How to correctly train dogs

Subvert the traditional way of dog training

First of all, if you are a fighter defending the rights of "dogs" and think that keeping pets will hurt you, so you can tolerate noisy, biting and defecating, then you may feel that you are suspected of cruelty to animals, or you are going to get a puppy, but you are worried that you are not well trained, so you should remember every small step. These are the experiences accumulated by Japanese trainers, which are really effective, and there is no mention of beating and cursing with a whip. Everyone can rest assured.

Many people train their pets from a "human" perspective. Although dogs have been in human family life for some time, don't expect dogs to understand your good intentions. There is a saying in Taiwanese that it is unfilial to spoil a pig. Never forget that no matter how cute a puppy is, it is still a "wolf" in disguise. Wolves are social animals. The way to maintain the orderly operation of a group without chaos is to establish a class system of respecting elders, and subordinates must absolutely obey their superiors. In other words, in the dog's mind, the position of each member of the family is fixed. Some mothers often complain, "I feed him and take him for a walk every day." I take care of him alone. Although my husband hardly cares about him, he only listens to my husband. Why? From the owner's point of view, when he takes care of the dog, he naturally thinks that the dog will regard himself as the owner and obey his orders. But in fact, the real idea in the dog's heart is: "This guy feeds me, takes me for a walk, washes my hair and combs my hair. As long as I ask, she can satisfy me, so I am the boss. She is a person who serves me, and she is a subordinate below me. "Do you think so?

A. Walking articles

When raising a dog, it seems that taking the dog out for a walk every day has become a "dog-raising way". Therefore, when you want to have a dog, the breeder must take the dog out for a walk at a fixed time every morning and evening. However, I don't know if you understand that taking the dog out for a walk at the same time every day will make the dog become willful and tricky.

Dogs are very sensitive to time. If you take your dog out for a walk at 6 am and 5 pm every day, it will remember this time as long as it lasts for a week. In the future, whenever it is close to the "stop time", the dog is ready to go out. If the owner happens to be busy, it will naturally urge the owner, fidget and even bark. In the current apartment environment, when the dog barks, the owner is afraid of the neighbors' protests and will take it out for a walk at once according to the dog's request. In the long run, this behavior of "being forced to go out by dogs" will endanger the owner's leadership position. Therefore, the focus of training is not to walk too regularly. Whenever you go for a walk, you should suit your host's convenience. Sometimes, you can even "not go out for a walk today." As long as there is no fixed time for walking, dogs will not be restless and will not bark at a specific time. "It's warm today, I'm free. It's boring to go for a walk alone. Let me take you for a walk! " I have trained dogs with the right attitude since I was a child. I believe that taking the dog out for a walk is no longer a routine that bothers me every day.

In addition, many feed owners regard walking and defecation as "auxiliary operations". Once you get into the habit of not going out for a walk, you really can't defecate. In order to avoid the influence of the dog's urine on your body, you must take newspapers and plastic bags with you 365 days a year, whether it is windy or rainy. However, urinating outdoors is not a dog's habit, but the owner's "training", which has created a dog that urinates everywhere. So walking and defecation must be separated from childhood. You can choose the yard at home or a designated place as the dog's toilet, so that the dog can learn to urinate as long as it is taken there. No matter whether it is windy or rainy, they don't have to worry about the dog's physical problems in the future.

