Puppy Training - Analyzing Animal Behavior

When training your pets, you may notice that different dogs behave differently, and they may respond in various ways to your training methods.

The right thing to do, is to observe their behavior and be tolerant if they make mistakes during training. As a good trainer, you should never try to instill fear into your pet. Over time, the dog will learn to fear the owner, and tends to run away when the owner arrives. As a pet owner, you want the pup to be closer to you. With fear, the distance between you can your pet will drift further apart.

In other words, as you train your dog, you need to aware of the inner world of your pet. That is where behavior analysis comes in. In the beginning, you may not know what the behavior means. What you can do, however, is to pay attention and take note of the behavior. You can always consult other pet owners or a professional specialist later on if you still can’t figure out why your pet is behaving in a certain manner. Below is a list of commonly seen behavior.

1) Barking unnecessarily.

Barking is the only way a pup knows how to attract attention. For sure, you know that the pup needs some attention. Your job, is to figure out why your pet is barking unnecessarily. There are many reasons that may account for the excessive barking. For instance, it may be suffering from separation anxiety and all it needs is some company. It may be left in the crate for too long, and it’s getting bored. Or it may be suffering from some health issues. Don’t just scold or cane the dog just because it’s barking. That is jumping to conclusions. Investigate first to find out the cause. Punishment is usually unnecessary.

2) Damaging home furniture.

In many ways, dogs behave like children. They sometimes have a short attention span, and need things to keep themselves occupied. This is especially true for puppies. If they are left alone with nothing to play with, they will run around the house and start nibbling at your furniture. Soon, you will notice unsightly marks on your wooden furniture. To solve this problem, have a room for your puppy, and keep it occupied with lots of toys. There are many types of toy bones in the market. Those silicon types will do just fine.

3) Digging holes in the garden.

Some dogs have a strong digging instinct. These are dogs that will chase after smaller animals, or dig holes in the garden or the back yard. The Jack Russell is one such example. Understand that the dog is just following its instincts. However, with proper training, these dogs can become obedient. Be patient with the dogs, especially if they are just puppies.

Most of the behavioral problems are caused by the natural personalities of the dogs, or by health issues. Therefore, to investigate the cause, always check for health problems. If the pet is perfectly healthy , then it’s just the dog being its playful self.

Puppy training can be enjoyable, or it can be frustrating.

That depends on the type of dog that you own, and your experience in training your pet. Some breeds are known to be easier to train, while some are notorious as hard-to-train pets. If you have already bought your pet, you have little choice but to learn to train and live with your new pet. But if you haven’t purchased a puppy, don’t go running out just yet to buy a pet. Spend some time to consider your options.

First of all, think about the type of pet that you want to have. This is your dream dog. You haven’t bought a dog yet, so now is the time to dream all you want. For instance, you can dream about having a dog that is medium sized, active but with a stable temperament, and it should also be loyal and protective towards you. Most pet owners would love to own such a pet anyway. So let’s take a look at some options.

Bulldog puppies.

Bulldogs make excellent pets. Most people judge this animal by its fierce appearance. But the bulldog isn’t an aggressive creature at all. Yes, it can grow aggressive if it feels that its owner is being threatened. But in most situations, it is a sweet nature animal and can get along with almost anyone. And because it has stable emotions, and is not overly active, it is also very easy to train.

Don’t mistake a bulldog that lies around on the couch to be a lazy animal. It just loves leisure. When it’s play time, watch the bulldog go! For sure, it’s not a lazy animal. After a few weeks, with enough training, it can become a very obedient dog, and the perfect companion for the dog owner. But if you want a more athletic dog, perhaps the boxer is a better choice.

Boxer puppies.

Boxers are better looking than bulldogs (that is subjective of course). They are fairly active, and can be great fun to have around. They do not have an aggressive nature, and can be trusted with young children. This animal is endowed with heightened senses, which makes it ideal for performing various practical functions such as search and rescue. The police and military knows how to make full use of the boxer’s senses to help them with their work. But for the average pet owner, know that a boxer can be easily trained to become a guard dog.

The above examples point to animals with a sweet nature, and a moderate amount of energy. For dogs with a higher energy level, they can be harder to train as they are always on the move! It is more difficult to get them to listen to verbal commands, and to gain control. Puppies with a more aggressive nature (such as terriers) also tend to wrestle for control. In other words, they want to be leader of the pack. Sometimes, it’s a little funny to watch these animals , for they just have to look into the mirror to notice how tiny they are!