You can have a lot of fun training your dog, though most people do it not for this reason but in the interests of discipline. Dogs operate according to their basic nature and instincts, but these instincts can be altered in order to fit in with the needs of human beings, if you understand how to train them properly.
Some behavior problems which people cannot put up with are common to many dogs, and below are some tips for how to train your dog out of these.
1. Unwanted barking.
Barking is the main way in which dogs communicate, but some of them do this too much. If so you can train your dog as follows:
a) You should not train your dog by just saying ‘no’, because dogs don’t understand. If you keep repeating the word the dog might think you are barking too, and just become excited.
b) Be consistent, using just the one command for stopping barking.
c) Don’t get angry; instead work patiently to encourage the desired behavior.
d) If he does the right thing when you give him your command, reward him. Don’t allow good behavior to go unrewarded.
2. Chewing
Puppies’ nature is to chew, because it practices using their jaws, but they will chew out of boredom, playfulness, curiosity or because they are teething. They use their mouths to explore their environment, just like children.
If you want to know how to train your dog out of excessive chewing, here are some things to try:
a) Confine your puppy to a crate, which stops him being able to get to things which he might chew.
b) If you don’t like this idea then you will need to watch him carefully, so that he does not rip up your expensive furniture.
c) Puppies can’t tell the difference between old slippers and new ones, so don’t give him slippers or shoes at all. Instead give him some toys (not soft toys) which he is allowed to chew.
d) Buy special dog chew toys, because puppies need to chew something, and chew toys are a cheaper investment than new furniture.
e) Exercise your puppy well, because chewing can be a way to get rid of excess energy. He might chew less if he is tired out.
3. Digging.
Digging is also a basic instinct for dogs, but it can be due to boredom, or trying to get out, or looking for a cool spot, or hiding a bone. It can be destructive, however, so if you want to know how to train your dog not to dig, here are some ideas:
a) Give him a special digging spot, so that he doesn’t dig where he shouldn’t. Punish him if he tries to dig elsewhere, but reward him for digging in his digging spot.
b) Put diluted ammonia or pepper, in small amounts, on places where you don’t want him to dig.
You can train your dog out of unwanted behaviors and into desired ones if you use the best training practices.