It’s unbelievable, but some people actually encourage a dog jumping up on them.  This is a big mistake, no matter how cute your new pup is.  Puppy jumping may be cute when he’s little, but it will become one of many dog behavior problems as he gets older and bigger.  Even small canines are a nuisance when they jump on people.  Stop dog jumping now with these dog obedience tips.

Prevent Puppy Jumping From Becoming A Behavior Problem Later

Obedience training should be part of your new pup’s life right from the beginning.  A very important basic command he should learn right away is the “off” command.  You can use this command not only to prevent a dog jumping up, but also to keep him off the couch, countertops, and to prevent him jumping at the door.  It’s much easier to teach him this command, while he’s young, so don’t wait.

There are three steps to teaching your pup to “off” command.  

1.  As soon as he jumps up on a person (or the furniture), say “OFF!” right away.  

2.  Snarl at him with an open mouth, showing him your teeth, and making direct eye contact.  It’s not necessary to growl.  An open-mouthed silent snarl is how adult canines tell puppies to calm down, and your pup will instinctively understand what you’re telling him.

3.  Repeat this every time he attempts to jump up, until you don’t have to say it twice.  When you see that he’s stopping himself from jumping, praise him.  

This exercise also establishes you as the pack leader.  In the wild, subordinate canines would never jump on the leader, because it means that the subordinate is challenging the leader.  The alpha dog doesn’t tolerate this, and you shouldn’t either.

Everyone in your family must also use this command.  Your new pup needs to understand that everyone in the family ranks above him to prevent dog behavior problems later on.

Stop Dog Jumping On Visitors

Visitors can sometimes be a problem.  Some people think it’s cute to have a dog jump up on them.  Explain to your visitors that you don’t allow him to jump on anyone.

If you’re expecting company, put your pup on a leash.  When your guests arrive, if he jumps up, move quickly to step on the leash.  This prevents him from jumping, and also pulls on his collar, which serves to correct his behavior.  Alternatively, hold onto the leash.  When he jumps, say “off,” and firmly pull the leash to the side, which forces him to put his feet back on the ground.  Timing is important; pull his leash as you say “off” so that he learns that “off” means “no jumping.”  In either case, praise him as soon as all four feet are on the ground.

Your visitors may think you’re being too hard on him, but you’re not.  Establishing good habits when he’s young will prevent dog behavior problems later on in life.

Remember that your whole family must be in agreement when training him.  It’s impossible for him to learn good habits if some people are encouraging the very behavior you’re trying to avoid.  A good dog training course is essential so that everyone in your household is working together.  With a little effort from everyone, you can stop puppy jumping, and your new friend will be an obedient and well-loved member of the family.

Darlene Norris has worked at a vet clinic and an animal shelter, and has had lots of experience with dogs. If you need to stop dog jumping, and solve other dog behavior problems, visit No More Bad Dogs at http://NoMoreBadDogs.com to learn about a dog training course that will work wonders!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/stop-dog-jumping-dog-obedience-tips-anyone-can-use-to-quickly-stop-puppy-jumping-894318.html

If you’re like me, you don’t want your dog jumping up on people.  No matter if he’s small or large, getting your dog to stop jumping is essential for preventing dog behavior problems in the future.  Here are some dog obedience tips that will help to stop dog jumping.

How To Block A Jumping Dog

This is a quick way to teach your pet to stop jumping on you.  This is really only a stop-gap measure, as you need to figure out why he’s jumping, and deal with that issue to solve the problem for good.

As your canine starts to jump up, turn sideways.  You can lean in his direction and block him with your hip.  Or step in front of him to block him from jumping.  Once all his feet are on the floor, tell him to “sit” and then praise him.  

If he manages to jump on you before you can block him, don’t yell “no” or jump away.  He thinks you’re playing with him, and this only serves to reinforce the behavior.  Turn on your heel and walk away.  Give him no attention whatsoever until all four feet are on the floor.  Only then will you tell him to “sit” and then reward him.

Why Dogs Jump

Many people make the mistake of thinking their dog jumps on them because he’s happy to see them.  This couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Dogs jump for three reasons: they’re overexcited, they’re challenging your dominance as pack leader, or you’ve accidentally encouraged them to do so.  

By far the most common reason for many dog behavior problems, including jumping, is a bored dog.  Canines are social animals who need lots of interaction with their pack.  They also need lots of exercise to burn off excess energy.  If your pet is left alone all day with nothing to do, your return at night is the high point of his day, and he releases his energy by getting overexcited.  If you make a big fuss when you come home, you’re encouraging him to get overexcited, and rewarding him for the jumping behavior.  

