What if the dog began to bark, bite and spoil things for no reason? Is it possible to reeducatean adult dog? And are there breeds that are worthless to train? Raising a dog from the first days in a new house to an adult is difficult, but with an analysis of the owners’ most common mistakes, you will succeed.
Where to begin
Raising a puppy or an adult dog requires something like management tools. This is usually a food or favorite toy. But the animal cannot intuitively work for reward. The owner should develop “food and play” motivation.
Try to have daily or at least just regular training days with your pet. But if you notice that your dog is not good at exercises, acts weak, and shows indifference to any play, try adding vitamins to its diet. Sometimes it is one of the reasons why dogs refuse training.
It is important to remember if your puppy gets sick, it will be challenging to recognize it. There are many diseases that puppies can contract. As the research shows, the most common are congenital diseases, infectious diseases, and traumatic diseases. Therefore it is best to seek advice from your veterinarian before treating the problem at home.
Pet Breed characteristics
Each breed has its characteristics. By studying them, you can easily choose the dog that suits you. Find out what kind of dog it is, what it loves and dislikes the most, what diseases it is predisposed to and what to expect from it. If the owner delves into the peculiarities of the breed of animal in advance, this is a good sign. Such a person will probably pay attention to the states and reactions of the animal and respect them because he is already ready for the fact that a dog is not a thing but a living being that has feelings.
In raising a dog, the most important thing is to delve into the animal’s internal state. Learn to notice his reactions: how it expresses discomfort, what stress looks like, and what is the pet’s body language. By understanding this, it is easier for a person to give the dog correct feedback.
Before you start to buy at puppiesandkittens.co.uk and raise a dog, get acquainted with its breed characteristics – they affect the choice of training method and the content of the training plan.
Dogs from herding, service, or hunting group are ready for long and hard work and frequent repetitions of the same exercise. But if they do not back up their actions with generous praise, interest in training quickly disappears. These working breeds are human-oriented, so they need an emotional reaction to even minor achievements.
For terriers, be prepared to be stubborn and independent. You need to negotiate with the dog and take into account its wishes. And the upbringing process will have to be based on the interest in play. It is easy to motivate a pet with a toy. But the slightest sign of disrespect or physical pressure will be perceived as a challenge, and the animal will begin to resist.
Decorative dogs are pretty malleable but require a lot of repetitions. Many owners refuse to train them because they do not see practical value in classes. However, the more commands and skills a pet masters, the more confident it will feel on walks and contact other animals.
Representatives of aboriginal breeds are less susceptible to education and training. At the same time, you still need to work with them. Aboriginal dogs have passed the shortest path of evolution from a wolf to a modern dog. Therefore they are more freedom-loving and not attached to humans. To cultivate partner qualities in a gregarious animal, you need to develop an interest in playing and working to promote a treat.
How to develop obedience skills
If the dog does not know the commands or refuses to execute them, follow the recommendations from the list:
Don’t raise your voice. Emotional attacks can be read as weakness and cause aggression or distrust. If your pet exhibits unwanted behavior, deprive it of attention. For example, if your dog jumps at you when you come home from work, do not push it away with your foot or look in his direction. Say no strictly when the animal calms down, praise, and offer a treat.
Keep your dog hungry. To develop food motivation, train on an empty stomach. If the pet refuses to cooperate, limit it in food or completely deprive it of its daily portion.
Be persistent. If the animal is stubborn in the upbringing process, show it back. If the animal is left without breakfast and refuses to work at lunchtime, deprive it of lunch.
Be consistent. Determine the boundaries of permissible with the dog owner and family members and adhere to them consistently. For example, if you do not want the animal to jump on the couch, make no exceptions.
Keep the focus on the task at hand. Do not go to new material without securing the previous one. If the dog is not in the mood for work, unload it with play and return to the exercise.
Do not scold for mistakes. If the owner treats mistakes without irritation, the dog is not nervous and learns at its own pace. If the dog is mistaken, return it to its original position and execute the command again.
Praise correctly. Reinforce the dog’s slightest correct action with a “yes” or “well done” marker and offer a treat. The dog receives the bite strictly after the correct behavior marker. If you give a piece during or in front of it, the meaning of the words is lost.
Use short phrases and concise gestures with your dog. Do not confuse the animal with complex turns. The pet only responds to reinforcing markers.
Exercise daily. Divide classes into short periods of 5 – 10 minutes, diluting education with outdoor games.
Start simple. Set basic commands. For example, the command of calling “to me” or “sit”, “lie down.” When the dog begins to do them automatically, they will become a positive reinforcement amplifier and will become even more interesting to exercise.
Eliminate external desire. To keep your dog from being distracted by extraneous sounds and smells, practice new commands at home. Once you’re perfect, move your workouts to quiet parks. And then to the dog grounds.
Do not hurry. Do not give your dog something that it cannot handle—for example, endurance exercises at three months of age. If you feel that your pet is mistaken because it is difficult for it, take a step back and practice simpler exercises.
Work a short distance. Maintain close contact. For example, to learn the command “to me”, move away from the dog no more than two steps.
Reward on time. If the pet obeyed the command, went to the toilet in the right place, or reacted flawlessly to the prohibiting marker, praise and offer a treat at the exact second. If you pause, the connection between the right action and the reward will not be noticeable.
Common mistakes in Raising a Dog
● Neglecting the basics of education. First, the pet needs to be accustomed to the nickname, markers of “yes/no” behavior, and focus on the owner. And only then proceed to the study of teams and socialization.
● Avoiding problems. If you encounter inappropriate behavior but do not correct it in the process of education.
● Refusal of treats. If you are reducing the number of rewards, do not give them up entirely. The conditioned reflex needs nourishment.
● Undermining game motivation. If the pet brought you a disposable item, and you encouraged it with a treat, the interest in the game will be only food.
● Uncontrolled socialization. If you let the puppy run with other dogs for the whole walk, interest in the owner will decrease. To introduce your pet to the outside world, choose a society of adult dogs who will show it how to behave.
● Lack of a training plan. Giving too many exercises, repeating the same thing, or retraining each time in a new way is by no means possible – interest in training will be minimal.
● Uncontrollable emotions. If you work with an animal in a bad mood, it will get nervous and make many mistakes.
