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House Training a Dog
By John A Murray

House training a dog is essential when you want your dog to behave properly while inside your home. Consistency, persistence and patience are the three keys to successfully training a dog. Here are a few other things you should consider when house training a dog.

Keep in mind that physical punishment is not an efficiently training method, as it only confuses and causes the animal to shy away from you. Using the positive reinforcement of affection and treats will encourage good dog behavior much better and quickly. Remember when your training is not successful, it is you doing something wrong rather than your pet. You will need to figure out what the problem is.

Learn how to communicate clearly with your dog concerning what behaviors are acceptable and what is not. Understand that sometimes things go wrong and he may do exactly what you do not want it to do. Do not punish him, simply keep moving while encouraging your pet to do better by going over the steps once more. Watch your dog continually, since this aids in preventing bad behavior. Quickly rewarding your pet for the desired behavior every time is helpful as well.

Since dogs are creatures of habit by nature, while you are house training a dog you want to prevent bad behavior that may become a bad habit. One good example is that of a dog jumping up on you or your visitors. This is generally a sign that the dog is excited about seeing you. Most often this begins in puppy hood. Back then, it may have been cute however, in a bigger dog it is more than a hassle. Large dogs jumping up can be very frightening and can endanger others.

To find the solution, you will need to find some alternative behavior that is acceptable. Rather you should teach your dog to sit and stay when you or your guests arrive. When the doorbell rings, simply make the dog sit and stay before opening the door. If the dog stays sitting when guests arrive, ask them to praise him quickly. When you enter a room do the same, tell the dog to sit and when he or she does, give a treat and offer praise.

You should totally ignore the dog if it does not sit at your command. Do not even glance its way as the punishment for not obeying commands. Dogs thrive on attention and when you ignore the dog the dog gets no attention. If you practice this continually the dog will eventually make the connection.

Shredding and chewing is another good example of the type of behavior you want to discontinue while house training a dog. Generally this occurs while the dog is bored or even nervous. The simple solution is to offer the dog toys he or she can play with and chew on. This will help reduce anxiety and keep the dog occupied. Anytime you see the dog playing with its toys offer praise and a treat.

If you find the dog shredding or chewing something unacceptable, offer the dog a toy rather than physically punishing it. With practice, the dog will learn what it can and cannot chew on. The dog will learn much more quickly to chew only on the toys you provide for it.

John Murray is an internet based businessman who works from home on his dog training information websites. His passions include the outdoors, hiking, photography, and, of course, dogs.

For more information or dog training advice go to: House Training a Dog

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