Bad Dogs
April 18, 2009 by Daniel · Leave a Comment
When a dog is termed as bad by the owner, usually it is they who are the cause. The feeling is very irritating when a dog jumps on you and puts paw prints over everything you’re wearing. The dog next door might also prefer to leave his calling cards on your front yard.
These are bad dogs? Perhaps, but they are only as bad as the kids next door who have never been given a good upbringing. What else other than bad behavior can you expect from animals and kids when the concerned adults have no idea what they are supposed to do? Sensible owners take the help of dog trainers who teaches them proper handling methods without breaking the natural spirit.
To get to know a good trainer approach your vet or pet store; these trainers often hold private lessons with the pet and the owner but it is just as easy to solve your pet behavior problem by attending any online course on pet management.
Part of this training is to teach the owner how to handle their pet. There is a saying amongst trainers however that it is far easier to train dogs than the people that own them! Dogs need to practice when they are taught to walk with leash when they are taken out and for this they need to walk around in a yard or any other area.
One of the behavioral traits is barking; however, this will often annoy almost anyone that can hear it. Shouting or punishing your pet for engaging in this normal communication is counterproductive – as well as confusing to the animal.
When a dog needs something to eat or drink, even to be played with, they will begin to bark. Completely suppressing a dog from barking will not help to prevent a burglar from trying to enter your property! Remember not to promote barking when he is a puppy and then get all worked up when he continues to bark even more as he gets bigger.
You could learn from your trainer how to reinforce certain behaviors in a puppy, which you desire, by giving them the occasional gift for being good. You could start rewarding and motivating your puppy so he will continue with the good behavior; most animals will normally stop doing things for which they get reprimanded.
Remember that you can not coach a dog to adapt to certain behaviors which are not part of his genetic make-up. The best option for getting certain specific behavior is to acquire your pet from a breed which displays those traits. When does a dog become good? Well, when you train them with patience, resolve and of course, a great deal of affection.
Advanced Obedience Training
To apply the word “advanced” in conjunction with obedience training might lead one to wonder how obedience can be divided. A dog is either obedient or he’s not, right? However, there are higher levels of obedience training just as there are higher levels of training to be achieved in school and education.
A child does not start school in the sixth grade; she has to start in pre-school or kindergarten. There, she is taught how to get along with others her own age, how to play, how to fit in, how to share, and perhaps most importantly, how to learn. For dogs, basic obedience training accomplishes very much the same as pre-school or kindergarten does for the child.
Most families are very happy when their dog learns to eat indoors and use the bathroom outdoors, while other dog owners are not content until their dog can really “fit in” with the family.
In order to fit in, however, the dog must respond to commands so that he can be well controlled. The five commands necessary for control are “Come”, “Stay”, “Sit”, “Heel”, and “Down”. For the dog to be considered obedient, he must respond to each of those commands each time they are given by his family.
When a dog receives training in basic obedience, he becomes more of a joy to live with. The owner has the ability to communicate with his dog while the dog attains the ability to comprehend some words of the English language. Basic training, therefore, is considered the training essential for good behavior.
However, the dog is capable of learning more than just basic obedience commands, just as the graduate from elementary school has the ability to learn more than just simple writing, reading, and basic arithmetic. The similarity between a child and a dog doesn’t stop there, either. When a child goes to high school, he finds the going just a bit tougher than it was in grade school. He must work a little harder, and so does the canine that goes on into advanced obedience training.
To better understand the various levels of obedience training that a dog can achieve, you can find out more from the different obedience titles that a canine can win as a result of competition in American Kennel Club obedience trials. These trials are divided into classes, or grades, of competition, as compared to grade school, high school, and college.
Problem Dogs Are Made, Not Born
The personality of the canine develops most radically between the ages of 8 and 16 weeks. What the average family dog will eventually turn out to be is determined by the environment in which the puppy lives during that critical emotional time period.
When an eight-week-old puppy comes into his new home, he arrives with a mind that can be likened to a blank chalkboard. Whatever is written on that chalkboard will determine the personality and character of the puppy. Unfortunately, it is purely a lack of knowledge on the part of the dog owner that is responsible for what later turns out to be a “problem dog”.
Dogs are not born problem dogs. They are either allowed to become that way, or are made that way as a result of the puppy’s environment. The responsibility rests solely and squarely upon the shoulders of the person who owns the dog.
Most obedience classes will not accept a puppy for training unless it is six months or older. This is quite understandable since most trainers know that the average dog owner just doesn’t have the necessary patience to cope with puppy training. It is unfortunate, however, that by the time a dog reaches six months of age, he has already become a “problem dog”.
Obedience training may or may not help. In too many cases, it does not – not by that age.
Just last month a local standard Schnauzer was put to sleep upon the request of the owners. Every member of the family had been the recipient of at least one serious bite from the dog. The dog was only eight months old – still a puppy as far as dog trainers’ are concerned.
The first bite occurred when the puppy was just 12 weeks of age, its final bite at eight months of age. In between, the bites became progressively worse, yet not one single member of the family could bring themselves to properly discipline the dog. They “loved” their dog too much and thought it would be too mean to discipline the animal.
Mistaken kindness can be a bitter and unneeded cruelty. One must remember that when a dog is placed in a dog catcher’s truck and taken to the pound to be murdered, the blood is on the soul of the dog owner, who thought so little of his pet that he failed to demand respect, and therefore keep his pet under control.
It’s Only Natural
The natural instinct of the canine is to try to assume dominance within the pack. The pack in this case is you and your family. The fact that he will test you periodically and try to assume control does not mean that he doesn’t love you.
Neither does it mean that he doesn’t respect you. However, if you are permissive and weak, thus allowing him to achieve dominance, his love and respect for you will quickly wane. You then become inferior in his eyes and are destined to be “owned” by your dog.