In recent years, Labrador, Golden retriever and other large dogs have become popular, so the following scene must be often seen: "A large dog rushes forward desperately, holding the owner of the dog chain behind him." This feeling represents a reversal of power. Dogs will go where they want to go without authorization. Under the guidance of the dog, the owner can only run with the dog, and he can't control the dog's actions at all, which is prone to problems. For example, when you see other dogs, you glare or yell at each other, or even rush out to fight, causing people to bite (win or lose), or the owner is pulled down. As I said before, dogs are social animals, and group activities help hunting for a living. Walking with the host is also a group activity. Dogs get excited even if they are not hunting. Especially when the walking route is fixed, dogs will have a strong sense of "this is my place" and will naturally take an aggressive attitude when they see others invading them. Only when the master is in the leading position will the situation not get out of control. Therefore, the owner must master the command and take the dog to where the owner wants to go. Don't let the dog walk up to its owner and turn it into a dog, not a dog. Dog trainers often use the method of "traction training" The key to this method is that they must never make eye contact with dogs. They must completely ignore it. They can't talk to dogs. Don't pull the dog's flippers too tightly, so that the dog's flippers can remain loose. When the dog walks in front, it will immediately change the square blood and move in the opposite direction. When people exchange blood, the dog's halter will tighten and the dog's neck will feel uncomfortable. But because there is no eye contact with each other, it doesn't know that the owner is "playing tricks", so it will follow the direction of people. When it comes to its owner again, it should change its direction again and follow people's preferences. It would be better if different people continued this kind of training.

Walking, the dog pees on this tree at once, and then pees on that telephone pole (especially the male dog seems to pee endlessly). This kind of marking behavior will certainly be familiar to everyone. For dogs, this behavior represents a declaration to all "dogs" that this is their field. This kind of behavior of telling the world and declaring territory is just like people issuing business cards. This is the behavior caused by the dog's "power instinct". If the owner thinks that "marking people" is the dog's nature, and fails to stop his dog from doing whatever he wants, it will lead to the expansion of his power instinct. The strength instinct of a dog is inversely proportional to the obedience instinct. The growth of power instinct will lead to the shrinking of obedience instinct. "Obedience" does not mean blindly suppressing and abusing dogs. In fact, when dogs obey their owners, they will feel comfortable and can spend every day without stress. Of course, the owner must first treat the dog with deep love, and the dog will obey the owner. When the strength of the dog increases, the nerves will be in a state of tension at any time, leading to stress. And because of disobedience, it will definitely cause great trouble to the owners. In order to facilitate the dog's training, in the process of walking, the owner must master the control right, and don't let the dog scratch everywhere when walking, so as to keep the environment clean and tidy.

If unfortunately, your dog will quarrel with you every once in a while, or pretend to be cute and bite a chain to beg for your help, please refuse resolutely and ignore it, so as to regain your authority and change your subordinate relationship with the dog.

B. Dietary rules

I think health education since childhood has deeply instilled in us an idea: "Regular and quantitative diet can keep us healthy. The same principle should also be applied to dogs. Most owners will feed their dogs at a fixed time. And it is usually arranged before the host's family eats. On the one hand, I can't bear to love dogs on an empty stomach. On the other hand, I can avoid its noise and my family can enjoy a good meal. But this may be why dogs become "self-righteous".

Wolves (dogs) will feed in groups. When they catch their prey, they will do the following actions. First of all, the boss enjoys his prey, and other dogs can only wait patiently, and it is absolutely impossible to enjoy it around his prey. Only with the boss's permission will you approach the prey in order. This is how dogs hunt. Therefore, your dog will instinctively realize that eating first means that everyone around him agrees that "I am the boss, so I eat first". After a long time, dogs will become willful and will not listen to their owners. So please correct this bad habit. At first, the dog may growl or follow its owner closely, but it must be strong and never give in. Dogs are very adaptable. It took me a week to know that it was my turn to eat after the whole family had finished eating. In this way, dogs can be obedient and smart.

Owners will find that when most dogs eat, they will sweep away the food in one breath and can hardly swallow it, just like a vacuum cleaner. Therefore, the amount of feeding is often increased, and therefore many dogs are deformed like blowing balloons. In fact, this is the dog's eating nature. There is a saying called "wolfing down", which is more vivid. Wild dogs are hunting today, and I don't know if the next meal will land, so they are all scrambling to swallow it. Looking at the dog's teeth, we can also know that the dog's molars are as strong and sharp as they are, and there is no running-in surface. It is impossible to chew slowly like cattle and horses. Sharp teeth help them tear food and swallow it. Hey, how much is normal? If you feed dry dog food, the recommended feeding amount will be clearly marked on the package. Another way is to look directly at the dog's appearance, keep the waist, the ridge of the back spine will not be too obvious, and the ribs can be seen when breathing, which is a beautiful figure. Don't mistake your dog for a mini pig every time others see it. I believe it will be even more humiliating!

