Bringing a dog into your family can be one of the most gainful and quality of life-improving things you could possibly do. You get a brand new family member that loves you unconditionally and is exceptionally cute on top of it all. But, like any new addition to the family, it needs to understand the rules of your household.
For this reason, dog training is completely essential. When I say dog training I don’t necessarily mean obedience school, I mean everything down to getting your dog to understand that you are the head of the household and that what you say goes. Dogs are pack animals and live within a hierarchy, it is important that your dog understands their place within the hierarchy of your household so they don’t act out in confusion.
Here are just a few tips to help your pooch acclimate to living with humans as easily as possible:
Decide On House Rules Early
Before you bring your new dog home, you should consider all of the house rules so you can be firm and consistent with them early on. Decide whether or not the dog will be allowed on furniture, where it sits in the car during rides, among other things. Certain rooms might have to be off-limits and you should also establish where he/she will be eating their dinner early on. –Also, smart doggie doorbells are a good idea from day one, this is used to indicate they are leaving the house. Yes, doorbells for dogs were made for the opposite purpose so they can let us know when they want to go out, and can be useful for potty training as well.
Reward Good Behavior
Love and treats work great to let your dog know when they do something right. Whenever your new pup does something exactly how you’d like, make sure to positively reinforce the behavior by giving them some kind of reward. Whenever they wait patiently for food or stay on command, make sure that behavior is rewarded. To avoid confusion, never reward bad behavior.
Give The Dog Their Own Space
A dog bed or semi-private area that the dog has for its own use is essential in keeping your dog comfortable and feeling welcome in your home. There are times when your dog will need their alone time to relax in comfort, so making sure they have their own space and understand that it is theirs alone is important in reducing doggie stress.
Teach Them To Come When Called
Your dog needs to understand that what you say goes and there are times when your dog gets a little too excited and you’ll have to reign them in. To be prepared for that occurrence you should train your dog to come whenever you’re calling their name. Make a big deal of whenever your dog comes to you early on whenever you call them by name by giving them positive reinforcement. After a while, you can see if it works when they’re fixated on something interesting to them. If they still come to you, you’ve done a good job.
Final Thoughts
Training your dog is a lifelong process, but what you do early on will make for the foundation of your dog’s ability to respond to commands as well as learn new ones. These tips are pretty basic, a website like Training My Best Friend has much more in-depth knowledge concerning all of the more nuanced aspects of dog training. Making a dog understand that you’re at the top and to be listened to can be challenging, but it is entirely worth it. If you’ve just purchased a new dog, congratulations, I wish you and your new furry friend all the best.
