By: Kelly Marshall
Submitted: 2009-08-14 04:43:27 | Word Count: 546
Many of us like to have dogs around. They make great pets and good friends but house breaking them can be a pain. Not to mention training them to sit, fetch, roll over, and play dead. Teaching them to do this can be easy or hard, surprisingly it depends more on the person than the dog.
Many people are under the impression that some dogs can’t be trained, or are evil because they are aggressive. This is not true. No dog is evil. Animals have no concept of good or evil and therefore are neither one. However they do have memories and if they have had any past traumas then that will affect them. If you adopt a dog that has had past traumas inflicted upon it then you may be in for a rough ride.
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Regardless the main thing you need to remember when breaking a dog in is that it’s not a person. It has a sense of loyalty, a sense of friendship, a sense of who’s in charge and whose not. It does not have the same emotions we do as far as communication goes. When people see an injured child they go over to it and ask if it’s okay and often the parents will pick it up while it’s crying and sweet talk to it to get it to calm down.
Dogs do not understand sweet talk, this is one of the first mistakes you can make when trying to break a dog in. Regardless of what type, breed, or physiological problems a dog may have sweet talk just confuses them. They don’t understand our speech and thus rely on body language and the energy a person gives off to deduce the situation. For instance a positive energy from a calm assertive person will tell the dog everything is fine, especially after doing something, it will get the idea that that was the right thing to do.
But acting all worried, stressed, and frantic when it’s hurt like parents do to a child will just confuse, and sometimes frighten a dog. Remember an animal doesn’t have the same emotional weaknesses that humans have. When breaking them in you need to be tough. This comes to the second mistake people sometimes make giving into the dog when it whines or whimpers. One thing dogs have in common with children is that if they don’t get what they want or are upset they will whine and whimper.
Unless the dog is doing it when it has gotten hurt then there is no problem with the dog. If you are disciplining them and they do this do not give in. You are not hurting them, and they have to learn not to eat the food on the table during thanksgiving. Every dog whines, so be prepared.
Finally the third mistake you can make is not following through. Dogs are pack animals and you are the head of their pack. If you are weak they will assume the role, or try to. This can lead to problems within the home. So always be calm, assertive, and in control. Also take your dog out for a walk every day, 25 to 45 minutes should do, they need exercise to.
