Sunday, January 31, 2010

Dog Behavioral Problems - 4 Easy Tips

By James M. Hussey

Sometimes, even the best dogs can act out, and if you're facing dog behavioral problems, it's advisable to act as quickly if possible. If bad dog behavior is allowed to continue, you may end up with a major issues on your hands. Luckily for you, there are a plethora of no-brainer ways to adjust dog behavior issues in a humane and patient way.

Dog behavioral problems can vary from cute, but annoying little problems, to full on threatening issues such as biting. Though there are many causes of behavioral problems, the solutions are pretty consistent. The old saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," isn't an excuse and with consistent training, you can address dog behavior problems. Let's look at 4 user-friendly dog training tips.

1. Be Consistent. This is the absolute piece of advice when training any animal. You may be tempted to let them slide every once in awhile, but this will only serve to hinder your training. Keep giving your dog rewards as well as with corrections and your pet will begin to realize that you are absolutely the pack leader.

2. A System of Reward is Non-Negotiable. While many older dog training techniques, like putting your dog's nose in their mess, may appear initially effective, they may actually produce more problems later on. Building up and praising your dog helps your dog associate good behavior with positive results, and is a very effective means of addressing even the toughest dog behavior problems.

In brief, positive reinforcement means that you reward a dog when he or she does what you are training him or her to do, and hold back the reward when they don't. Even the most stubborn pet will begin to respond to these methods, when they are applied consistently.

3. Get a Crate. One of the simplest ways to put an end to destructive behavior is to create clear cut boundaries. Crating them while you are gone, or when you just want some space is an effective and humane training aid. You may need to introduce them to the crate slowly, and grant them time to get used to being confined. The key is to be consistent and reward them for adjusting to time spent in their crate. A crate should never be used as a punishment, only as a safe place for them to go and relax.

4. An additional cautionary note for you and especially your immediate family members. Once the dog behavioral problems are addressed, and the corrective training has started, it is imperative everyone addressing the dog use the very same training techniques. Everyone must be consistent in the training of the dog. If not, your poor pet will become very frustrated and may act out even worse than before the corrective training was initatied.

Once you have these methods in place, you can easily begin to solve dog behavioral issues without undue stress to you or your pet. A well behaved pet is a happy pet and you'll appreciate the lack of destructive and potentially harmful dog behavioral problems.

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