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Cats, Dogs

6 Steps to Help Train Your Puppy or Dog

Did you know that undesirable pet behavior is one of the leading reasons people re-home their pet or take them to an animal shelter? Training a pet properly can be a hard task. There’s so much for them to learn and many different ways of doing it. But don’t worry! Resources and help are out there. With a little research and a lot of patience, you’ll find your pet following rules like a champ in no time!

January is pet training month. It’s the perfect opportunity to brush up on your pet training skills. This post should help motivate you to get the job done!

Follow these steps from start to finish and you’ll find yourself feeling great about your pet’s behavior.

Step 1: Focus on what you’d like to work on. If you currently have a “naughty” puppy or a stubborn dog, keep reading. As mentioned before, start with patience, and don’t forget to have a plan. Make a list of the behaviors that you truly want to work on. Does your dog have accidents in a certain area of the home? No fun! Does your dog bite inappropriately? Scary. Does your furry companion sometimes eat your shoes? Expensive. These are all behaviors that can be modified. Write these things down and move on to step two.

Step 2: Identify what motivates your pet. Does your dog love food or treats? Does your dog appreciate back rubs? Whatever your pet loves the most, use it as a reward. When he or she obeys you, give them that reward. Understand what drives your pet. Don’t give up!

Step 3: Do the research. Some breeds are harder to train than others. But the good news is that many people have broken through that training barrier, no matter what pet you’re dealing with. There are things that will work. You just have to discover them! Get online, do research and try different things. Go with your gut and do those things with no backing off. Determination is key in step three!

Step 4: Repetition is important. Repetition is important. After you have a plan established, repeat it as often as you can. Use your established rewards to help your pet understand that what he or she is doing is desirable. Be as consistent as you possibly can. Your dog will get it! Don’t worry!

Step 5: Get to the root of the matter. There are many reasons why a pet might be acting out. If you focus on why your pet is doing these things you might come up with a permanent solution. You might consider using a calming product, like Essential Pet Calming Soft Chews.

Step 6: Identify when a professional needs to step in. Professional pet training is a profession because some pets are hard to train. Having a professional pet trainer does not mean that you’ve done something wrong. Don’t take it that way, please. Just like humans, some pets train better with other pets around or with a human other than their parents. It’s a fact. If you’ve done a good job doing steps one through four, then it might be time to talk about lessons. Many local Humane Society’s offer affordable pet training solutions for animals. Start there. Never give up!

Step 6: Learn from others. Just like working with a professional, there are other people out there that are going through the same thing that you are. Join a pet community like our Facebook page for tips and tricks. Oh, and we also post adorable pet pictures pretty frequently. If you have a question about your pet, feel free to reach out to us on our Facebook page. Talk soon!

The fact is, training a pet is not the easiest thing to do in the world. You’ll see good days and bad. But like most things in life, this too shall pass. There are many different training tactics out there. In fact, we have written about many topics already. Consider reading a few of our other blog posts about pet training:

> Quick Training Tips for Pets

> Does your dog act out? Why and how to crate train your dog or puppy.

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