Dog Training - Five steps to successful integration
Few owners enjoy the sight of a dog using his tongue to clean his private places, but it is essential to realize that this is a necessary part of his personal hygiene. Most dogs are very efficient at keeping themselves clean without any help from humans, apart from those with gastric ailments resulting in diarrhea (especially longhaired dogs), obese dogs who cannot reach their nether regions and older dogs that are not very flexible. Part of learning how to train a dog is understanding his hygiene requirements as well. It is important that you attend to these dogs’ hygiene needs and wash their anal and genital areas as part of your dog house training, especially in hot weather when there are lots of flies about.
Scavenging
Most pet dogs get food handed to them at least once a day and never have to find their own food. Humans often feel that, because of this, there is no need for dogs to hunt or scavenge, and often punish them for doing so. However, until we breed dogs that have very little remaining of the genetics of their ancestors, dogs will continue to have the drives and desires that allowed their predecessors to acquire enough to eat. Dogs can be trained not to raid the kitchen bin; in the case of a confirmed scavenger, however, the simplest thing to do is to make sure the bin is not kept where he has access to it.
Five steps to successful integration
Learn how to interpret your dog’s body language, and so recognize his state of mind; remember that tail-wagging does not always mean a dog is friendly
A ‘tense’ body indicates uncertainty, fear or potential aggression, while a ’soft’ body stance and movement denotes a relaxed, happy dog.
Remember how a dog’s natural instincts dictate his behavior, and learn how to work with this.
Find out the different breeds’ inherent traits and use this knowledge to determine your ideal canine companion.
Remember not to get cross with your dog, but simply prevent him from doing the things that could be ultimately harmful to him by distracting him with a game or toy.