Home Pet Training Tips

House Rules

When we first bring home our furry bundles of love, training is often the last thing on our minds, but this sometimes leads to the difficult task of breaking bad habits later. It’s best to decide what he/she can and can't do. Are they allowed on the bed or the furniture? Are parts of the house off limits? If the rules are settled on early, you can avoid confusion for both of you. Dogs want, need and love rules. You might think having strict rules makes life boring or unhappy for your dog. But dogs really want to know what’s what according to their leader.

Reward Good Behavior

Using positive reinforcement is one of the easiest ways to train a dog. When training with the positive reinforcement method, you give the dog a reward to reinforce a behavior you like. For instance, if you ask your dog to sit and he does it, you give him a treat. You're rewarding his good behavior. Knowing which rewards your dog finds motivating can help make reward-based training fun and interesting for both you and your dog.

No Biting or Nipping

Bite inhibition refers to a dog’s ability to control the force of his mouthing. A puppy or dog who hasn’t learned bite inhibition with people doesn’t recognize the sensitivity of human skin, and so he bites too hard, even in play. Some behaviorists and trainers believe that a dog who has learned to use his mouth gently when interacting with people will be less likely to bite hard and break skin if he ever bites someone in a situation apart from play like when he’s afraid or in pain.

End Training Positively

When training your pet keep sessions short and fun. You want your dog to associate good things with obeying your commands. You also want to use training time as an opportunity to deepen your bond with your pet. Never end a training session upset at your pet because he/she isn’t doing a task correctly.