Training A Staffordshire Bull Terrier – Some Essential Tips
Owning a fun dog with great character like a staffy can be one of the greatest joys in life. Pet owners are routinely found to have higher qualities of life than their pet less counterparts; however, an untrained dog will certainly provide you with many unhappy moments. This article serves to provide you with the tips necessary to start training a staffordshire bull terrier on your own.
- When training a staffordshire bull terrier, it’s best to start out by giving them a treat every time they do what you want them to. After they get the hang of it, back off the treats and only give them a treat 75% of the time, and continue reducing treats until they only get one occasionally.
- Be as generous with affection as you are with discipline. So many people spend a great deal of time yelling at their dog to stop doing things that they should not be doing and not enough time showing their dog that they love them. Let him know he is loved and he is sure to behave better for you.
- While it is possible to train many types of dogs together, depending on their personality, it may be impossible if you have two dogs. If you find that your dogs are not concentrating during training, then it may be necessary to train them independently, and then work on training them together.
- Figure out your training staffordshire bull terrier goals. Do you want a dog that obeys every command perfectly, or do you just want a good canine citizen with basic household manners? Take in to account how much time you have to train your dog, and the limits of the particular dog. Some dogs are easy to train, whereas others take a long time to learn each command. If you don’t have the time to train your dog, find a good trainer who specializes in the particular breed.
- An important dog training tip is to use the pet’s name whenever you are trying to get its attention. You need to get your pet used to responding to you when you call it by name. Use the pet’s name when you feed it, take it for walks and play with it. Randomly call your pet to you by name several times throughout the day, and then reward it for coming when called. Never call your pet by its name to come to you only to be punished.
- Don’t ever ignore good behavior from your dog. If they do something good, even if you didn’t ask them to do it, make sure that you reward them for it in some way. If you start to ignore them when they have done something desirable, then they will see no reason to keep doing it.
- Learn to read how your dog is feeling. By studying your pet’s body language, you’ll be able to guess whether it is feeling nervous, agitated, aggressive, or calm. If you can predict when a dog is about to behave badly, you can remove it from a bad situation before a problem develops.
- When training a staffordshire bull terrier it is important to reward good behavior while punishing bad behavior. Careful effort to maintain a clear distinction between good and bad behavior will go a long way towards overall training of the dog. This will guarantee that the dog knows why it is being rewarded or why it is being punished.
- Affection makes a great reward, however, be careful not to turn it into play. During training sessions, physical rewards such as belly rubs or scratching the ears can easily be overdone and lead the dog to think you are entering a play cycle. Keep the rewards quick and allow your dog to maintain focus for more training.
- Make sure that your pooch is obeying commands. If Spot is ignoring you when you tell him to sit, do not give up. Follow-through until you get the action that you expect. If you are going to give up without getting the action that you requested, don’t bother giving the command in the first place.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out to a professional dog trainer if your dog’s issues become too much for you to handle alone. Problems like aggression and severe anxiety are best handled by professionals, as these issues can become dangerous if they’re handled by untrained people. Your trainer can guide you in your efforts in person.
- Be mindful of exactly what behavior you are reinforcing, so stand your ground and don’t give into your pet’s persistence. A dog will generally repeat whatever action has previously earned him a reward. Thus, if you give a dog food so that it will stop begging at the table one night, you’re only making the dog more inclined to beg for food again, the next night.
- The easiest way to keep your dog or new puppy from chewing up everything in the house while you are out is to keep him outdoors while you are gone. If this is not an option for you, the simplest way keep him from chewing is to close the doors to rooms that have appealing items and put other tempting items out of his reach.
- 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.
- Generosity towards your dog goes a long way when you are trying to train your pet. Reward your pooch where rewarding is due and don’t be stingy with the doggie treats. You and your pet both deserve a reward for all your hard work and make sure to put enough time aside for your dog’s training.
All pets, and certainly all staffies, can be wonderful companions. For many people, the time and patience it requires to train their dog properly may discourage them from attempting it on their own. By applying the tips in this article on training a staffordshire bull terrier, not only will you have an obedient companion, but you will save yourself many headaches and provide yourself great joy in the long run.