If you are constantly shouting at your dog for not doing what you want but you have never trained them on how you want them to behave, or how to do the things you are expecting them to do, you run the risk of your dog getting confused and becoming scared of you. When a dog is scared, frustrated or confused, some dogs will snap, snarl, growl and some may bite.
Think of it from their point of view, the person they want to please keeps shouting at them, they have no idea why, it seems it’s for no reason. They begin to get confused, scared and frustrated, nothing they do seems to be right. They aren’t sure what they should or shouldn’t be doing or how to avoid getting shouted at. Over time, it all starts getting too much and they start to communicate how unhappy they are, the only way they know how to communicate this is through growls, snaps and attempting to bite. How long would you last in that environment before you shouted back or snapped at the person doing the shouting?
Teaching your dog some simple behaviours, helps you communicate with them, so you can ask them to do things in a way they understand. It avoids confusion and makes life much more relaxed and simpler for all involved. Here are some things you can work on teaching your dog that will help you all in daily life:
Luring – using a piece of food or a treat placed in front of your dog’s nose to move them around. A nice hands-off approach for when you need to get your dog to move from one place to another.
Sit – teach your dog to sit on cue, this is a simple behaviour which you can ask for, which is useful in a range of situations.
Down – being able to lie down when asked is another useful behaviour that all dogs should know.
Off – training your dog to get off objects such as the sofa or bed when asked is an important thing to teach, some dogs can react with aggression when people attempt to physically move them, especially if they are in pain.
Stay or wait – this can be lifesaving, being able to stay or wait in the same spot can help prevent dogs dashing out of the door, rushing to greet visitors and help avoid danger out on walks.
Place – this is teaching your dog to go to a certain place when asked, this could be your dog’s bed, a platform or any other area such as a rug.
Marker word – have a marker word such as “yes” which is always followed by a treat, then you can use it when your dog gets things right and during your training.
Don’t forget to give your dog a treat when they do something you ask, this reinforces the behaviour, and your dog is much more likely to do it again next time you ask.
Top Tips – keep a jar of treats in each busy room of the house, so you can reward your dog when they do something you ask. Remember to teach new behaviours in an environment that isn’t distracting first and build up the distractions gradually.
If you need some help training your dog or you are struggling to communicate with your dog, visit www.thecaringcaninecoach.co.uk and book a FREE discovery call with me and we can chat about how I can help.
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