Don’t stare down, drag, or hold down your puppy
Behavior meant to threaten will teach your dog to fear or challenge you, and physical manipulation prompts them to defend themselves. Neither path produces the outcome you desire, and even if these methods bring your puppy to submissiveness now, they could lead to pent-up aggression which can manifest itself later. The issue is that all dogs, even the best-trained and well-behaved dogs, have a breaking point.
How do you scold your puppy? Puppies learn from the signals we give them, so if our tone of voice seems overly anxious or out of control, they will in turn become anxious and hyperactive. It seems logical that your puppy would be more attentive to your commands if they are loud or angry, but dog trainers recommend using a calm, but firm, tone instead.
5 Steps to Discipline a Puppy without Punishment
If Skip was told not to bark at the neighbors on Tuesday but on Wednesday you decide to let it slide, your pup is going to be confused and won’t learn the desired behavior. Giving in to them “just this once” will reinforce the negative behavior, leading to a puppy problem continuing into a dog problem (and staying your problem).
Address an issue only if you catch your puppy in the act. A puppy that has chewed through the screen door won’t understand that you’re unhappy with this when you reprimand them ten minutes later. You can monitor your puppy remotely by using Petcube, a pet camera that will broadcast your voice if you catch them at that screen door.
A firm “no” from you signals to your puppy that their behavior is not ok, but yelling or physical aggression will just make them scared. Dogs don’t understand that these responses are directed towards a certain behavior, and instead interpret them as threats to themselves.
It can make your dog fear you, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve. It can also make your pooch feel like they can never make a mistake, leading to them becoming anxious about your reaction. The best way to express your disapproval is through vocalization or physical removal, like taking your dog outside. A good puppy parent and trainer should signal authority without losing their cool.
Suppose youre not certain of your training methods. In that case, you can have an expert consultation on the go using online vet to clarify your concerns in behavior, health, nutrition, and other pet-related questions.
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Discouraging bad puppy behavior is as important as rewarding the good. Praise, treats, petting, or playtime are all positive ways to reward your puppy for good behavior. When your puppy does something you like, give them a treat, pet them, and just lavish them with praise.
Positive reinforcement is instrumental in helping them understand what you want from them. You can even use a clicker or a verbal cue such as “yes!” to let them know they’ve done something well. Did Dixie stop barking when you told them to stop? Go Dixie! Give her a treat. Did Duke go potty outside? That’s awesome! Tell him what a good boy he is.
Turns out that timeouts don’t just work for naughty kids! Naughty puppies can also learn from timeouts, or “isolation”. Timeouts are most effective when used in response to behaviors like, jumping up on people, nipping, mouthing, and some forms of aggression.
Pro tip: The best way to discipline your dog with timeouts is to give them some kind of verbal signal that you can say gently, (for example, “Oops!”) and then either leave the room (if you are alone) or lead them to an area where they will be separated from other people and dogs. Crates can also be effective timeout spaces. Ideally, a timeout should not last longer than a couple minutes.
Although this was encouraged in the past as a way to teach a dog who the “leader of the pack” is, it is not the most effective training tool. When you use physical punishment, you send your dog the message that aggression is an acceptable form of communication. If you do not want your dog to bite, punishing them for biting is not the way to make it stop. Punishment can only provoke fear, anxiety, and aggression.
Using aggression teaches aggression, and while a smack on the nose or a Scruff Shake might cause Rover to stop a problem behavior, too much of this type of punishment just might turn him from a naughty puppy into a seriously troubled dog.
Furthermore, experts are beginning to discourage the use of such discipline methods as collar jerks and electric fences as they fail to bring about long-term behavioral change. An electric fence may act as a deterrent for the dog, but it may also cause them to become overly anxious.
Why do puppies chew on everything?
Puppies might be perfectly well-behaved in your presence but the moment you turn your back, chances are they are going to get into all sorts of trouble. Their main thing will probably be chewing. Teething puppies will chew on shoes, socks, furniture, couch cushions, kids’ toys, and just about everything they can get their jaws on. They do this for the same reasons that human children chew on things: so that they can ease the pain and pressure in their teeth. Article continues below advertisement
That said, if you come home to find your favorite slippers torn to shreds, you might not be so understanding of the plight of your adorable new puppy. The same holds true for potty training, especially when your pup decides to pee less than a foot away from their wee wee pad. These situations can be frustrating enough that you might want to lash out or yell at the puppy, but that isn’t always the best way to go about things.
How To PUNISH A Dog | The Right and The GENTLE Way
Puppies are most certainly not born knowing the rules of living in a human world, and it can be incredibly frustrating to help them navigate boundaries. If you are a puppy owner, you may find yourself wondering when and how you should discipline a puppy.
There are many different types of discipline that various trainers may impose upon a puppy. However, some of these punishment methods can be incredibly damaging – physically and/or mentally – to your puppy.
In this article, we’ll explore punishments and discipline that can be effective without causing harm to your young puppy.