What food is better for dogs? In the previous agricultural era, people thought that the main food of most dogs was the "kitchen waste" of every household, and they laughed at everything left, and even ate some. Modern people go out early and return late in family life, and rarely start a business. At this time, dog food is a good choice, especially dry dog food is better than wet canned food, and there is no residue in teeth, so it is not easy to produce tartar and calculus. Many owners are afraid that eating dry food alone is not nutritious enough. In fact, the ingredients of dry feed are carefully calculated and analyzed, and protein, minerals (calcium), carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and other ingredients are well balanced. At the same time, according to the nutritional needs of different growth stages, puppies are divided into adult dogs, and even various functional formula feeds suitable for skin diseases and gastroenteritis. As long as you choose the right dog food, you won't have health problems because of food. As for which brand is good? This must be compared by the owner himself. Price is not the only consideration, it depends on whether the defecation volume has increased and whether it stinks after changing the feed. If it is, it means that the quality of the contents of this brand is not good, and many impurities are not easy to absorb, which will lead to an increase in defecation, not easy to solidify, sour taste, and even hair will become rough, dull and thin. When changing brands, don't change them all at once. It is recommended to add it slowly in a week to avoid diarrhea caused by gastrointestinal disorders.

The last worry about diet is how many meals a day is better? For a long time, as a veterinarian, I suggested that the owner should quantify this concept regularly. Six months ago, dogs went through two stages similar to human infants and adolescence. At birth, the digestive function of the stomach was not perfect. Four months later, due to the rapid growth, the demand for nutrition and calories was high. So three meals a day is recommended. This part of the trainer's point of view is consistent with ours. As for the so-called "biological clock" concept in adult physiology, we believe that if we don't eat at mealtimes, gastric acid will still be secreted, which will lead to gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric ulcer for a long time. Therefore, it is recommended to take it twice a day and quantify it regularly. Dog trainer thinks that one meal a day is enough. They think that dogs and human bodies are fundamentally different. Even if the wild dog can have a full meal once every three days or once a week, it still keeps its vigor. Therefore, as long as the pet dog is fed the necessary amount every day, it will not "starve to death" at all. Dog trainer even put forward some interesting and reasonable ideas, introducing the benefits of one meal a day, which can be accepted by owners who are "full of affection for their dogs".

First, if you "serve" two meals a day, the dog will become "overbearing and willful". "Even if you don't eat in the morning, you can still eat at night." But when you only eat one meal a day, if the dog doesn't eat, there will be nothing else to eat that day, and you can form the habit of eating well. When the dog food is taken out, if it wolfs down at once, the feeding work will become easy and simple.

The second point is the problem of defecation. As long as you eat, you will shit. If you feed the dog twice, you must manage the second defecation. In other words, when you only eat one meal a day, defecation management is more convenient. Do you think it makes sense? I think if your dog is not hungry enough to make his legs dizzy and vomit stomach acid, you can try it.

In addition, just like the principle of walking at different fixed times, dog trainer also suggested that the owner "disturb the meal time wisely", which would help the owner's leadership and let the dog know that it is meal time when the owner takes out the feed, so that the dog will not make noise at a fixed time, even if he doesn't eat every day occasionally. If you travel frequently, the dog will not make noise because of lack of food, which will ruin everyone's interest in playing.

Dog trainer also teaches you "one bite diet" and trains dogs to obey. The key is to use empty tableware and put a bite of dog food in it. Put a leash on the dog. When it wants to eat dog food, it silently tightens its belt. When it can wait all the time, it will say "wait a minute" and say "ok" after a few seconds. At the same time, it will relax the leash and let it eat, repeat the above process and feed a full meal. In this way, the dog can realize that people are feeding it, and it must do so.

