Dog Behaviour Tips and Tricks
When a person brings home a puppy from the pet store or from a rescue shelter, there are a handful of individuals that he/she will look to for help as he/she begins to take care of his/her new pet. Veterinarians are the ones dog owners approach in case of health problems, while dog trainers are handy when the time comes for the puppy to be trained in proper behavior. For those who don't have money to spend on dog training and behavioral sessions, they can always read self-help books concerning dog behavior tips and tricks that they can easily teach their pet.
The first behavior owners can notice in their dog is its incessant barking. Those who dream of having their puppy or dog stop barking permanently are deluded; barking is a dog's way of speaking, and having its vocal cords cut is plain cruel. Besides, a barking dog is a good alarm in case a robber gets inside the house or something amiss happens around the house. However, long bouts of barking can be annoying not just for the family, but also for the neighbors. There are a few tips a dog owner should know to prevent this from happening.
First, before berating the puppy for barking, the owner must first establish a concrete reason why it barks in the first place. Is it because the children are making too much noise? Is there a cat nearby? Or does it bark because nobody has been paying any attention to it? If it's because of the latter, then owners can solve this by playing with the dog more often and even taking it on long walks. Dogs usually bark for long periods of time because they feel bored, neglected, and perhaps even unloved. By showing the dog that it's not unloved can help improve the situation.
Another behavior one can observe in dogs - especially puppies - is chewing. A puppy can chew at Mom's shoes, at Dad's socks, and even Sister's favorite book. Dog owners can stop the puppy from chewing at something important (like Dad's notes for an important business meeting) by keeping these out of reach. Puppy-proofing one's house can certainly go a long way, and dog owners can now focus on training their puppy to stop chewing.
The main reason why puppies chew is because like human babies, they tend to explore their new world by putting things into its mouth. Puppies also have this desire to chew continuously until they turn 6 months old, and most dogs even chew things when they grow older. Owners should teach the puppy the things it cannot chew. Whenever they see the puppy chewing on someone's shoe, they should interrupt the puppy with a loud noise and then hand it a chew toy (one can buy these at the local pet store) and then praise it when the puppy drops the shoe and reaches for the chew toy instead.
Another method to teach good dog behavior in terms of chewing is by giving them its own chew toys. Some owners give their puppies knotted old socks and secondhand toys. Unlike humans, puppies wouldn't know the differences between an old sock and a new one.
These are just some of the dog behaviors one can observe while a puppy is growing up. Other behaviors include nipping, biting, urinating or defecating (pooping) everywhere, and even displaying aggressive behavior. Proper dog training is a must in order for dog owners - and the dog - to have a happy and content life.
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