Dog Adoption 101

In spite of the renowned canine intelligence, dog’s understanding is not at par with what humans have. A dog that is allowed to jump on a master wearing old shirt and jeans will not understand why its usual way of greeting is not be appreciated by the female master wearing stockings and a deceptively simple but very expensive designer dress.

So how will you discipline a dog that has the tendency to bark excessively, or one that torments other pets, or one that has a destructive chewing habit or one that has the inclination to raid trash cans? Dogs can easily read our facial expressions and understand the meaning or our body movements. Dogs are cunning little and not so little rascals that would know how to achieve an imploring look to get away from the wrath of the master. The dog may look repentant but the pet owner should not be complacent as the dog’s bad habits will surface again and again. It is not always possible for pet owners to constantly supervise the dog thus to prevent the pet from being destructive it has to be disciplined. The owner of a dog that has been destructive would rant and rave or punish the dog physically however, these forms of reprimand would be ineffective in correcting the dog’s bad behavior. Dogs are intelligent animals but the it would be beyond their ability to associate the punishment to the slip-up they have done.

In a dog/human relationship, the human should always be viewed as the leader of the pack. The dog has to learn that it is lower in rank and therefore must follow the rules set by the leader. One of the most effective ways to discipline the dog is obedience training. Training would be more successful if conducted while the dog is still a puppy. Dogs have the tendency to obey commands given in an authoritative voice.

One effective way if disciplining the dog is to make the dog hate doing the destructive behavior . Bitter apple discourages the dog from chewing things and a spray of cold water stops the dog’s excessive barking.

To make the dog associate the disciplinary action with the bad behavior, reprimands must be made while the dog is doing the act. “No, Leave it, Stop are only some of the excellent commands that will stop the dog in mid act. Disciplining the dog would not be an easy task – one that cannot be accomplished at once but a determined owner consistently training the dog and using positive reinforcement will be able to correct a destructive behavior and have a well mannered pet.

Learn more about how to discipline a dog at Sarah’s Dogs.