We all function a lot better when there are rules and guidelines to keep us in check. Whether through laws, taboos or even social rules we instinctively realise how we should conduct ourselves. Dogs are similar. Just as the back garden they run around in is contained by a boundary fence, they should have similar mental barriers so that they behave in an proper and acceptable manner. Below we will investigate the importance of establishing limits and boundaries in obedience training dogs and exactly how we accomplish it.
I will startwith a rather fitting analogy. If someone were to put several fleas into a jar, they would, very quickly, hop out. When you put a top on the jar, the fleas would hop and constantly be hitting the top but over time would associate leaping that high with a injury. You then could lose the lid and the fleas would never jump out of the jar. These fleas will have established a boundary on themselves by repetition and, even thoughthe real limit had been taken away, will still be conditioned by the mental boundary.
In exactly the same way, you should develop behaviour boundaries for your new puppy when it first arrives. The vital thing about establishing behaviour boundaries is that you are one hundred percent consistent. It would be hopeless, for example if you were to allow your dog getting onto your couch after a bath when it is all clean and fluffy and then getting upset when it hops on when it has just been rolling in the mud. The dog does not differentiate between OK if clean and not OK if dirty. The sofa/bed/chair is allowed unless there is a behaviour barrier that has been consistently reinforced to tell the dog that it is forbidden. Also, if the sofa is allowed to your dog in your place, don’t be surprised if it jups onto other peoples’ sofas when out.
Just the same applies with what may be acceptable for a pup but not for the adult dog. A wolfhound puppy curled up on your sofa next to you while you are watching TV may be warm and comforting for both of you. However, when puppy is fully grown and you have been relegated the floor while he sits on the sofa watching television, things probably won’t be quite so cozy.
When you first get your dog you must decide upon and define the expected behaviour boundaries. Then you should reinforce these behaviour boundaries rigourously in a totally consistent manner for the dog to learn properly. In a short while, your dog, exactly like the fleas in the jar, will be happier without constantly creating a headache for both of you!
When training a new puppy or dog, it is important to start in the correct way as mistakes made early on could be hard to rectify later. At Poochdogs.com there are inexpensive and best-selling training books and courses which cover all topics about obedience training dogs including separation anxiety in dogs
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