Obedience Dog Training

I used to have a dog called Ben whom I loved very much. He came to me when he was six weeks old and I looked after him until he died when he was seventeen years old. He did the usual things when he was a puppy, like jumping up on people, chewing slippers and sneaking food. Dogs were not always pets after all,  and they operate from a collective instinct. Making them fit for human habitation requires obedience dog training.

The younger the dog is, the easier it is to train him. If you don't feel confident to tackle it yourself, there are professional trainers who'll do it for you. You will have heard the saying, it's the owners that need the training and not the dogs. My friends had a very boisterous German Shepherd dog that they couldn't do anything with. In despair, they handed him over to the Air Force for obedience dog training and he became a member of the squad. There usually isn't a need for drastic measures like that.

One of the most annoying things is for a dog to bark constantly. This can often happen if the owner is away at work. You'll get to know about it because the neighbors will complain. It sometimes helps to leave some background noise in the room, from a radio or television. This is company for the dog. If you're present at the barking, tell him to stop in a firm voice, make a loud noise yourself or snap the leash (not too hard!).

Digging the garden is another instinct that you'll want to stop. Again, communicate your displeasure with a firm command or loud noise. Puppies urinating in the home is another problem which might require obedience dog training. This tends to happen if the puppy is frightened or over excited, especially if he is reacting when greeting the owner after a long absence. Pay no attention until the dog is calmer, then speak in a reassuring tone and allow him to smell you. Puppies also like to chew. This habit can be overcome with good obedience dog training by being firm, and also providing the puppy with lots of toys he can chew. He will grow bored of your slippers.

If you want to avoid begging, then never feed your dog at the table and make sure that family members and visitors know the rule. Don't let the dog pester you at meal times and don't feed him between his set meals except to praise a particular display of good behavior. Obedience dog training is all a case of letting the dog know what is unacceptable and what the limits are.