I recall when I had my dog for the first time. Coming back from work, I was welcomed with a destroyed home and poop everywhere. I was so angry and frustrated, but then I saw this cute little face popping up beneath the couch. I spent the rest of the evening cleaning my house and finding YouTube channels on how to train my beautiful mongrel. However, many of those tips only worked for a short period, which lead me to invent some on my own. Eventually, if you have a dog, it becomes necessary to be creative.
1. Train Their Instincts
Dogs, when compared to other animals, have a higher sense of perception. They’re able to feel and sense the changes in their surroundings. It brings us back to their ancestors — being in the wild, they had to rely on their sense of perception and instinct in order to survive. However, at home they’re disorientated. In this environment, they’re far more tamed and they’re left in disarray. This eventually leads to your dog destroying your property. Hence, in order to avoid these incidents, you should train their instincts. Encourage their hunting instinct by allowing them to hike, to run around in nature, and to have a sense of freedom. Allow your dog to embrace its natural instincts as well as feeling loved by you.
2. Food Time Is Time to Be Active
Have you always had the problem that your dog is either constantly seeing you as a food dispenser or is just plain lazy? Do you wonder how can you keep your dog constantly active and healthy? It’s great to have a dog that can run miles with you without getting tired, which makes it a necessity to improve its feeding methods. One of the things I’ve learned is that instead of placing food in a bowl and letting your dog eat on its own, I practiced sectioning his food. I take a quarter of a small cup filled with dog food and accompany it with games and activities while feeding him. This way, I’m able to train him while having fun and keeping him healthy. Food and fun should always go together.
3. Manners Come With Practice, Obedience Comes With Respect
Just like toddlers, dogs are sensitive to our behavior towards them. I’ve noticed that many people use the “Hinny” maneuver in training dogs. “Hinny” maneuvers mean the puppy or dog is smacked for doing something wrong. Oftentimes, this instills fear instead of respect — this wouldn’t be my favorite method. Instead, I believe that manners come with practice and obedience comes with respect. Instead of smacking him, I taught him how to not chew on couches and how to poop only in the garden through the use of treats. I keep special jerky in a jar and these are only given when he finally figures out his manners. Eventually, respect for me as his man-friend creates the obedience needed. Violent enforcement isn’t necessary; a fun way of teaching will definitely keep your dog happy while teaching it some manners.
4. Walk Your Dog Out In Nature As Much As Possible
Dogs love keeping the active spirit alive; it gives them purpose and somehow instills in them the confidence to protect their owners. It allows them to explore, to increase their sense of judgment, and to experience different smells and tastes. Furthermore, this gives your dog the chance to trust you and bond with you. If your pet is new in your life, then it’s a great chance for you to be acquainted with your dog and train them to be your superhero. When I got my dog, these nature walks helped him to become my lost and found savior. He has always been able to track down any trail back and forth, no matter where we are lost and in any dense forest. Every dog has its own personality and characteristics; there’s a reason why you were drawn to those brown eyes in the first place. Therefore, you should understand them before training them; this will create a bond of trust between you and your beautiful friend. Featured photo credit: Lakhanika Lammeera Shenkeri via facebook.com