C. defecation training

Toilet training is also one of the important topics for owners. Especially in indoor breeding, if you don't do a good job in toilet training, dogs will easily urinate and have a headache. Some people think that the dog's toilet smells like urine, so the dog will go there to go to the toilet. There are also "dung-inducing liquids" selling ammonia smell in the world. But in fact, this method of reminding dogs to remember the location of the toilet with urine-stained newspapers or toilet paper will almost fail, because dogs don't like to pee in places that smell of their own urine. Even if the surface of newspapers and toilet paper is dry and only a slight smell remains, dogs will smell this smell with their keen sense of smell, thinking that it is "dirty here" and will excrete it elsewhere. So how to train in the toilet? The secret lies in the habit of dogs.

Wild dogs, after giving birth in the nest, the newborn puppy can't urinate, so the bitch will stimulate the child's groin with her tongue to promote the puppy's excretion. At the same time, the bitch will lick the puppy's feces and urine to avoid polluting the nest. If you leave the smell of urine and poop, it will become a sign of natural enemies. Therefore, when the puppy learns to urinate, it will stay away from the nest to excrete, which is the basic habit of dogs.

From this habit, we can know that the toilet should be as far away from the dog's nest as possible. "But when you have a dog at home, where is the nest? Someone must have this question. Nowadays, many people keep it on the balcony, yard or at home, and it moves freely in the space. Few people make a decent kennel for dogs so that dogs can rest in peace. People who have seen western movies or comics must be familiar with dog houses. The kennel is a place to replace the nest at home. Whether the kennel is set up or not has a lot to do with the toilet training of dogs. Arrange a kennel for the dog, and then set the toilet slightly away from the kennel. When the dog comes out of the kennel, take it to the toilet first and let it go to the toilet. At first, even if you say to the dog, "Hey! Hurry and pee! "It may not pee. So you can enclose the toilet with wire, put the toilet in it, and keep the dog in the wire fence until it is discharged, and then let it out. Usually it can be allowed to move freely indoors, but when the owner goes out or sleeps at night, he still has to be put in the dog house. As soon as you get out of the kennel, take it to the toilet to excrete. After constant practice, dogs will have conditioned reflex. As long as you are taken to the toilet, you will immediately urinate. If this can be done, there will be no need for barbed wire. As I said before, there is no point in using something that doesn't smell like dog urine. Therefore, dogs should put clean newspapers and mats immediately after excretion, which is the correct toilet education. I believe you already know that the key point is to separate the dog house from the toilet. When the dog leaves the kennel, take it to the toilet immediately, which will restrict this series of actions. Dog trainer thinks that when toilet education fails, 100% of the reason is to let dogs move freely indoors. Letting dogs "have no place to live" in the house actually makes them lack their own private space. Some people may think that letting your dog move freely in the room can reduce stress, but in fact, on the contrary, because there is no place to rest, the dog will have great mental stress. For a dog, the whole room is its territory, so it must be vigilant and defensive, or its territory will be violated. So, once a stranger comes to the house, such as postman, gas delivery, newspaper delivery and so on. The dog will keep barking and even attack. If you give it a safe nest from an early age, even if the doorbell rings or even thunders, the dog can ignore it.

Some people think that when a dog urinates anywhere, it must pay the responsibility immediately, lower its head and smell the smell, and teach it a lesson that it is not allowed to urinate anywhere. But in fact, this is a big mistake. Although the dog has been punished, it can't understand the truth of human beings, nor can it reflect that it can't defecate anywhere. Dogs will think that "if you pee, you will be beaten and scolded, and you must always endure it." Therefore, forcing the dog to smell his urine may have a temporary effect, but that is only because the dog feels "terrible" and bears it down. After a while, it will pee everywhere again. The correct way is to take the dog to another room immediately, and the owner silently cleans the urine to remove the odor. The reason why I can't learn the correct size is mostly because dogs are allowed to move freely in the room and there is no fixed dog house. Finding the reason is the fundamental solution.

