understanding |

Bringing home a new puppy is very exciting but we often forget that a new puppy doesn’t know very much. He’s still a baby. His mother and siblings have taught him a few things about being a dog but when it comes to understanding people, he’s a rank beginner.

It doesn’t matter how many times you tell him, “NO!” or “OFF!” Your puppy hasn’t yet learned what these words mean. He doesn’t even know his name yet. He really has no idea what it means when you tell him to lie down or leave something alone.

Your puppy will quickly become very good at reading your body language and understanding the tone of your voice but you will have to patiently teach him each word and phrase that you want him to know. Puppies aren’t born knowing English or any other language. It’s up to you to teach him the basic vocabulary.

If you are adopting an adult dog then he will also have to learn some things when he comes to living with you. He may know some basic words and phrases, especially if he has been housebroken already. But your family will probably have some words that are unknown to him. There may be some new rules that he doesn’t know yet. It will take a little time for your new dog to learn the new words for things. He may know some things by other names — “bathroom” for “potty,” or “dinner” for “supper,” and so on. Try different words for things and see if he gives a reaction. You may find the words that he knows.

On the other hand, there are times when your puppy or dog does know certain words and may choose to ignore you. If you have been training your puppy or dog and you know that he knows the word “Sit” but he won’t sit for you, then there may be something wrong with your training methods. Most likely your training is inconsistent. You may not train very often and your dog doesn’t see any reason why he should obey the command when it is only used once in a while. In these situations you should train more often so your dog will take the training more seriously.

If you let your dog sleep on your bed six nights in a row and on the seventh night you tell him very sternly that he’s not allowed on the bed, the chances are that he’s not going to take you seriously. Training is the same way. If you want your dog to listen to you then you must be consistent in what you tell your dog and in what you expect him to obey. Be consistent, use the same words for things, and always be fair. You must also train regularly so that your dog knows you are committed to what you are teaching him.

If you are inconsistent or you don’t train very often, then your dog is apt to ignore you.

Remember that your puppy isn’t born knowing any language at all. Like human children, puppies have to learn the meaning of words. They cannot hope to learn any training until they begin to understand some words in the home. Fortunately, puppies learn very quickly and they can start to learn all that we have to teach them — and some things we don’t mean to teach them. Your puppy will begin listening to you as soon as he is able. It’s up to you to teach him things that are worth learning.

My Dog Won’t Listen To Me courtesy Dog Articles.

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As more and more new findings about your diet come to the surface, many a dog owner will begin to consider changing the diet to the best available so the dog will have good health and live to a ripe old age.

However, it’s very important for any dog owner to take precautions when trying to change a diet. The following 5 steps are suggested in a manner that can be done effectively without throwing the dog off balance:

Step 1: During such times as changing owner or moving to a new location, it’s best not to change the diet so as to avoid too much unnecessary emotional strain on the dog. Once the dog becomes accustomed to the new owner or living environment, then it would be the right time to change the dog’s diet as planned.

Step 2: When it comes to changing the dogs diet, it should be done by replacing only 25% of the old food with the new. Most dogs will not be able to notice any difference if the old and the new are mixed well enough. They should eat the new mixture as well as the old diet.

Although some might not get used to the new diet initially, patience should be taken to allow for the break-in period to complete. It has taken the dog many months to get used to its old diet; therefore, for the dog to accept a new one it might sometimes take as long. As soon as the dog is eating 25% of the new mixture of diet, then it’d be safe to proceed to Step 3 as shown below.

Step 3: Mix and replace 50% of the old diet with the new this time and make a little less effort to hide the new diet from the dog as it should be more receptive to the new food presented in the new mixture now. When this is evident, proceed to Step 4.

Step 4: This time, it should be easily understood that 75% of the new food be substituted with the old one. And make an even lesser effort to hide the new food from the dog. At this stage, the dog should accept this newly mixed diet in an “as-a-matter-of-fact” manner. It should eat the dog food without any sign of hesitation when first fed.

Step 5: At this point, the dog should be accepting the newly mixed and replaced diet without any problem at all. If the dog accepted the first feeding at Step 4 easily, this final step should just be “a piece of cake.” Just like humans, dogs are uniquely different and some are bound to require more patience and attention.

Therefore, don’t become discouraged too easily when the dog is not fitting into the new diet in the beginning.

After all, changing a dog’s diet is often a time consuming process that should be done with care and understanding.

How To Switch Your Dog’s Diet courtesy Dog Articles.

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