Is Dog Obedience Training the Solution?
Obedience training is very important, but it's not the key to having a well-behaved dog.
If your dog is chewing on things, barking, whining, jumping on people, digging, peeing on the floor, or exhibiting other unwanted behaviors, simply teaching them not to do these things may not work - because their behavior may be being triggered by something.
For example, if your dog is chewing on things you don't want them to, you can use bitter apple spray deterrents to stop them from chewing on those items.
You can teach them the word 'no', so if you catch them chewing on something and yell 'no', they stop.
But if their teeth hurt and they need to chew, you're never going to be able to stop the behavior without addressing the actual issue behind the problem.
Or let's say your dog is aggressive toward people or other dogs.
You can teach them to back off when they are about to lunge, but this does nothing toward solving the actual issue.
Your dog may have serious issues causing the aggression, and simply dealing with the 'symptoms' does nothing toward solving the problem.
So what can you do? To start with, make sure to take your dog in to see a veterinarian any time he has a sudden behavior change.
It may be a medical problem.
Also, be sure to take your dog in for regular checkups so you can catch any problems before they become serious.
Second, read up on dog behavior and dog psychology, so you can spot the symptoms of stress or anxiety in your dog, and know what to do about it.
Take the time to learn the most effective dog obedience training methods and techniques.
Don't resort to just punishing your dog for their bad behavior, without ever using reward systems.
Learn the correct ways to modify it, without causing harm to your dog physically or emotionally.
Your dog needs positive rewards and praise.
Lastly, don't give up.
Just in the US, approx 9.
6 million dogs are put to sleep every single year, with 65% of those being killed because of behavior problems.
Don't let your dog become one of them.
All dogs CAN be trained - as long as you find the root cause and address it.
You may need the help of a qualified dog behaviorist.
If your dog is chewing on things, barking, whining, jumping on people, digging, peeing on the floor, or exhibiting other unwanted behaviors, simply teaching them not to do these things may not work - because their behavior may be being triggered by something.
For example, if your dog is chewing on things you don't want them to, you can use bitter apple spray deterrents to stop them from chewing on those items.
You can teach them the word 'no', so if you catch them chewing on something and yell 'no', they stop.
But if their teeth hurt and they need to chew, you're never going to be able to stop the behavior without addressing the actual issue behind the problem.
Or let's say your dog is aggressive toward people or other dogs.
You can teach them to back off when they are about to lunge, but this does nothing toward solving the actual issue.
Your dog may have serious issues causing the aggression, and simply dealing with the 'symptoms' does nothing toward solving the problem.
So what can you do? To start with, make sure to take your dog in to see a veterinarian any time he has a sudden behavior change.
It may be a medical problem.
Also, be sure to take your dog in for regular checkups so you can catch any problems before they become serious.
Second, read up on dog behavior and dog psychology, so you can spot the symptoms of stress or anxiety in your dog, and know what to do about it.
Take the time to learn the most effective dog obedience training methods and techniques.
Don't resort to just punishing your dog for their bad behavior, without ever using reward systems.
Learn the correct ways to modify it, without causing harm to your dog physically or emotionally.
Your dog needs positive rewards and praise.
Lastly, don't give up.
Just in the US, approx 9.
6 million dogs are put to sleep every single year, with 65% of those being killed because of behavior problems.
Don't let your dog become one of them.
All dogs CAN be trained - as long as you find the root cause and address it.
You may need the help of a qualified dog behaviorist.
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