Verbally Correcting One Dog When You Have Two
A poster from our discussion forum asked:
"I have two dogs- - a Pit Bull and a Boston Terrier. I have read that you should not use the dog's name and [the word]"No" together so that the dog does not associate negative feelings with his name. So how do I tell one dog "No," without both feeling like they are both in trouble?
Situation: The Pit Bull is happily playing with her chew toy. The Boston Terrier is chewing on my sofa. How do I let the sofa chewer know that he is in the wrong (the Boston knows better. I have corrected him using the prong collar in the past and by just saying, "No," will get him to stop) without making the Pit Bull think that she is in trouble.
Adam replies:
Eye contact.
You don't need to worry about the other dog's "feelings." Just make eye contact with the dog you are going to correct.
If the dog is chewing on your couch you should NOT BE GIVING VERBAL CORRECTIONS. You should be giving leash corrections.
Chewing on the couch is a major infraction. We don't give $2 tickets for chewing on the couch. We give $200 tickets. Otherwise, your correction will have no meaning. (Keep the tab and training collar on the dog.)
You shouldn't be giving exclusively verbal corrections for this behavior. Period. Two, maybe three leash corrections for this behavior and your dog should never do it again. If he continues doing it, then you know that your corrections aren't firm enough. Also, you may want to try taking one link out of the pinch collar. It should be a snug fit.
I don't advise pet owners to ever use the dog's name in conjunction with the word "No."
That's all for now, folks!
Adam
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Universal Principles For Successful Dog Training
Dog training is not rocket science and is not as difficult as you think. It is certainly possible for ANY dog owners to train their dogs themselves provided they put in adequate amount of effort. The principles listed here are universal to dog training of any dog breeds, be it sporting, working, toy or terrier, any dogs - big or small, pup or old, any Owners - competitive or leisure.
In short, if you are serious about training your dog and demand Only success, You MUST apply these principles. No “If” No “But”. Get the basic right first before you start to train your dog!
Consistency
Consistency is very important during training and correcting unwanted behavior. Always use the same "command" for a specific task you require of your dog. Don’t confuse him by using different command for the same task.
Once you’ve establish some house rules such as - keeping the cooking area out of bound to your dog, enforce them constantly. If the dog learns that he can get away with it now and then, your previous efforts will go down the drain. Lastly, make sure everyone in the family accept and enforce your rules consistently.
Timing
Timing is critical to successful training. Praise your dog whenever he is doing something right. As expected, reprimand him on the spot and to the point whenever he misbehave or fails to response to your command. Praise and reprimand that happen later will have no effect on your dog.
* There are 2 main schools of thoughts concerning the timing of correction when your dog misbehaves. I called the first school of thoughts the “Direct Approach”. It simply requires you to reprimand your dog on the spot if he misbehaves. This is more of a tangible and straight forward approach to training your dog and is easy to understand for most trainers.
I called the second school of thoughts the “Endurance Approach” as it’ll require you to ignore your dog when he misbehaves. Using the cause and effect to your advantage, this approach requires you to ignore the dog, especially when he misbehaves to seek attention and encourage you to pay attention to your dog only when he’s a good boy.
Attention Factor (Endurance Approach)
Dogs love attention and are hugely motivated by it. Unlike man, dogs do not know how to differentiate between positive and negative attention. They see things in a simple way. If a certain action gets reaction and attention, you’ll bet they repeat it over and over again. (Cause and Effect)
Unfortunately, for most dog owners, we more often than not give our dogs negative attention. For example, "Do you let him out of his crate when he groans?" or "Do you give chase when he runs off with your socks?" These are negative attentions given to the dog and is certainly motivating his bad behavior.
Fortunately, the opposite is true if you pay enough attention to your dog when he behaves himself. When the dog understands that he’ll get attention only when he’s behaving, he’ll learn that only good behavior attract attention and he’ll repeat his good behavior always.
Focus your attention on your dog only when he is behaving; praise him or give him a treat, let him know that he’s getting the attention. If this technique is used correctly, he’ll be a well-behaved dog for a long time to come. Nevertheless, this approach is probably not for the short temper and requires you to go through an endurance ordeal. Imagine your dog chewing up your sock in your presence. “Endure Dude!”
Training Mood
You need to be in the correct frame of mind before you train your dog. Never train your dog when you are under the influence of alcohol or drug. Also try not to train him if you’ve a bad day or not in the best of your mood.
If you’ve just argued with your sweetie or got a telling off from your boss earlier on. You would most probably take out your frustration on him and threaten your relationship with him in future.
Do remember to apply these dog training principles constantly & you'll be half-way through to successful dog training.
To get more informations about dogs see Squeaky Dog Toy
If you need more data regarding dogs check out Squeaky Dog Toy
