Separation anxiety among dogs is a common problem which most dog owners confuse with destructive behavior. If you know the right way to educate your dog in that sometimes he will be left alone, then he or she will understand how to cope when you are not around. This article contains a number of helpful tips which will show what you can do to make your dog feel at ease when alone.
Don’t expect too much of your dog, too soon. Puppies will be puppies. That is what makes them so cute. The key to training them to act appropriately, is consistency. Be consistent in immediately reinforcing good behavior and eventually, your dog will get the message. Just don’t expect them to become fully trained overnight.
Dogs can be spoiled just like children. While rewards are definitely necessary to keep your dog on the right path, too many rewards can lead your dog to expect them! Your dog should be treated for challenging tasks, or performing tasks he knows under exceptional circumstances. Making him work for his grub encourages him to stay on his toes.
To train your dog, do not establish yourself as dominating. You should make it clear that you are the teacher, but never make your dog feel like he has to be submissive towards you. Building your dog’s confidence with praise and positive reinforcement will build his confidence and make training much easier.
Rewarding good behavior doesn’t require tons of dog treats. Often your dog is happy just to get your praise and affection. When your dog performs well, give him lots of love and attention. Your dog will associate the action with your affection and be willing to repeat the good behavior, even without a treat.
Take everything that your friends and family members say about your training program with a grain of salt. Everyone will have their own opinions about how you should help your pet learn to follow directions. Ignore most of it and do what you know is best for you and your pet.
Target training can serve as a basis for more advanced tricks. Target training is teaching your dog to touch an object (the target) with his nose or paw. The object can be any item, but once you pick something to use (some trainers use a ball mounted on the end of a stick), stick to it consistently. Once your dog has learned to target the object, you can shape his behavior by placing the object near the next task you want him to learn. Targeting can be used to teach a dog to do everything from closing doors to turning the light switch on or off.
As was discussed in this beginning of this article, separation anxiety is a common problem with dogs that are often misrepresented as destructive behavior. If you understand the proper way to lessen your dogs anxiety, then you will start to see positive changes in behavior. Apply the advice from this article and you’ll soon see your dog showing less and less destructive behavior when you aren’t around.
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