Dog Training Basis: Puppy Training With A Side Of Socialization
Any top dog trainer, who employs a reputable, positive dog training program with respectful dog training techniques, knows that dogs are not solitary beings. In the wild, dogs and wolves live in family units, and instinctively choose to work together to hunt and protect themselves. As the idiom goes, there’s safety in numbers, and their family units offer that.
Your dog’s ancestors were, indeed, predators, but they weren’t invincible. Especially when separated from their packs, they were vulnerable in unfamiliar situations that included unknown creatures and landscapes. This fear was necessary for survival, and lives on in modern dogs.
This instinct has carried over to modern times, in our dogs’ fears of strangers and unfamiliar venues. Often, because dogs aren’t comfortable in those unfamiliar situations, their fears can manifest as aggression.
For the safety of your dog, your neighbors, other dogs, and yourself, it’s imperative that your dog be exposed to a variety of situations during his puppy training.
From her eighth to her sixteenth week, she’s like a sponge, absorbing the world around her. During this time, you’ll have the unique and fleeting opportunity to show her that the world is a fun place.
When you picture your life with your grown dog, do you anticipate enjoying the wide world with him? Then, by all means, get out there with your puppy and introduce him to that wide world:
Visit friends that have young children, or go to the park and allow your puppy to interact with young children.
Make your puppy a regular passenger in your car.
Walk in the forest, and allow her to watch and listen to wildlife.
Take pup to the dog park or to dog obedience training schools, where she can interact with other dogs.
Frequent city sidewalks. Give your puppy the chance to develop a tolerance for loud engines, horns, cyclists, pedestrians, and other walking dogs.
Visit the vet, the groomer, the pet retailer, and the kennel so that your puppy can familiarize herself with the smells, sounds, and sights of these places.
Find those places, like banks, home improvement stores, and pet retailers that welcome pets, and patronize them with your puppy in tow. Take advantage of the dog treats that are offered to shape your puppy’s positive view of these places.
Use the clicker puppy training tips you’ve learned to reinforce bravery. If she remains calms in spite of thunderous noise or stranger’s hands, click and reward her confidence.
If your puppy is frightened by a noise or a strange dog or human, ignore her fear. If you reassure her, she’ll mistake that reassurance for reward of her fearful behavior. Disregard this behavior, and save the rewards for the time when she sheds the fearful display.
Don’t force a puppy to take part in a scenario that is causing fear. Instead, talk to the stranger, or stand tall in the face of a noisy motor, and she will take a cue from you. When she finally does relax and join in, click and offer a reward.
Many times, pet owners find that they aren’t physically able to take their puppies out into the wide world. If you find that this is your case, hire a top dog trainer, or even a dog walker, who will socialize your puppy properly. Invite friends with children and animals to your home to meet your puppy. If you don’t take these steps, your puppy could grow to become a dog who is uncomfortable with, and possibly aggressive toward, visitors.
Every time you take your puppy for a ride, or a walk, or meander through a crowd of people with her, she’s gaining the confidence that’s necessary to be a calm, friendly adult dog.
If you’ve ever walked into a room full of strangers, you know how unnerving it can be. This mirrors your dog’s emotions. But you can change that, with puppy socialization. Dog obedience training victory, and a first class dog human relationship, rely on it.
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Jul 19, 2010 | | dog training

