Newfoundland Puppies Blog

The narrow line between training and abuse

Many dog owners think that their Newfy is the smartest in the world. There’s no problem with this, up to certain a point. This point is when the owner expects as much from the dog as if it really was the most intelligent creature the world has ever seen. They expect them to learn everything right away, whereas dogs need time to learn things, the same way as we, humans do. Just in a different way Well, the point is, that training requires time and patience. It can be different for all dogs, but we do have to keep this in mind and take the time and energy to train our Newfoundland.

Another common mistake (also because of the lack of patience) is to give up. Many people think that they have already tried everything but the dog doesn’t want to learn. In this case, maybe the methods are not the best, or they need more time. There are no dogs who wouldn’t be able to learn at least a few commands. Giving up is never a solution.

So, if we have the time and the patience we can avoid the next, and maybe the biggest mistake: to turn training into abuse. Probably you expect me to tell you where this line is. I can’t. This is something the owner should know. Training is all about communication. If you know your Newfoundland, if you pay attention to him, you see how he feels. Unfortunately many dog owners don’t have this ability, because they only keep pets for entertainment, while a dog is much more than that.

Going back to training, a very important rule is that your goal should be that your Newfy obeys to commands because he is keen to do so. NOT BECAUSE HE IS AFRAID. Many-many owners forget about this, and feel the training successful, but actually they are making their dog unhappy. How can someone live happily in fear? No way. These owners are only keeping a dog to make themselves happy, and don’t feel the responsibility they should.

So the point is, that ‘positive training’ is possible. Actually, that’s the only way.

The first difficulties most Newfoundland owners face is potty training their puppy. As with general training, the main principles remain the same: a positive, rewarding approach and a lot of patience is required. There are, however a few tips and tricks that will make the whole process faster and easier for both puppy and owner. Find out what Sharda Baker has to say on the topic, who has developed her best practices by years of trial and error.

Please comment if you have something to add.

Why spend money on vet bills, if you can do it too?

Dogs have become such an important part of our society, that the need for them to fit in well with other human beings and not pose a threat or a disturbance is critical to their long term acceptance by our neighbors and others around us. Not all people are dog lovers and to make sure that they’re not inconvenienced by our pets, training is essential.

Also, dog training is an integral part of a working dog’s life for them to be able to assist humans in activities like hunting and police work. Training dogs is a specialized skill since the key difficulty lies in how to communicate efficiently with them.

All training of dogs is a repetition of the basic principle of reward and punishment in various forms and combinations. Communication of these signals is the key to proper training. One very important thing to remember is consistency of signals. The reliability of the training depends on how well a dog is able to be sure of what your signals mean.

It must also be mentioned that different dog breeds take to training differently. Dogs like the iconic German Shepherd are very easily trained due to their high intelligence. Another important factor is the emotional state of the dog. A dog that is frightened, anxious, or insecure doesn’t train well and this reflects the importance of factors like proper socialization of puppies.

A lot of studies have shown that proper puppy socialization goes a long way towards ensuring a good temperament and receptivity towards training. Lots of handling, petting and generally being around humans in their everyday life goes a long way towards making a dog well behaved and easy to train.

Training Newfoundland puppies should not begin too early however, as there is evidence to show that before a certain age, the brains of puppies are not significantly developed enough to process complex learning.

Professional dog trainers are best when it comes to training your Newfoundland as they will ensure that the proper habits are set for life, including how to behave around strangers. For the safety of your Newfoundland dog, it is your duty as an owner to ensure that he or she is well trained.

Struggling with house training?

Leerburg’s 165 pages Housetraining eBook addressing the following issues might help:

1 Why Accept the Crate First?
2 Why is not Peeing or Pooping in the House the Second Thing to Learn?
3 Why is Pack Structure Important?
4 Why is Being Calm in the House Part of House Training?
5 The Benefits of Crate Training
6 Kinds of Crates
7 Puppies and Dog Crates
8 Owner’s Attitude About Crates
9 Getting the Dog into the Crate
10 Size, Locations, and How Many Crates?
11 How Long in the Crate?
12 Teach Pee Break Vs. Play
13 When Accidents Happen
14 Feeding in the Crate
15 Exercise and House Training
16 How to Take a Dog Out of the Crate
17 When to Stop Using the Leash
18 Teaching Puppy To Ring a Bell on the Door
19 When to Stop Using the Crate
20 The Umbilical Cord Method
21 A Four Week Training Program to House Train Your Adult Dog
22 Marking In Your House
23 When to leave an adult dog home alone and loose in the house
24 Difference Between Walks and Elimination Periods Outside
25 Dog Doors are a BAD Idea!
26 Obedience Training goes along with House Training in Adult Dogs
27 Old Wives Tails on House Training Dogs
28 Using Crates as Punishment
29 Crate Aggression in Adult Dogs
30 Hard to Train Dogs
31 Emails on House Training Problems

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