Introducing a happy, enthusiastic puppy into your household is a joyful experience for a new pet owner. However, if you're not careful, your new companion can quickly get into some bad habits that, if not eliminated, will cause problems as the puppy grows to adulthood. Eliminating these problem behaviors is one thing that most dog owners eventually face so it's always a good idea to stop them before they become an entrenched habit that will be difficult to get rid of as time goes on. In this article, I'll focus on a few of the most commonly encountered behavior problems.
Problem #1 – Jumping up on people
One of the major problems with dogs is the habit of jumping up on people. This is, unfortunately, one of those behaviors that is often unwittingly encouraged by well meaning owners. After all, it's cute and adorable when your tiny 10 pound puppy jumps up on you, your family members or your friends. Some people get in the habit of rewarding this behavior with kisses and treats.
This is a big mistake, because that cute little puppy, depending on it's breed, may soon become a full grown dog weighing more than 100 pounds. Suddenly that cute habit of jumping up on everyone isn't quite so cute.
Not only will this become annoying, jumping up on people can be quite dangerous as well. A large, heavy dog, jumping enthusiastically, can easily knock over a child or an older or handicapped adult. In today’s antagonistic society, such an incident could easily make you, as the dog’s owner, the subject of an unwanted lawsuit.
So, the time to teach a dog that jumping up on people is unacceptable is when he is still young and easy to handle. Retraining a dog who has been allowed to jump up on people can be a difficult task for the owner, and cause undue confusion in the dog.
One way to combat this habit is to gently but firmly place the puppy’s feet back on the floor when he tries to jump on you or another member of your family. Once he's standing firmly on the floor, be sure to reward and praise him.
It's important for every member of the family, as well as frequently visiting friends, to be clear about this rule and follow it faithfully. If one member of the family reprimands the dog for jumping and another praises him, the dog will get understandably confused. Consistency is the key to teaching the dog that jumping is always inappropriate.
When praising and rewarding the dog for staying down, it's also important for you to get down to the dog’s level. Giving affection and praise at eye level with the puppy is an important way to reinforce the lesson.
Problem #2 – Pulling and tugging at the leash
Pulling on the leash is another problem trait that many puppies can pick up if you're not careful. Unfortunately, this is also a habit that is sometimes encouraged by well meaning owners. Playing games like tug of war with the leash, or even with a rope (that looks like the leash to the dog) can inadvertently encourage a problem behavior.
Using a quality body harness will help when training a puppy not to pull, or retraining a dog that has picked up the habit of pulling on the leash. You can train your puppy to accept the body harness the same way it accepts the regular buckle collar.
When walking with your dog, another thing you can do is to use a lure or toy to encourage the dog to remain at your side. A training collar, when properly used, can also be a good training tool for a problem dog. If you do use a training collar or choke chain, however, it's very important to fit it correctly. Make sure to use a size that is neither too big nor too small for your dog.
Also, when walking with your puppy, make sure you keep the leash loose at all times. If the puppy begins to pull ahead, you should immediately change directions so that the puppy quickly finds itself falling behind. Make sure you reverse directions before the puppy has reached the end of the leash. The leash should stay loose except for the split second it takes you to reverse direction. Use a quick tug, followed by an immediate slackening of the leash.
When training your puppy, never let the puppy pull you around. It's important to train him to walk properly while he's still small enough to handle. This is absolutely vital, especially when dealing with a large breed of dog. If your 150 pound Great Dane hasn’t learned to walk properly while he or she is still a 20 pound puppy, there's a good chance it never will.
Finally, it's important not to yank or pull on the puppy’s neck when correcting him. A gentle, steady pressure will work much better than a hard yank. Try to use as little pressure as possible to get the desired result.
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Glenn Cutforth is a writer, eBook publisher and graphic designer.
Visit his websites at: Maxx Family Life and The Complete Dog
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Published by Glenn Cutforth on October 14, 2005 11:23 AM
