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Potty Training Your Puppy:
Make sure you feed your dog at regular times every day as this
makes bathroom breaks regular as well. Feed your puppy 2-3 times a
day.
As soon as he is finished eating, take him to a grassy "potty
area". Speak the words "go potty" or "go in the grass" before and
while he is eliminating. Be sure to praise him when he is
done.
What you are doing is building word associations with the dog that
will allow you to encourage his potty activity on command.
This comes in handy when you and your dog are at unusual locations
and at pit stops during long haul travel. It also saves you from
cleaning unwanted fecal material off the carpet at home.
It is a good idea to train your puppy to use a place where you can
easily clean up and dispose of the droppings into the sewer. This
is because worms that infect dogs and make them sick get spread
around through the eggs or larvae found in the feces. Some, like
the roundworm, can also infect children.
Reprimanding Your Puppy:
Talk to puppies like you would to children when they do something
wrong.
Tell them "no" and show them immediately what the correct behavior
should be and reward them for doing it right. After a few times
they'll know how to do it right.
For example, tell him "NO" when you catch him chewing the shoes.
Then immediately give him his own toys to chew and cheer him on to
chew on the toys. Praise him for doing so.
Use sparingly those reprimanding words like "No," "Stop that," "get
off" and "bad dog!" Instead use more praises to reward good
behavior in your dogs, this way the reprimands will take on
stronger meaning.
A correct reprimand is short, sharp and immediate.
Only reprimand when you catch your dog doing something wrong, and
punish only with your voice.
Hitting, kicking, slapping or spanking your dog can create more
problems and usually makes existing problems worse. You may just
end up with a barking and chewing dog, one that is leery, hand-shy,
fearful or aggressive.
If you really have to spank one with your hand, just slap him
across the behind.
Repetition and Rewards:
Repetitions are a crucial aspect of any dog's training. You should
always reward them for doing something right while training. The
more often he is rewarded, the better and quicker he will learn.
Create situations where your dog can get plenty of practice at
doing the right things.
Be sure to praise and love on him when he does a good job. This is
simple but not always easy to do. Bad behaviors like biting,
constant yelping and barking and tearing the house apart get our
immediate notice. What we easily forget to acknowledge are the good
parts - when the dog is lying down quietly, chewing on his own
toys, leaving the carpet unsoiled.
Praise and reward are the most important part of maintaining your
dog's good behavior and preventing him from getting into
trouble.
Dog Toys, Games and Treats:
Foods, treats or praise will bring out the best responses from your
dogs during training.
Treats can come in the form of their favorite food, toy or
something they really love to do.
Some favorite treats are ice cream, cheese, ham and chicken. One
Boxer dog even fancies a handful of ice cubes to crunch on though
he's not thirsty. Test human food treats a little at a time though,
because some dogs can be sensitive to certain things. Milk products
for instance, can give a puppy diarrhea.
The all time dog favorites of fetching, tug-of-war, and hide and
seek games can be made more treasured using your dog's favorite
ball or toy, and giving him plenty of stroking in between
throws.
Author: Daniel Lesser
article url: http://www.thingsfordogs.com/puppy-basics.php
Other Dog Training Tips
- Dog Obedience Training
- Dog Tricks & Commands
- Potty Training
- Intro To Crate Training
- Clicker Training