it out and let it sleep in its crate. Do so at the same time each day so the puppy adapts to the schedule. As your puppy grows, it will be able to go for longer periods without peeing and you can adjust accordingly. Your goal is to condition your puppy to go when you want it to.

  

Attention and Consistency – Early on, watch your puppy every moment that it is out of its crate and provide as few opportunities to make mistakes as possible. If you see any hint that your puppy might need to go, even if it is not on the schedule, quickly take it outside to the spot. When it goes correctly, praise it him, but be sure not to turn potty time into play time.

If you do take your eyes off your puppy and he makes a mistake, DO NOT scold him. It was your mistake! Simply place your puppy in its crate and quietly clean up the mess.

For mistakes you absolutely have to get rid of the odour when cleaning so that your dog can't smell his old bathroom and do it again in that spot. Use Nok Out or vinegar to neutralize any urine or odour on flat surfaces.

Take a look at this video for some additional tips and tricks.

 

Follow these simple steps and I’m sure that you will have a well trained puppy!

Feeding Your Puppy

Not only does your puppy need healthy food, it needs plenty of it. Your puppy will need a balanced diet in order to nurture the growth of bones, teeth, organs and muscle and also to maintain a healthy coat.  Their diet will also ensure that they have enough energy to play throughout the day.

At about 2 1/2 weeks of age, your puppy may begin to eat solid food three or more times a day. Start them on dry puppy food mixed with warm water.  When they reaches seven weeks of age or so, start slowly decreasing the amount of water you add. When they are about 3 months old, you can switch the puppy to twice-a-day feedings of puppy food.  Between 6 and 8 months it recommended that you gradually mix the puppy food into an adult formula over several weeks time.

During his first few weeks, your puppy should be slightly chubby. If he continues to look chubby between 10 and 13 weeks old, restrict his diet slightly. Monitor his weight and, once he reaches three and a half to four months, restrict his diet – not to make him lean, just to make sure he doesn't get too fat. If you're not sure what his proper weight is, check with your vet.

At the 5 to 6 month period, depending on his breed, your puppy may have a dramatic growth spurt. He may get long, lean and a little thin. By the time he's about one-and-a-half to two years of age, his body will catch up.

Commercial puppy food is best. This kind of a diet provides all the nutrients he needs, especially his energy and protein requirements. A diet labelled for "all life stages" will also provide sufficient nutrients, but because it is closer to a maintenance level, your puppy will have to eat more "All Stages" than puppy formula.

From three weeks of age up to 20 weeks, your puppy's growth rate is astronomical, and his food intake must keep up. During this period, medium-sized dogs, such as pointers and setters, require approximately 3 1/2 lbs. of dry food to put on one pound of body weight. Large breeds require slightly less, smaller breeds a little more. If you are using canned food, use approximately one-third this amount, as these diets are more nutrient-dense.

Note: For puppies of large or giant breeds, look for special foods of lower nutrient density. With these dogs, rapid growth can exacerbate degenerative hip problems or joint disease. Although hip dysplasia is a genetic problem, overfeeding at a young age can contribute to it.

Remember: There are plenty of puppy foods out there. Once you find one your dog likes, stick to it.

Choosing the Right Dog Breed for You and Your Family

When choosing your dog, you need to consider a few factors. This is going to be your new best friend, so you want to make the right choice.


Ask yourself the following questions:

·         Do you really want a dog?

·         What are the reasons you are getting one?

·         You may want a companion, a protector and a playmate for your children? Or do you want your dog as a competitor in obedience trials or the show ring.

Your reasons for wanting a dog will make a huge impact of the type of dog you choose, but whether you select a large, small, mongrel, pedigree, dignified or sporting dog, it will demand a lot in terms of time, attention and care.


Cute puppies grow up into energetic, hungry and wilful adults so before you take the plunge, make certain that you have room for a dog in your life.


Choosing the right dog for you and your lifestyle takes some time and effort to research properly. It is however well spent in order to avoid making ill thought out decisions and costly mistakes.


Here are some more things to consider before choosing the right dog:

Cost Can you afford a dog? Regular checkups, dog health insurance, Food bills, grooming, etc. all cost money.
Dog Size: Do you have a small apartment? Did you know that a big dog may be better than a small one? Do you need to keep anything out of the dog’s reach?
Age: So you think you want a puppy! Are you sure you know what's involved? Maybe an older dog might be right for you.
Maintenance: Taking care of a dog properly means more than just feeding, walking and throwing the occasional stick. It’s a daily commitment.
Temperament: Finding compatible dog personalities to suit your lifestyle.
Purebred Or Mixed Breed: The good, the bad and the ugly! Decide for yourself.
Training : All dogs need to be trained and socialized. Some breeds are easier to train than others.


One final consideration when choosing the right dog is whether anyone in your household is likely to suffer from an allergic reaction. It is important to note that while there are considered to be Hypo-Allergenic breeds, the actual allergic reaction induced by dogs is not normally due to dog hair, but rather the irritants or pollutants that a dog's hair attracts. As someone considering the effects of a dog on your allergy you may be pleasantly surprised at just how many dog breeds you might be tolerant of.


For some guidance as to where to start try this online quiz from Animal Planet.
http://animal.discovery.com/breedselector/dogselector.do


For further details about your breed before you buy, please look the breed up on the following website to learn everything about the dog from physical description, to typical personality.
http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/abc.htm


Best of Luck!