April 16, 2021 - By : comesitstayusa@gmail.com
Training a rescue dog can be done at home with the following DIY training tips for rescue dogs! Everything seems to be done at home during COVID-19 and dog training is no exception. During the pandemic, dogs are being adopted from rescue centers at an increasingly high rate due to many families being home for prolonged periods of time. Families used to spend their evenings running to sporting practice, extracurricular events outside school hours, or participating in volunteering. There seems to be an abundance of extra time right inside their own four walls – with their pets! This has boosted their ability to spend quality time with their pets, but also encourage dog owners to take their ownership to the next level.
If you’ve been meaning to improve your dog’s obedience skills or you’re a new pet owner with a need to improve your rescue dog’s overall behavior then we have you covered.
Dogs anticipate routine and consistency. If you typically go to bed around 10:30PM and you get up around 6:30AM every morning to let your dogs outside to use the bathroom then you should stick to this routine every day. They anticipate that timeframe. If you break routine then you can expect the dogs to break their routine too. A dog that is usually able to hold their bathroom behaviors for a “routine” period of time may have an accident when the routine isn’t followed. If you’re trying to teach a dog how to appropriately handle feeding without food possessive behaviors then it’s important to stick to the routine. That might include a consistent time window for the feeding to occur, waiting for a calm demeanor before scooping or setting down food in front of the dog, and removing the dog’s bowl after a set time regardless if it is empty or not.
Dogs might recognize words like, “come”, “sit”, “stay”. They might even recognize their name. They don’t understand the endless filler words and sentences we string together. A lot of people talk to their dogs in entire conversations, but it’s important to talk to your dog for commands only. They need to recognize an assertive tone in your voice to know you’re saying, “I’m talking to you and this tone means to listen”. It doesn’t have to be a mean and scary tone, but it has to carry some authority to it so they can detect it outside the traditional “white noise” that your voice might carry. Dogs hear us talking all day long. They can get pretty good at ignoring the things that don’t pertain to them.
Since you’re spending more time at home and your busy schedule has seemed to clear up…the best thing to do with your pet is daily exercise and productive walks. Productive walks on a leash with a dog can exert their mental capacity more than anything. It requires an attention span that requires them to burn energy. A highly productive walk, even if it’s only 10 minutes, should exhaust a dog. If you have a high-energy dog that tends to demonstrate destructive behaviors when they have boundless energy then it’s vital you learn how to execute a “productive” walk. Be sure to utilize consistency, routine, and assertiveness during this last crucial step! Although any time is great for a good walk, consistent timing and a predictable routine will pay off dividends to improving your dog’s overall behavior!
The most important element to understand when rescuing a dog is that we don’t know their entire story. We have to be patient and demonstrate understanding throughout the entire process. Dogs are resilient animals, but it’s quite possible your rescued dog will have trust issues. These learned behaviors from their past life will continue to be noticeable, but overtime with your patience, routine, consistency and unconditional love they will be able to integrate and accept their new home and family.
There are many options out there for getting your fur baby trained. I encourage all of my clients to do their research before making a decision. After years of studying and practicing various training techniques, I came to realize there is no one size fits all method! That’s why we offer our FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION, so you get to meet your trainer and learn step by step our entire plan to train you and your dog. Each home has different circumstances. We cater to your individualized needs and concerns.
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