It’s A Dog’s Life—

Tips On Training

By Mary Jane Anderson

Q: My mother and I are having an argument about whether it is okay to punish a dog by giving it a swat on the rump when the dog has been bad. What would you do?

A: The proper way to discipline a dog is to communicate your displeasure with a firm voice and be consistent every time the dog misbehaves. The proper equipment, a leash and collar, can be essential, but the leash should never be used for hitting an animal nor be used to inflict any form of punishment. The collar and leash should be a happy time for your dog to go outside for exercise, not being afraid of the leash. Hitting is unnecessary and is often ineffective and sometimes quite counterproductive. Hitting the dog with your hand will probably teach him to fear your hand and move away from you. Hitting your dog with a rolled up newspaper does not deal with the problem, but simply is a sign of frustration and lack of patience on your part. These signs are noted by your dog and there may be any number of unpleasant consequences; running away, biting from fear, and aggressive behavior.

Your job is not to punish your dog but to teach him proper behavior. You should take the leash and collar or just the buckled collar in the house and have the dog sit. Your voice must be firm and let your dog know that you do not accept that kind of behavior. Be patient until the dog quiets down, and then release him with voice praise. Correction should be according to the deed. You should know your dog’s personality before you correct him. Correction is to be done as mild as possible. Some dogs cannot be corrected harshly because they will become completely submissive and never understand why they were so harshly treated. Inappropriate correction has been the ruin of many dogs.

Q: Buddy, my dachshund, is 6 months old. When friends come to my house, he either climbs into my lap for attention or pesters my visitors. My friends say they do not mind, but I surely do. What should I do to correct Buddy’s behavior?

A: Teach your dog to lie down with his leash on. Give him the command “Down/Stay” while your friends come into the house and sit down to visit. Wait at least 10 to 20 minutes before you allow your dog to get up. He should be calmer to greet your friends. You must remember that dogs are social animals and enjoy meeting people. If Buddy is primarily kept at home, he needs more contact with people. Take him out for walks where he will meet more people and learn good manners, such as sitting quietly next to you and not jumping on people before he is petted. Another suggestion would be to take Buddy to an obedience class where he would be able to interact with people and dogs.

Training Tips

Sometimes there can be too many opinions on how to take care of your dog, either from family members or friends. Naturally, all dog owners have small and larger problems that you would like to solve. The best way to deal with your dog problems is to become aware of the methods to take care of a problem you are encountering. This can be done through reading about training your dog or discussing your problems with a professional trainer. Dog owners can take advantage of years of knowledge in training dogs from the professionals on the Internet — from the basic puppy training of a household pet to basic dog obedience instructions.