You can prevent this by taking him for a long walk in the morning, and again in the evening.  Take him to the dog park if you have one nearby so he can run and play with other canines.  It’s also important to keep it low-key when you leave and come home.  Ignore him for fifteen minutes when you come home.  If he jumps on you, turn around and walk away.  

A dog jumping up on people may be a dominance issue.  In the wild, a subordinate member of the pack would never jump on the alpha dog.  This is seen as challenging the leader, and the leader won’t tolerate it.  No matter if your pet is small or large, you shouldn’t tolerate it either.  

A good dog training course is worth its weight in gold when trying to teach your pup good habits.  You’ll be able to train your dog quickly and easily with a course that offers a free consultation with an experienced dog trainer.  

Don’t put up with dog behavior problems like a dog jumping up on people any longer.  Take steps now to stop dog jumping so that your pet will be a happy, obedient addition to your family.

Darlene Norris has worked at a vet clinic and an animal shelter, and has had lots of experience with dogs. If you need to stop dog jumping, and solve other dog behavior problems, visit No More Bad Dogs at http://NoMoreBadDogs.com to learn about a dog training course that will work wonders!

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/how-you-can-quickly-get-your-dog-to-stop-jumping-on-people-894371.html

No training is more basic for pet owners than that first important lesson: Do it outside!

Teaching your puppy to eliminate outside the home, not in it, usually starts between six and eight weeks of age. Dogs as young as four weeks have been started on the program, but at that age not many have the muscular control to succeed.

Like any dog training plan, trainer patience is as important as the dog’s temperament. ‘Sit’, ’stay’ and other behaviors can often be learned in a few days. House breaking usually takes weeks - sometimes as short as two, often a month or more.

As with other learned behaviors, it is helpful to watch for signs of the desired actions and enforce and direct them with a voice command followed by praise. In this case that technique works even more to the trainer’s advantage, since all dogs will naturally eliminate. The trick is to get your puppy to do it when and where you want!

Observe for circling or squatting, then pick up the pup, say ‘outside’ and dash outside. The puppy may circle some more, but will often squat quickly. Once it starts, say ‘Go potty’ ( or some other unique phrase) in a clear, firm (but not angry) voice. When the puppy has finished, lavish her with praises.

You won’t always be able to observe the puppy about to begin, but don’t become angry or impatient when the dog eliminates indoors. It takes repetition for the dog to learn to tell you it’s time to ‘go outside’. It also takes time for the muscles needed to control bladder and bowels to mature.

On average, young dogs need to eliminate every 2-3 hours,. If you haven’t spotted pre-elimination behavior within that time, take the dog outside anyway. Issue the command ‘Go potty’ and wait. At first, usually, the dog will have no clue what you want.

Especially, even when outside, it helps to wait and watch for the desired behavior then issue the command. That helps the dog associate the command with the behavior. Wait a few minutes and If the dog hasn’t gone, even after a few ‘Go potty’ commands, take it back inside for an hour. Of course, if you see the pre-elimination behavior sooner, go outside again immediately.

Dogs have a surprising capacity to quickly learn what their ‘alpha’ (the leader of the pack) wants. This is almost always accomplished by associating a verbal command with behavior, followed by praise. Punishment is usually counter-productive, and nowhere more so than in waste elimination training. Never rub your dog’s nose in waste.

Paper and/or crate training is preferred by some. A pup can be trained to eliminate on a newspaper, or on one of the chemically treated potty pads designed for the purpose. Some small breeds that live all day in the apartment may not need to go outside at all.

The technique has a couple of downsides however. Unlike cats, dogs will seldom go in a perfumed litter box. Newspapers will often leave an unpleasant smell in the house.

Also, long before the odor becomes perciptible to humans, dogs can smell their own distinctive aroma. Dogs don’t find it unattractive - quite the opposite. And therein lies the problem.

Dogs that are paper trained will often prefer to potty indoors. Sometimes they’ll miss the paper by only an inch, creating a nasty mess to clean up.

Once the odor is in the carpet, the dog will continue to seek that spot out as its proper ‘place to go’. This makes training the dog to eliminate outside even more difficult. Best to suffer a few accidents than to create a hard-to-overcome habit.

Key factors to any dog training programs are patience, praise and consistency. House training is the first test for you and your dog.

Get more tips and advice on housetraining or dog training at Luvurdog.com/dogtraining

When it comes to bringing in a new puppy, the first thing that people think about is how to house break the puppy. While that is a good thing, there is a very important thing that too many people forget about and that is socializing the puppy. If the puppy is not properly socialized at a young age and then through its adult life, it can become very scared or aggressive around other dogs and people. This is not something that you want as not only is it not a fun thing for your dog, but you could end up in the middle of a lawsuit if your dog bites another dog or person.

