The Realm of Dogs and you
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Buying a puppy is a big change. Investing in a puppy is almost like deciding to have a child. They require education, food, love, potty-training and much more. One thing every dog owner should consider is sending their pup to dog obedience training . This could spare keep you from numerous incidents involving chewed up couch cushions, cleaning up accidents on the living room carpet, and most of all stress. Dogs are not meant to stress you out, they should make you happy. Also, be sure to consider expenses such as grooming, boarding or dog sitting and other care your pet will need. Similar to expecting parents preparing when having a baby, dog owners need to be prepared for their first puppy.
One tendency your puppy will have is to use, and perhaps destroy your furniture. There are a few ways to alleviate this issue. However, if youfail to take care of this in the puppy’s early years it will become a force of habit for them. You may end up replacing pillows for the next fifteen years. A great way to keep the dog off is a shock mat. These mats are portable and are battery powered. It will send an electrical impulse through anything that touches it. You simply turn it off when you want to sit on the piece and turn it on afterwards. These mats will save you money and help you and your dog be happier together.
Another tendency your new puppy will have is to eat out of your trash bins! This is an issue most adult dogs just never grow out of. One thing you can do, especially if you used the last tip, is place one of the shock mats in front of the garbage bin. This will teach your dog not to go near the garbage, and over time you won’t need the mat anymore. Another quick solution is to put child locks on your garbage bins. This may be a hassle, but you have to make small sacrifices for your dog.
In addition, your dog may make it his thing to jump on people. This really makes having company over hard, because they get berated by your dog. To break this habit, it takes persistence. First, when your dog does it, grab their front paws and step on their back paw. It doesn’t hurt, so don’t worry, its simply negative reinforcement. It reiterates to them that when they jump, something uncomfortable comes with it. By doing this every time and reprimanding, your dog will kick this habit fast.
Dogs are demanding pets, and you have to make sacrifices for them. However, the sacrifices are well during their younger years is important. You have to teach the dog the difference between what is right and what is wrong, just as you would teach a child. If you fail to do so, your dog will develop a skewed view of reality and bad habits.
