By Marshall Crum
Small dogs are special animals. They are usually hyperactive, loving, energetic and can be lots of fun to have around. Almost everyone will pick up a small dog and they usually become lap dogs in a very short time. But each one is unique, and small dog training can be challenging when you are trying to teach your dog to be a well behaved member of your family. Training small dogs is not an easy task and many people think that a small dog is easier to deal with and training is usually left to chance.
Small dog and toy dog breeds such as Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and Toy Poodles have become very popular with apartment dwellers and the older crowd because they are small and most crave human companionship more than larger breeds. But, these little guys can be headstrong and mischievous. Their very intelligence can present even more of a training challenge to a non-professional trainer. Small dog training is just as important as it is for medium or large dogs to turn them into well-behaved members of your family.
The biggest obstacle to training a dog is usually communicating with the animal. Small and toy dog breeds have some common traits that include a high level of intelligence, alertness and awareness of their surroundings, but they have amazingly short attention spans. Another trait small dogs have is an inherent nature to compensate for their small stature by being overly aggressive and suspicious. Everyone knows someone with an aggressive Chihuahua or a tiny dog that seemed to lose their minds over a situation that a larger dog would just ignore.
This over reaction to a situation can make training smaller breeds more difficult. Keeping a small dog relaxed and calm is essential to getting him to obey your commands. But as with all dogs, successful small dog training takes patience and persistence. You have to be firm in your commands and avoid letting the cute little guy get away with unwanted behavior, but once your little guy is trained you will have a loyal friend for life. Common traits make it possible to study these little guys and find training techniques that work for all of them.
Training is not difficult, it is necessary to be persistent, patient and consistent. When the puppy behavioral problems are addressed, and corrective training has started, it is very important that everybody involved with the pet dog use the same training techniques and correct the same behaviors to avoid confusing the dog. The real key is consistency, consistency, consistency every day.
There are many ways to get information about training your small dog. All of them use positive reinforcement and reward for good behavior and ignore unwanted behavior to get the best results. It is important not to yell and scream or hit your dog to avoid making the situation worse for the animal. A frightened animal does not learn very well. Most people can learn how to train their dog on their own, but it is easier if you how professional trainers get wanted results and just copy their techniques. There are several good books available, but if you can find a trainer that will show you the training techniques as well as tell you it makes it a lot easier to learn how to train your puppy.
When you start to train your dog, getting help from a professional trainer is the first step that can save you a lot of heartburn later on. There are a lot of dog trainers, and I have noticed that each one has slightly different techniques and all claim that theirs is the simplest, fastest, and easiest method. Most professional trainers spend as much time teaching the owner how to communicate with the dog as he does with training the dog.
Since it's so important to get off on the right foot (no pun intended), how do you know which trainer's program to use. After all, it is your money, and you want to get your money's worth. The answer is fairly simple, find a nationally recognized trainer who will tell and show you how to train your puppy or dog.
Where you get help with your small dog training techniques and tips can be as important as the training itself. I love my little dogs but I was at a loss until I found a trainer who had puppy training techniques that made sense and worked. I didn't care about being a certified trainer, I just wanted to stop some unwanted dog behaviors. If you want to train your dogs to be more fun to be with http://www.puppytraining.debmar.biz/smalldogtraining.htmlClick Here to get more articles and information about the trainer who helped me correct my small dog's bad habits.
No comments:
Post a Comment