Posts Tagged ‘Social Behaviors’

It is a common scenario – someone, maybe a single person or maybe a family, walks into a pet store or animal shelter. They hem and haw, pet and cuddle, and make all sorts of exclamations. A few moments later, they walk out with the “perfect” dog or puppy in tow, ready to start out on their new life together. It may be a big dog or a small dog, an older dog or a younger puppy – everyone’s idea of the “perfect” dog is a little bit different. However, all dogs, big and small, young and old, can benefit from dog training. Puppy potty training can take your puppy from a cute little mess to an ideal housemate and beyond.

The start: Puppy Training

The majority of training for puppies is designed to make them better household companions. For the average family pet, training will often not extend beyond this phase. Trainng your puppy to use a potty pee pad is one of the most daunting challenges for most new pet owners. For working and competitive dogs, this aspect of training is only the beginning. The most popular type of training for dogs(so popular, in fact, that many people do not even realize that it is training) includes things like training your dog to walk on the leash, house and potty training your dog, and simple commands like “sit” and “drop it,” as well as basic social behaviors. It is easiest to begin puppy training at an early age, though if you acquire an older dog, you can train with him or her as well. Dogs are happiest when they know what is expected of them, and training helps to make those expectations clear. Training your dog is also a great way to strengthen the bond between dog and owner.

Competitive Dogs

The next step in training would be for competition. Some owners use dog training to teach their dogs tricks, like catching Frisbees on command, fetching items, or helping them with a freestyle routine. Other dog owners will use training to teach them to run agility courses, pull sleds, or do other activities. This level of training requires a strong bond between dog and owner, as well as a willing subject. Puppy training at this level is not something that you can do once and then go on with your life – it requires daily practice and commitment. Many of the professionals you see competing in agility trials or other competitions have been working with their dogs for years to conduct the training required.

Working Dogs

An even more stringent dog training method is required for working dogs. Working dogs assist people in a variety of fashions – they can be trained to sniff out drugs or contraband in airports, trained to assist the handicapped or disabled, or even trained as members of the police force or military. The dog training required for these dogs often takes months, if not years. Specific dogs are chosen from a young age to participate in this type of dog training, and often specific breeds are preferred due to breed characteristics. Only a few of the dogs that start on this dog training program end up being successful enough to have a career as a working dog. Training can come in a variety of styles for a variety of purposes. Even so, nearly any dog and owner can benefit from dog training.

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www.cheappuppypads.com Our pee pads are designed with a super absorbent polymer and eco-friendly material to assist in making your potty training task a success. Please visit our section on training tips for more information on how to potty train your puppy.

That sweet little bundle of fur you brought home for the kids is getting bigger now, and needs to learn some manners. At what point does its nibbling on your fingers stop being cute? When do its “accidents” start being on purpose? How do you know when it’s a good time to start training your puppy?

Some experts have recently begun to suggest that the training process starts before the puppy is born. In the past, the prenatal period wasn’t considered in the social development of dogs because the unborn puppies couldn’t be observed. The availability of the ultrasound machine shed new light on what happens in the womb as early as the fourth week of gestation.

Scientist theorize that since puppies’ are responsive to touch at birth, their conditioning to touch begins before they’re born, possibly by nudges from the pregnant mother. Studies show that the offspring of pregnant animals are calmer and easier socialized when the mother is regularly petted.

In roughly the first 14 days of a puppy’s life it may be able to learn some associations, such as recognizing a human caregiver, but it is still so mentally undeveloped that anything he learns isn’t likely to carry over to progressive stages of development.

During the three to 12-week period the puppy begins to pick up on social behaviors. Playful wrestling, curiosity and even mimicking sexual behavior is an important part of teaching the puppy its place in the family. It’s also important that the puppy has plenty of time with its mother and littermates, where the mother will teach it to play well with others. Puppies can learn tricks and basic commands, such as sit and stay as early as eight weeks of age. At this point, it’s only limited by its still-developing coordination, concentration and physical stamina.

Obedience classes are a good place for pet owners to learn how to communicate with their animals. Some trainers offer socialization classes as soon as the puppy is established in its permanent home, but obedience classes typically want the animal to have at least started getting its initial vaccinations first, usually around three to six months of age. The longer training is put off, the more difficult it will be for both dog and handler, especially if the dog has already begun to pick up bad habits. It’s easier to instill good behavior than to try to deprogram bad behavior.

The emotional maturity and stability of the dog is equally important as the age factor in deciding when to start the training process. Often the handler focuses too heavily on making sure the dog understands the commands being issued and doesn’t pay enough attention to the information the dog is sending. This is counterproductive, because an animal that is stress, scared, confused or distracted will not learn efficiently.

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Cory Willins writes about pets and pet store information, including dogs, cats, birds, and fish.