Have a dog can be a wonderful addition to your family. They’re loyal and loving pets that will bring you years of happiness. In this guide, we’ll discuss house breaking and obedience training for your new puppy.

Housebreaking your puppy

Housebreaking is the most important thing your puppy must learn. Common sense should tell you why.  Aside from the maintenance of your household hygiene, trained dogs are happy dogs. As creatures of habit, it’s in their nature to keep schedules as pack animals.

The ideal age to begin house breaking them is 8 to 12 weeks old.

Crate Help
Dog trainers suggest using a crate in housebreaking your puppy. A crate is like a cage, with see-through bars and a locking door. Its size should accommodate the dogs’ size for it to move around in. It should be used like a dog’s bedroom. It is advised to not confine your puppy in his crate for more than two hours at a time. The wonder behind using a crate in housebreaking your puppy is that dogs are not into eliminating by their sleeping areas. However, it might get forced to relieve itself if you cruelly lock him in somewhere for longer than he can hold it in. So, never use a crate to punish your dog, it will backfire. Generally, pups that are three-month old must eliminate every 3 hours, so you should lead him to a special outdoor comfort room more often.

Make Your Puppy Learn Routines
Another tip is to leave the house through one door only. This door should be the one that you want your dog to scratch to warn you about his being called by the nature. Taking your pup out at around the same times every day will be very beneficial for the both of you. This will help in establishing a routine, and will make him learn to hold it in until you become available to take him out.

Look For Clues
If your un-housebroken dog is accustomed to roaming freely around the house, search for signs that show you he needs to do it. Be really observant enough of his behavior, i.e., heavy sniffing, circling an area, staring at the door with an intense look on his face, etc. If you catch him WHILE doing it, stop him and say “No” using your deep, stern tone (don’t forget to use a deep, gruff voice when stating commands). Then, take him outside and let him finish what he is doing. Lastly, pat him on his head while saying “Good (his name)!” It is a must to make your dog get used to being praised whenever he does anything that makes you proud. Giving him food as a reward when he does his business in the appropriate spot can help, too.

Patience is a Big Virtue
Like any training endeavor, housebreaking requires a lot of patience. If you definitely despise cleaning your dog’s waste off your Persian carpets on an hourly basis and having your whole house smell like a public bathroom, you want the housebreaking to be successful in a wink of an eye, if not sooner.

Common Sense Makes a Lot of Sense
The use of common sense will aid you big time in dealing with your puppy’s housebreaking endeavor. Logical thinking should inform you to not give your dog water before bedtime if his tendency is to pee often at night time. Catering to his schedule first will prove to be very helpful in making it gradually change into yours. Aside from patience and common sense, consistency is also one of the important factors of this dog training activity. If you suddenly forget about the routines yourself, don’t blame if your dog if he starts committing accidents more often. If you would like succeed in this housebreaking feat or just about in any other training drills, don’t treat it as a game. Allot enough time and commitment on your part.

Obedience training for your dog

Most obedience training in dogs is used to create a groundwork from which the dog and his master will learn how to effectively correspond to each other. Moreover, obedience training is also employed by dog owners whose dogs are behaving badly. It is one way of incorporating discipline in the dog’s behavior. This kind of training makes him realize that certain behaviors are not allowed and that he should not act that way.

When obedience training is incorporated into a dog’s behavior, the dog, in turn, will be able to respond properly with the right behavior that is expected of him to manifest. Consequently, many dog owners are wondering whether it would be better if a professional should handle their dog’s obedience training. In most cases, it can be much easier to have a professional trainer or an obedience school to teach the proper way to follow a command. However, if the dog owner feels he can do just the same, then, there is no special condition for that matter.

Whether the obedience training is done at home, by a professional trainer, or in an obedience school, there are things that must be considered when incorporating this kind of training.

Here is a list of the things that should be taken into account.

1. Fun
Obedience training does not necessarily mean that strict rules should be imposed. This is because the dog is not aware of the reasons why he should be trained. Therefore, for him to respond to the commands, the training must be done in such a way that the dog sees the activity as something that is fun. The dog will be able to respond positively if he sees that whenever he follows what he is asked to do, he gets rewards or praises, and that is having fun for
them.

2. Consistency
During the course of obedience training, it is really important to have
consistency in the training. For example, if a dog was allowed to sit on the rug the other day and when the dog tried to sit on the rug today, he was scolded. Things like this should not be taken for granted. It is extremely important to teach the dog what he should and should not do and stick to it. Confusion will only make the matters worst.

3. Obedience training instructor/trainer
When people choose to enroll their dogs in an obedience class, it is important to analyze the trainer before the owner leaves his dog. The character and personality of the trainer is extremely important. They should be professional enough to know how to handle the dog’s behavior and how to train them properly.

4. Referrals
It is best not to try new and unfamiliar obedience training schools. This could be really risky both for you and for your dog. It would be better if dog owners ask for some referrals from their veterinarians, dog breeders, or other people who can give their honest opinions.

5. Charges
Not all obedience training schools are created equal. They vary depending on the kind of services that they offer. Therefore, it is best to consider the amount of charges that they provide and the dog owners should know how to analyze if the prices are worth it.

6. Methods used in the training
It is highly recommended that dog owners should contemplate first on the kind of methods being used in the training. This is because some obedience training schools do not use the appropriate method in training the dog. In this manner, dog owners do not get the results they expected. Obedience training can be very useful in fulfilling most of the dog’s essential needs. It gives them something to direct their skills and actions thereby making them reliable and happy pets.

Most people just don’t know this, but one of the reasons why dogs behave inappropriately is because they don’t have the right direction to guide their actions. They are confused on how to respond appropriately with the environmental and social variables that they encounter. With obedience training, your dog will be on the way to a happier and more enjoyable environment.