Dog Training The Easy Way

Q - We just got him last week. He was as good as gold the first week, now he’s gotten comfortable with us and is very curious and into everything. What’s the proper way to teach him the word no. Everything I read about the breed says if you are too forceful with them, they can become stubborn and hard to manage.

A - 1 - Although you may hear/read otherwise the MOST important thing is “never hit your dog”. He will only learn to do what ever you don’t want and then duck. Honestly there is never any situation where smacking a dog can help. Even more important - NEVER hit your dogs nose. It is your dogs primary sense. It will only teach him to get out of your way which is self defeating.
2 - Unfortunately dogs can’t speak English, so he will never understand the word no. You have to speak to your dog in a language he understands.
3 - The way to stop him doing things is to distract him. Use a sound which is short I use “HEY” with my dog. He will interpret it as a bark which he will understand. Only ever use that sound to discipline him so he will very quickly associate your bark with your displeasure.
4 - Occasionally he may become so fixated on something that HEY will not work. So give him a very quick tap/pinch on the shoulder with your thumb and forefinger. The object is just to snap him out of his train of thought, not to knock him over or hurt him. With such a small dog you will only need a very light touch. It emulates a bite. It is natural behavior between dogs and it works.
5 - He should be getting at least 2 walks a day of not less than 20 minutes. It will help prevent boredom.
6 - Make sure that he has some toys. One of my dogs will even stop eating if he hears his squeaky toy, so I use that sometimes to distract him.
7 - I would also consider a course of training. I recommend one and there is a link on my blog to it. This will help the bonding between you and also help set you as the pack leader.
Good luck.
jab177

Filed under: Dog Training by jab177