Top Tips To Have A Well Behaved Dog

Are you thinking about bringing a new four-legged member of the family home? Then again, you may already have welcomed Rover into your family but are perhaps wondering how you can transform this young puppy into the well-behaved hound you had in mind! Don’t worry, training your dog does not need to be rocket science, in fact, even the most challenging of puppies can respond to the right type of training. Let’s take a look at a few tips that could get you and your precious pooch pointed in the right direction.

Be Consistent

We cannot say how important this one rule is. IN fact, for any other dog training to really have success, you need to be fully dedicated to this one; be consistent in all you do with your puppy. Dogs need to know where they stand, it gives them a sense of contentment and will ultimately give them the potential to be happy, contented and well-behaved members of the family. However, what do we really mean when we say ‘be consistnt’? Let’s give you an example to be sure we are all singing from the same hymn sheet, so to speak. 

Example – Your puppy loves to have a snuggle with you on the sofa. 

If you plan to always allow your dog on the couch this is fine, so long as aggressive or dominant behavior doesn’t start to emerge (however that is a bit of a different topic, to be honest). Yet, not all owners are going to want their full grown dog to share the couch with them, even if the experience is rather cuddly when they are only for a few months old. I know for one that my now fully grown 30-kilo Boxer dog, much as he would love to be a couch potato, thankfully knows his place (most of the time!) If you occasionally allow your dog on the sofa when they look especially cute and then don’t allow him up at other times or if you start a habit of couch cuddling only to try to stop it after several months, your poor pooch is going to receive a whole lot of mixed messages. Ultimately, not only will he not trust what you say, but he will feel discontent and unsure of his role in the family.

A Tired Dog Is A Well Behaved Dog

Dogs have energy needs and as a responsible owner, you need to fulfill these. If you are trying to start training sessions with your puppy when they are full of all the energy in the world you are going to get frustrated pretty quickly, and so will your pup! By ensuring that you are meeting the exercise and energy needs of your young dog, you set them up for success when it comes to their training. A puppy that is not bursting at the seams with energy will be more inclined to focus on what you are asking and begin to understand the process of training.

Indeed, having a dog is one of life’s wonderful joys and can transform life as you know it. However, it also requires a lot of patience, loyalty, understanding and love. Remember, for your dog to feel content and happy you need to be consistent when it comes to the rules you set and how you employ them. As well as this, all young dogs need exercise and fun to use up all that energy in a good way and not a destructive way! By ensuring you meet these vital needs of your dog you are setting yourself up to have a well-behaved, loyal and fun buddy for many years to come.