Don’t make the mistake that so many puppy owners are making today. This mistake is far too common and far too serious to ignore.
I received this email yesterday and I decided that it was too important for me not to share with you, because it could save you from a lot of heartache and wasted money.
You see, right now all around the world thousands of people are enrolling their new puppies into puppy pre-school and puppy training classes, and then possibly progressing to dog obedience classes.
But really, why are they doing all this? Well, ultimately the thinking is that they will end up with good, well-behaved dogs who are safe and under control.
So what if I told you that attending all these classes, spending hundreds of dollars, absolutely does NOT mean that you’ll automatically achieve this.
That’s right…what people tend to learn at obedience school is how to get their dogs to follow commands in a sterile environment. Sure there is some socialization, which is great if it’s done right.
But the really important information is often completely overlooked. For example, understanding how to become and remain the pack leader and PREVENT serious issues as your puppy grows up is kind of crucial. What you want is a method of training that works when your dog is young and then continues to work as your dog grows up.
Unfortunately though, here is a classic example of a lovely lady who’s spent hundreds of dollars puppy training and is now looking for help. Total cost of training so far is probably close to $500!
Now she is wanting help to understand how to stop the following serious issues: BARKING, GROWLING, FIXATIONS, NIPPING FOR ATTENTION, CAN’T RELAX, FOLLOWING EVERYWHERE.
So I ask you again…what was the point of puppy pre-school and puppy training? (I am sure that this dog can still do a mighty fine sit and stay!)
Here is her email to me:
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“Hi there,
For my 30th birthday last year I got a little puppy who, for the most part, has been well-behaved. She has done a couple of puppy schools and training classes where she did very well and showed she was a quick learner. However, over the last few months (she is now over a year old) her behavior has been getting worse.
Here is a list of her issues at the moment:
– Barking & growling. She is constantly growling out the windows at nothing in particular, anything can set her off – birds, the neighbor’s chickens, people next door, trees moving, rustling in the bush, dogs down on the beach, kids’ toys on the lawn next door and imaginary things. Once she starts barking, she seems to get fixated on it. This is her biggest problem and it is so frustrating not only to us but I am sure to the neighbors as well. As well as barking at things outside, when she wants attention she will growl/bark/nip at me (only imagineear.com/pharmacy/ does this with mainly me, sometimes other family members. Is very cuddly at the park with other people).
– She is unable to occupy herself and is constantly following me around. She does not seem to know how to relax and chill out.
– Because of her barking, we can’t leave her outside by herself, as she will just bark non-stop.
She has a sweet personality but the barking and attention seeking is very draining and I would like to be able to enjoy having her around again and I am sure she would be happier if she were more independent and relaxed.
Do you think you would be able to come and help us get our lovely little girl back?”
Thanks
Christine Wakefield and Poppy
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Of course it would be so much easier and far less stressful to have prevented this behavior from occurring in the first place. So much time, effort, and money has been spent on training the sit, down, and stay–and look where we have ended up.
The thing that is missing is nobody explained to this new puppy owner the importance of becoming the pack leader, and this is the real cause of all these issues…Barking, following the owner, unsettled, nipping, etc.
You see, when a dog thinks that they are the pack leader, they will bark to protect the property. They can end up barking at absolutely nothing as in this case unless you stop it. They will follow their owners around if they think that they are the pack leader to protect them…just like a good mother will keep an eye on her children.
It all links back to becoming the pack leader and learning how to switch your puppy off so they can relax and enjoy life without any worries, because you are in charge.
Training your puppy to understand commands is fun and should be a component of your puppy training, but don’t let it become the only thing that you focus on. Understand the importance of gaining your dog’s respect so that as they grow up they continue to listen.
One of the best sites that you can learn about these really important topics is Doggy Dan’s video website, The Online Dog Trainer.
In this site you can actually watch Dan raising his very sweet puppy, Moses, from 8 weeks of age right through to 8 months and beyond. It goes on to cover all dog training and dog behavioral problems.
The site has everything you could ever need when raising a puppy, it’s effectively the video diary of an amazing puppy who is now a fantastic dog.
Don’t wait till things start to go wrong. Prevention is better than cure!
So if you want to save hundreds of dollars…
And want to get the training right first time round,
And avoid all the hassle and stress…
Then I suggest you take a look at The Online Dog Trainer, the video website for puppy training: CLICK HERE.