D. Education and training should start at an early age.

For dogs, the period of 1~3 months after birth is a very important period of socialization and domestication, and the dog's temperament is mostly determined during this period. At this age, he has a strong interest in the surrounding environment and has the strongest adaptability. He is easy to establish a good relationship with human beings and cultivate a gentle character. However, due to the large number of stray dogs and serious infectious diseases in Taiwan Province Province, most puppies have not received complete basic vaccination at this time, so veterinarians will probably recommend avoiding going out as much as possible and not contacting other dogs or humans to avoid feeling infected. But from the standpoint of training, if you stay at home all day, it will have a negative impact on your character in this wrong socialization and domestication period. You don't have to put flippers on your dog when you go out, and let him walk by himself. It doesn't matter whether you hold it in your arms or put it in a dog basket. Taking a puppy out to be hugged or stroked by strangers can help it adapt to human society, so that it will not tremble when it grows up, and it will also show vigilance when it sees strangers or other dogs.

Stroking is the foundation of establishing a good relationship and the beginning of communication between people and dogs. Many people don't like picking their ears or cutting their nails, or being touched off their tails, because they didn't form the habit of being touched since childhood, but because of their instinct to protect their fragile parts. Many people have touched the dog's head and back, but this is not the correct way to touch it. The correct way is to "show the groin", press the puppy on the ground, put its feet in the air, press its throat hard and tell it to "get down", and then slowly touch its ears, tail, toes, mouth and other parts. This behavior is to imitate the way bitches educate puppies. When the bitch wants to control the puppy's behavior, she will let the puppy fall on all fours and then hold down the puppy's throat. Dogs can't tell good from bad, but they can judge good from evil through their mother's "control" behavior. This method of "touching groin" is the basis of training. If dogs are fierce and don't let people touch them, you can also use dog food to help with training. When feeding them dog food, you can touch their bodies at the same time, so that dogs can learn that they can eat dog food as long as someone touches their bodies. When their bodies are touched, something good will happen, and the forbidden area will be opened. 」

If the dog has bad habits, such as barking when the doorbell rings, picking up something to eat while walking; Is it right to see other dogs and scream ... and scold them? I believe most people think that dogs can't understand people's words. Only corporal punishment can make them "learn from a painful experience" and achieve the purpose of teaching. This is actually a wrong idea. Beating and cursing will only make dogs "hostile" and "afraid", and only remember the fact that they were beaten (dogs with good memories are more likely to hold grudges for life! ! ) and won't remember the reason for being beaten. And when you scold it, your passionate tone sounds like solidarity with it. It will only scream louder, and you will only exhaust yourself. The correct way is to ignore, not give love, "not talk" and "not make eye contact", create a painful situation for the dog, let the owner regain leadership, let the dog obey, and establish a correct master-slave relationship.

If it still doesn't work, then you have to use the "natural punishment method." The key of this method is "line of sight". If you watch the dog teach it a lesson, it means "confrontation" and will arouse its rebellious heart. But if you don't look straight, you can limit the dog's behavior by pulling the reins, throwing it with a rolled-up newspaper, or making it uncomfortable with a bottle filled with a little water. But because you don't look directly at it, it has no hostile object, and it will feel that being pulled by the dog's reins is a punishment from heaven, so it will not distrust human beings. The method of "leading the way for a walk" mentioned above also uses the same principle. This method is very important in order to establish a good relationship between dogs and people. Please remember, you must never look at it.

In addition to mastering leadership, praise is also very important in the training process. If the dog is doing well, it is necessary to directly praise you for doing well! A dog with a strong obedience instinct will think that its master praised me. What should I do next time to get them to praise me? I want to work harder. Sticks and carrots must be combined with kindness and prestige to produce complementary effects. When training the dog to obey the action, it will immediately say great, touch its throat, which will make it feel happy in the dog's heart and help further training.

The above are the training tips designed by the dog trainer according to the dog's nature. I hope that if you love your dog, you can make it more obedient. True devotion is absolutely the key to success. However, if you don't understand overindulgence, the puppy will be arrogant and disobedient, and even with a caring owner, it will be unbearable one day. If everyone can train dogs well from puppy time, it should reduce some problems of stray dogs.