Thursday, January 31, 2008

How To Train A Dog And Establish Rules Of The House

There is nothing more frustrating than figuring out how to train a dog to stop biting. Nobody wants an overly aggressive dog that is dangerous to house company, especially unsuspecting small children. Figuring out how to get them to settle down and be a bit more calm is easy once you establish yourself as the leader of the pack, earning your dog's respect and obedience. It's not about instilling fear into your dog or relying on medication or muzzles to keep them in line. In this article we will outline several ways to help you figure out how to get a dog to chill out.

Let us begin by reminding you that biting is in a dog's nature. Even the most loving dogs will bite and nip, especially teething puppies! A puppy really can't help biting when they are teething, however, it's up to you as a responsible dog owner to break them from this painful habit as they mature. The dog is only going to get bigger and with size comes more serious and aggressive biting. Uncontrollable biters are sometimes euthanized at the dog pound if they become a terror on your street. This is why learning how to train a dog to stop biting is worth any time spent in research.

Permanently modifying the behavior of your dog depends on learning how to train a dog to recognize clear dominance roles within the house. Biting is usually a form of dominance that dogs use in pack relationships. Have you ever watched a litter of puppies play with one another? The biter is looking for the other dog to submit to prove that they have hierarchy within the pack.

You may think that you automatically hold hierarchy in the "household pack" whenever you bring a dog into YOUR home and they are dependent on you for food, water and shelter. Your dog on the other hand views you as just another pack member that they can easily dominate - especially a puppy that is vehemently trying to establish their position in the pack. Since puppies are so small and cute we initially think this behavior is cute and endearing since the biting doesn't hurt very much. The teeth eventually become sharper, the dog gets bigger and stronger and the bites become a bit more painful and dangerous. Suddenly we are surfing the net looking for advice on training to stop biting.

Training a dog to stop biting can be as simple as letting out a high pitch cry whenever the dog bites, just like a litter mate would. Your dog will recognize that they've hurt you and back off. The same applies to letting out a firm "NO" to send a message to your dog that their biting is unacceptable. You can also use your hand to mimic biting the dog back but be aware that the dog can misconstrue this as playing rough and bite harder!

The above mentioned tips will temporarily ward off a biting dog but there is no permanent success unless other steps of alpha dog training are enforced. Learning how to train a dog for obedience is essential in ending their biting. Make sure that your dog is always following you and never leads the way. Get them to recognize specific commands. Make sure the dog knows that you eat first and their food comes only when you are finished. Most dogs want to make their owner happy and it's important to remember this when figuring out how to train a dog to stop biting.

Scott Jackson has been in the Pet Industry for over ten years. He has managed large Pet Specialty Retail stores and has worked as a distributor rep in the pet industry. He is a pet owner and lover who has extensive knowledge in pet nutrition and care. He runs a website http://www.coloradopetresources.com and http://www.dogandcatarticles.com where he gives information on pet care, location of Colorado independent pet retailers, vets, breeders and a general meeting place for pet lovers.

Visit http://www.coloradopetresources.com and find the information you need.

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