Secrets Of Potty Train Puppies
Focus On What You Want Not What You Don’t Want
If you’re not sure what you want, how are you going to get it? This applies to pretty much everything we do every day of our lives, and it’s true of puppy toilet training, too.
Sometimes we fall into the habit of thinking mostly about what we don’t want. This happens a lot with dogs! We sure don’t want the dog to urinate on the furniture, or to chew the sofa, or run away when we call, or start barking incessantly when our sweet old aunt comes to visit.
Contemplate this for a minute. Especially if you’re thinking of getting a new puppy in the home. Are you actually considering spending the next eight to fourteen years chasing your dog telling him off for things you didn’t want him to do? Wouldn’t it be better to guide your dog into behaviors that you want?
A perfect example is when you think, “I don’t want my dog to chew the corners of my carpet,” try, “I will encourage him to play with his toys.” Rather than, “I hate it when the dog harasses and jumps up on people who visit the house,” how about, “It would be nice for the dog to sit nicely and welcome visitors.”
Simply by wording your aims in a positive manner, you’ll know exactly what is you are aiming for. Wouldn’t you agree that’s a much better way to approach your new dog training course.
Use Rewards
Probably the best thing that has happened in housetraining puppy just recently is the shift from emphasizing correction, or penalizing mistakes, to emphasizing rewards.
Rewarding your dog when he gets it right if highly effective especially for basic dog training. Perhaps the most important reason is that if you use punishment, regardless of the reason why, the outcome are likely to be quite disheartening for your pet. It’s not overly common, but your dog could possibly react to punishment by withdrawing and becoming frightened of you. Some dogs, especially timid breeds, may close off completely. They simply lose their bounce and energy. They may seem broken-spirited.
Many people also find that reward-based training feels better. It’s nice to be a source of praise and treats, instead of a constant disciplinarian.
But the best news is that this approach to dog obedience training works extremely well. That’s because rewards help to nurture and strengthen behaviors we want in our dogs. When he learns that a particular behavior gets rewarded, your pet will want to repeat he behavior as often as possible. As you practice the best way to use this technique, you can use rewards to reach virtually any training goal.
