Dog Training Tip

Dog Training Tip

Do you often get home after a hard days work to find your beautiful cushions ripped to shreds, corners of your new carpet torn up and bite marks in that expensive table you saved for years to be able to afford?I'm going to let my Shih Tzu dog, Ozzy, help you find a solution to stop dogs chewing. He'll explain why dogs chew and tell you what dogs enjoy chewing and how to stop your dog chewing furniture!

WHY DO DOGS CHEW?

Hello, my name is Ozzy and I've just had my first birthday. I used to chew my mum's carpet and there's still a big hole in the corner of our dining room, oops! We chew because when we're puppies aged between 14-28 weeks old, we're teething and by chewing things, it helps to soothe our gums and loosen them around our teeth. This allows our 'baby teeth' to fall out so that our 'big teeth' came come through. It also strengthens our teeth and gums.

Once we're around six months old, and possibly for the next 18 months, we want to explore! Babies use their hands to explore, dogs and puppies use their mouths! We want to know what everything tastes like. Dogs have been doing this since the beginning of time, it's in our nature to chew! Destructive chewing can be a problem though so you need to figure out how to stop it fast!

Here's the clever bit: When we chew, it causes a chemical release of endorphins which calms us down. Chewing helps relieve stress and anxiety. It makes us feel better, it doesn't necessarily mean that we're stressed or anxious if we chew.

SO WHAT CAN I DO TO STOP DOGS CHEWING?

When it comes to chewing, it makes no difference to us if it's an expensive sofa or a stick that we've picked up from the garden. We have no sense of value, we're dogs for goodness sake! We need you to teach us what's ours and what's yours. We need you to give us things that we're allowed to chew. If we've nothing to chew that's ours, we'll just go for the first thing we can lay our teeth on (your sofa, table leg etc). To stop your dog chewing furniture, let us know what we can chew! If you give us an old shoe to chew, we're going to think that we have permission to chew all shoes!

The best thing that you can do is give us 3 or 4 toys (all different shapes and textures) to play with. Kongs are great, every dog should have one! They're rubber toys that you can fill with treats (marmite, cheese, biscuits, meat etc) and they give us hours of fun trying to chew all the tasty treats! Make sure you get one suitable for puppies first though. Nicer than a leather sofa any day! Other great things to chew are rawhide bones and rope tugs.

To stop your dog chewing furniture, spray a deterrent on it, like bitter apple spray, yuck!! If something has that on it, you can guarantee that us dogs will be stopping chewing that!

REWARD US FOR BEING GOOD!

If you see us chewing one of our toys, and not your dining room chair, then praise us. It helps us to learn! Don't do it too much though, if we're having a good chewing session we don't really want to be interrupted. If you do catch us chewing something that we shouldn't, a firm 'NO' will do the trick. Make sure that you then give us something that we can chew which will help to stop your dog chewing furniture!

It's important to praise us when we're being good and correct us when we're being bad.

So there's a few tips on how you can stop dogs chewing!

I hope that you have found this article useful. There is alot you can learn about dog training and why they do the things that they do.

Check out stop dogs chewing for more great tips!

For the best professional advice on all aspects of dog training visit http://www.best-dog-training-online.info

Good luck! I hope you enjoy your four legged friend as much as I enjoy mine!

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Dog Training Tip article

Puppy Dog Training

Puppy Dog Training

Not all dogs are created equal - some are born to lead while some gladly follows the commands of the pack leader. Consequently, not all dogs respond to training in the same manner - some gladly do their tasks and exercises without giving you, the owner, a hard time while others will test your temperament to its limits.

Hard-to-train dogs are by no means the lesser beings as compared to their more subservient counterparts. On the contrary, these dogs often possess several positive traits that interfere with your dog training sessions. Two of the qualities that get in the way of dog training the most are the animal's independence and dominance. Let's see how these qualities might jeopardize your dog training efforts.

Independence

Independence is by far the most commonly demonstrated trait by hard-to-train dogs. An independent dog can be viewed as a renegade who never needs to please anybody. While independent dogs unquestionably love their owners, their drive to please them is not as strong as those of other more compliant dogs. This trait often gives the owner or the trainer a more difficult time during their dog training sessions.

How could you tell that your dog is independent? Here are some telltale signs: .Independent dogs may exhibit a marked indifference to other people or animals. .They may not like being petted and disdainfully resents grooming. .They may prefer being alone. .They turn away when reprimanded.

However, independent dogs are not at all impossible to train. You just need to know what works with them and what doesn't so that you may get the best out of your dog training efforts. A word of caution - it is a big mistake to apply force in correcting the habits of your hard-to-train dog. Physical corrections such as hitting and yanking will only lead to passive resistance on your dog's part and make your dog training sessions close to impossible. Once your dog takes on this stance, it would be very difficult to make him or her obey your commands.

So, what is the best thing to do in training your independent dog? Utilize the "cookie power"! In other words, find out what rewards elicit a positive response and take advantage of it. With an adequate reward, your dog will surely let you have it your way!

Dominance

A dominant dog is one who explicitly shows you that he or she cannot be bossed around. While an independent dog will simply ignore your commands, a dominant dog will show you his or her discontent in being ordered around.

Dominant dogs are natural leaders. With these dogs, you need to prove yourself first before he or she recognizes your authority or else, your role will go further down the pack pecking order. Some signs of dominance may include the following: .Displays defensive behavior when guarding territory, foods or toys .Shows readiness to launch into a fight .Growls or snaps when they are not allowed to do what they want

Dominant dogs are trainable. Despite their fearsome and irritable nature, you can make them obey your commands during your dog training sessions and beyond. All you need to do is establish your role as the one who holds the alpha position. You need to establish your authority through reasonable actions and you will see that everything else will follow. Once the leadership issue is clearly established, your dog training sessions will go on smoothly without any troubles!

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Dog Training