Unless you’re the dog whisperer, a lot of your dog’s temperament is baked into its genes. Every breed and every individual animal has its own personality, with its own peculiarities. Having a dog that’s special in its own way can be one of the most fun parts of pet ownership. Having said that, dogs are immensely trainable and there are plenty of things you can do early on to ensure that your new pal will grow into a well-adjusted dog.
Yes, you need to train your dog
If you think that your dog is going to be perfect because you treat it well and give it everything it needs, you might be in for a rude awakening. Letting your dog control you - giving it everything it wants and hoping for the best - rarely ever yields positive long-term results.
Beth Jeffery at Dogs Naturally Magazine calls this the “Whatever Works” method and says it’s a no-no for first time dog owners. Positive reinforcement is the best way to train a dog - rewarding it for good behaviors. Instilling fear to protect against bad behaviors may seem like it’s working in the short term, but it can lead a bevy or issues down the road.
“It’s very likely that a new owner can indeed scare their puppy into doing what they want her to do at first, but the owner will end up creating a world of anxiety and distrust which never works long-term. Not only has negative reinforcement been proven as something that rarely works, but a dog owner who uses scare tactics on their pet will also decrease dog’s ability to learn new things and increase dog’s anxiety, cause confusion, induce aggressive responses, and maybe even cause physical injuries,” says Jeffery.
Never try to control your dog with fear. Instead, reinforce positive behaviors to build trust and confidence.
Let your dog become familiar with your friends and other dogs
An isolated dog can oftentimes be a worse-behaved dog. Dogs are social creatures, and the more they interact with both humans and other dogs, the better-adjusted they’ll be.
“Socializing your new dog will seriously benefit you later. By introducing your dog to new people and pets now, you significantly increase its ability to have healthy interactions with others at parks and guests in your home later on. Many choose to dive right into the socializing process by taking their pets to a park to socialize with other humans and animals right off the bat. However, experts recommend creating a socializing plan to make the process safer and more effective,” says Lifehack.
Ease into it, in other words. Try one-on-one play dates with a friend and their dog. Slowly build up to large interactions like dog parks. You want a dog that’s not nervous around others. If you have a job that keeps you away from home for long periods of time, consider dog boarding as an option to reduce isolation, and potentially create opportunities for socialization with other pets.
Teach your dog the basic commands
Not every dog is going to respond like Lassie, but if you can just teach your dog a handful of simple, basic commands life will be much easier. A good list of basic commands includes “Come”, “Sit”, “Stay”, “No”, “Down”, “Leave it”, and “Off”.
Of course, you can build on those and begin to teach your dog more complex commands. But if your pet fully understands and responds well to those basic commands, you’re on your way to a well-adjusted canine friend. Start off small, with short simple training sessions. Always train your dog when both of you are in a good mood, and always reward good behavior with treats and/or affection.
Credits to the writer: Ms. Jessica Brody of Ourbestfriends.pet info@ourbestfriends.pet
Photo Credit: Pexels.com