Dog Training: How to Make Dog Training a Family Affair (part 3)

Dogs are born with a lot instinctual knowledge; unfortunately knowing polite manners isn’t part of that knowledge. Even the most well intentioned dog can’t follow rules it hasn’t be taught yet. Training takes time and repetition and can’t happen overnight. It won’t be easy to keep your dog out of trouble while it’s learning the rules, but it’s possible.

There are stopgap measures you can take to prevent your dog from misbehaving while he’s training that will prevent him from developing bad habits.

Letting your untrained dog have free run of the house will lead to messes in all the wrong places, chewed belongings, food stolen off tables, curtains ripped down, holes dug in the back yard, etc. And it’s not their fault: dogs don't know any better unless they're taught otherwise.

The first step to getting your dog on the right track is limiting his access to places where it might secretly misbehave. You shouldn’t allow your dog to have the full run of your home until it's completely house trained and has learned what he can chew and can’t. And don’t leave your dog alone early, stay in the in the same room. This way you’ll be able to prevent messy, dangerous, costly mistakes.

One anecdote comes to mind: a friend of mine returned from a day of fishing, put a dozen mackerel she'd caught on the counter, then fed her young not-yet-trained Lab and left the room to change her clothes. A mere five minutes later she found that the dog had jumped on the counter and eaten all the fish.

Being proactive will help to give your dog an opportunity to get used to your general household routine and to practice the good behaviors you are trying to teaching. If your pup slips away, either block the rooms’ doorways with baby gates or leash your dog to your belt to keep it with you. If there’s no one around to keep an eye on the dog, confine it in an enclosed puppy-proofed area either indoors or outdoors.

Consistency is Key

Training should be fun and fulfilling for the entire family but if it’s not done properly it can be filled with frustration. The trick to keeping your dog on track is consistency. The best way to be consistent is to decide on a set of rules for the whole family to follow and get the family positively involved in your dog's training. Raising a great family dog is a family job. It takes a village – so to speak – to raise and train a well-behaved dog.

Dog Training with the Family (part 4)