What Does It Mean To Love My Dog?

Loving your dog does not mean giving in to its whine and beg. Giving in to your dog's bad behavior will spoil your dog. A happy dog is one that is able to live in peace with the people around it. Such dogs have no problem living within certain limits and boundaries set for them, thus creating many positive experiences for both the dog and the family.

So loving your dog really means staying persistent and be consistent in training your dog so that it will be able to live in peace with the environment it is in.

Dog Training Advice: Get Its Attention

Set your dog up for success during dog training! Always make sure it has your attention before giving any command. If it is distracted, face your dog to get his attention. Once your dog is looking at you, start giving command.

Treatment For Separation Anxiety

Does your dog suffer from separation anxiety at night? My dog used to whine and bark at night when left alone to sleep. After three days of consistent training, it now sleeps soundly on its own.

To train your dog to sleep alone peacefully, the owner must first speak the same phrase such as "good night" or "go to bed" to your dog whenever it is time for it to sleep. Then walk away. In the first few nights, expect it to whine or call for you. Be firm. Never attend to it.

With about three days of consistent training, your dog will understand that no attention will be given whenever it is time to go to bed, until morning comes. Once it understands it, your dog will feel secure to stay on its own at night. It is only then, that it will be able to sleep peacefully on its own.

Before letting your dog be alone, always make sure that it is in a danger-free environment, with fresh clean water, and comfortable bedding, especially during cold seasons!

The Best Environment To Train Your Dog

One of the most important dog behavior training guidelines is to build an environment of praise.

To encourage good dog behavior, owners should reinforce their dogs good behavior by praising their dogs whenever they have done something good. Make it a habit to spot your dog's good behavior, be always ready to give praises. Through my experience, I have realised that it is more effective to communicate to your dog what it has done right (praise) than what it has done wrong (showing disapproval). Praise is an effective tool, it goes a long way!

Giving praise is easy. Simply give your dog a genuine loving pat and verbally articulate "good dog" in a happy tone. However, delay praise will not be effective. Make sure you praise your dog immediately after it has done the right thing.

All dogs want to please their masters. They just need to know how. Start reinforcing your dog's good behavior today!

Consistency In Training Your Dog

As I have mentioned earlier, the owner's attitude is the key factor in determining the behavior of his dog. How then, should the owner's attitude be, in order to encourage the dog to behave in a desired manner?

Be consistent. The dog's behavior will never improve when the owner is not consistent about it abiding his house rules. By allowing it to lay on the family couch for most days, and closing one eye on its behavior on some days definitely does not help to stop your dog from laying on your family couch.

It is also important that everyone in the house is consistent in communicating the rules for the dog to the dog. Your dog will still be laying on your family couch if you are the only one in the family who do not allow it to lie on the couch, when the rest of the family do nothing to stop this behavior. Therefore, the owner must make sure that every member of the family knows the Dos and Don'ts for the dog, and communicate them consistently.

Once the rules have been communicated clearly to your dog, you and your family will enjoy the presence of a happy and well-behaved dog.