It is important to start right away and help your puppy through the socialization process. There are many ways to go about it but no matter which way you decide on, it is important to always be there for your puppy and to make it a fun and rewarding experience for the puppy. If you are stressed or you are giving the puppy the feeling that you really do not want to be there, neither will it. Your puppy will often pick up on your feelings and emotions and mimic them. Because of this, you must stay positive.

Pets of Friends

If you have any friends or family that have puppies or at least pleasant and well behaved adult dogs, make sure that you make use of that situation. Get the dogs together for a play date, even if it is one time a week. Spend an hour or two allowing the dogs to hang out in the same area together. Even if they do not end up playing, they are at least getting a little interaction and socializing a little. This little bit of time spent together can really do the puppy a lot of good.

Pet Stores

There are many chain pet stores that will allow you to bring your puppy in the store while you shop. As long as it is up to date on its shots and it is on a leash, you can take your puppy to weekly pet store visits. Even if you are not buying anything, simply stroll around the store and do a little browsing. You will find a lot of great things that you will want to purchase in the future and you will be helping your puppy to socialize.

Not only will your puppy get to socialize with other puppies and adult dogs that are brought into the store, but they will also get to meet a lot of people. Since there are many people walking around the store, this allows your dog to see that people are nice and nothing to be afraid of.

Training Classes

Dog training classes are great places for your puppy to socialize with people and other dogs alike. And since your pup will learn a new trick or two in the process, this is something that should really be looked into. The classes are short and do not cost very much at all so make sure to check those out.

In the end, as long as you are taking whatever steps needed to socialize your puppy, you will have an animal that grows into a well-behaved pet in no time at all.

This article was written by Kelly Marshall of www.ohmydogsupplies.com - your source for therapeutic orthopedic dog beds.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/helping-your-puppy-socialize-892490.html

Adding a dog to your family can be one of the most fun, rewarding things that you can do. However, many people don’t see past the cute puppy and realize that owning a dog is a lifetime commitment with certain responsibilities. Responsible dog ownership goes far beyond just keeping the animal fed and watered. Your dog depends on you to feed him, care for him, keep him healthy and spend time with him. It isn’t fair to just stick your dog outside or in his kennel and never spend any time with him. Dogs are very social animals and they need time with their family. So before you bring that cute little puppy into your home, know what you are getting into and what your responsibilities will be.

Vaccines

There are certain vaccines, such as rabies, that are required by law and you must get them for your dog every year. Other shots that are highly recommended include Distemper, Adenovirus, Leptospirosis, Parainfluenza, Parvovirus, Corona virus, Bordetella, Lyme Disease, and Giardia. These vaccines help to keep your dog healthy so that he will be with your family for a long time.

Vet Care

Your dog should have a check up by a veterinarian at least once a year. If you have a special needs dog or a dog that is older, you may need to see your vet more often. Certain breeds also have specific health risks that may be associated with them. Larger dogs, for example, can be prone to hip dysplasia which can cause a great deal of pain for the dog. It is important that your dog see the vet regularly so that you can ensure he is receiving the best possible care.

Spay or Neuter

Unless your dog is going to be bred, you should have him or her altered. Males are neutered and females are spayed. This means that they can not reproduce. There are several reasons for doing this, the number one being more altered animals means fewer unwanted animals. The pet population explosion, as it is called, leaves countless dogs and cats at the mercy of a very cruel world because there just aren’t enough homes to go around. If every pet owner would do the responsible thing and spay or neuter their pet (even inside animals) we would have fewer unwanted strays, the shelters would not be overcrowded and the pet owners would have healthier animals.

Nutrition

Of course you need to feed your dog and make sure that he always has clean, fresh water, but it really goes further than that if you want a healthy dog. There are many different types of dog food on the market, some are high quality, and some are not. Ask your vet for recommendations on food so that you can be sure that you are getting your dog the best possible food with the most nutritional benefits. Better yet, ask your vet what he feeds his dog.

Education

A well behaved dog is a happy dog. If you have a dog that is out of control, jumping on everyone and being a nuisance, no one will want to spend time with him. He will be a very lonely animal. You owe it to your dog to train him. Obedience schools are located in just about every city. Many pet stores offer dog obedience training, as do some vets and animal welfare groups. Make sure that your dog is pleasant to be around so that he will not be isolated due to undisciplined behavior.

Time and Attention

Bottom line, your dog needs your time and attention every day. Walk him, play with him, pet him and give him your attention. Dogs need socialization and they need attention. If you can’t devote at least an hour out of your day to spend with your dog, maybe you should think about getting a goldfish or turtle.

This article was written by Kelly Marshall of www.ohmydogsupplies.com - your top store for dog supplies including dog steps.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/being-a-responsible-dog-owner-what-you-should-know-893437.html