SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Dog Training
How Do I Train My Dog?
How
To Prevent Puppy Barking, Biting & Chewing
Early training can prevent common puppy behavior
problems such as barking, biting, chewing and jumping up on
people, and can teach necessary behaviors, such as walking
nicely on leash.
Barking
Puppy barking is a common puppy behavior that's not always
easy to control, but if you begin when the puppy is young,
you can teach it that being quiet or to stop barking on command
is much more productive than endless yapping.
Never reward your puppy by giving the puppy attention or anything
else it wants. Wait until the puppy is quiet, praise it, then
give it attention, toys or treats. It's often amazing how quickly
a dog can learn that sitting politely produces more rewards
than being noisy does.
Biting
Biting is another troublesome issue for many puppy owners.
Puppies don't realize that your skin is a lot more tender than
that of their littermates, especially if you encourage them
to nibble on your fingers, arms or toes.
Biting can be a matter of life or death for a dog, so your
puppy should understand by the time it's 4 months old that
putting teeth on human skin is never, ever acceptable. Make
some kind of noise - “OUCH!” - “NO BITE!” - “STOP IT!” and
stop playing with your nibbling puppy immediately.
This works fairly well for people who have a relatively gentle,
sensitive puppy. But with a roughneck pup, a firmer method
may be needed. A puppy kindergarten class can be just the place
to obtain that kind of guidance. Any time you have a puppy
that can't be discouraged from biting, seek the help of a trainer
or behaviorist as soon as possible.
Chewing
Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim and puppies gotta chew. Chewing
can be one of the most destructive puppy behaviors, but it
can be redirected. The simplest way to do this is to teach
the “give” command. When your puppy learns early on to give
up items graciously, it's easy to take away items it shouldn't
chew on and replace them with canine chew toys.
Practice the “give” cue when the puppy is playing with something
it likes but isn't overly excited about. When the puppy releases
the object, praise it, give it a treat if you want, and let
it have the object back. You can also teach the puppy to let
you open its mouth. When a puppy grabs something valuable to
you or dangerous for it to have, you won't have time to get
something to exchange for the forbidden item.
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SolveYourProblem.com
: 2009
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