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Here are some important dog-brain points:
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Pack-think
Dogs are actually descendents of their wilder, scarier ancestors
- wolves. And while dogs are obviously more docile and responsive
to human command, they have retained some wolfish characteristics,
including their sharp eyes, their keen sense of smell, and
most importantly, their need to be in a pack. To your dog,
you and everyone else in your household are in his pack, for
lack of a better pack.
So pack-think: understand it, learn it, use it. A pack includes
one leader - someone who bosses everyone else around and is
respected by all the other members. Contrary to popular belief,
the vast majority of dogs don't want to be the pack leader;
it makes them feel safe to have someone else in charge. But
if your dog sees that you are a directionless wimp in need
of some authority, he'll happily step into the leader position
to whip you into shape. Dogs are all about hierarchies and
as far as they're concerned, somebody's got to uphold that
top dog position in case you guys get attacked by another
pack. It's a dog eat dog world, after all.
Be the alpha dog
To successfully train your dog, you must be the leader of
your pack, or at least rank above him. Always be firm and
consistent with your dog, as this will show him that he can't
get away with everything, even if he really is the cutest
thing alive. If you fear that you may already be underneath
your dog in rank, don't concede to defeat and continue to
let your dog hog the blankets at night - toss him off the
bed. While it may seem mean, it's a good idea to show your
dog who's boss by pulling rank on him occasionally. Make him
get up from the couch so you could sit in his place, and eat
your meal before feeding him his, even if he's drooling a
lake by your feet. Don't act scared if your dog growls at
you when you ask him to do things - just snarl back without
touching him and stand your ground. Continue prodding him
to obey you until he does.
Puppies
If you have a puppy, make sure you begin training him as
soon as he reaches the appropriate training age (we'll get
to what that is later on); this will reinforce his natural
tendency to depend on others. It's also a good idea to start
early because in no time at all, your tiny puppy will turn
into a monstrous beast with paws the size of your face. Try
training that.
Older dogs
As for the non-puppy owners, you've probably heard the saying
"you can't teach an old dog new tricks." Well, whoever
made up that line was either a very successful liar or someone
who lacked the patience to really communicate with his/her
dog. While it's true that old dogs don't come with clean slates,
they will obey your foreign commands if you make it worth
their while to do so. So don't fall for that fallacy.
Abuse
You should NEVER yell at or hit your dog, no matter how frustrating
training can get. Going ballistic only teaches your dog to
be nervous around you and fear you, making it hard for him
to concentrate on what it is you want him to learn. By the
way, it's illegal to hit a dog, so if we catch you doing it,
we'll throw your butt in jail.
Reinforcement
Reinforcement through repetition and consistency is effective
in training anyone - Lassie, a feral midget, even yourself.
Habits, good and bad, are formed when an action is repeated
over and over again with consistency. So during the process
of training your pooch, don't give up the routine until he's
got it. And even after your dog has mastered the following
tricks, test him on them from time to time to make sure that
he's still got it.
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