Website Chat from Envolve

Categorized | Uncategorized

Tags | pets,

9 Foolproof Tips Anyone Can Do to Train a Stubborn Dog

Posted on 04 April 2008 by admin

dag1

(A Listropolis Original)

I have a Jack Russell Terrier, and if you're familiar with this breed, you know I have my hands full. Jack Russells are extremely active, and often difficult to train. My dog's name is Dag (video to explain the name), which isn't really important, but I took him to a training class at 7 weeks old, and the tips I learned in the class were amazing - so amazing in fact, that I'm sharing them with you. These are all very simple, and I've used them to work with four other dogs, all with incredible results.

dag2Tip 1: Socialize - If you have a puppy, it's important to socialize your dog. This doesn't mean take it to a dog park, and just let him run around. That couls actually hurt your training efforts because your dog will learn from the other dogs in the park. To properly socialize your dog, try making friends with other dog owners, and let the dogs play for 10-15 minutes a day, but keep a good eye on your dog to make sure it's not growling, or showing any other aggresive behavior.

Tip 2: The Number 12 - This also applies for puppies (younger than 1 year old). Bring your dog to 12 different places, and have it walk on 12 different surfaces. I was told a story about a dog that would walk up to the vet's door, and freeze. He loved the vet, but would not walk into the office. Turns out, the dog was afraid of the surface changing from concrete to tile. Introducing your dog to 12 places and 12 surfaces helps them overcome any fears of their surroundings. Very simple, but also very effective, and usually overlooked.

Tip 3: Uncommon Words - This was a biggie. Most people discipline their dogs by saying, "No." No is such a common word that your dog will lose any meaning given to it. Instead of using the word, "No," try finding another word that is not commonly used. My word of choice is "Wrong," and when I say wrong, Dag usually stops everything he's doing, and looks at me.

dag3Tip 4: Discipline - Everyone disciplines their dog differently, but it's important to do it correctly. I've seen people call their dogs, and when the dog finally decides to come back to the owner, they are spanked and scolded. Wrong! This will make the dog think they will be hit everytime they come to you - meaning, they won't come to you. Our trainer used a spray bottle on mist. If any dog acted up, she'd spray it in the face, and use the word, "Wrong." This worked on most of the dogs, but not Dag. He happens to like water, and thinks the water bottle is a treat. I would spray him, and he'd run up and lick the bottle. I now use a rolled up newspaper, and hit it on a table. Usually, by the time he hears the paper being picked up, he's stopped what he was doing, and runs to me.

Tip 5: Shut Up - "Sit...sit.....sit.....sit.....sit.....sit...." Is that how you try to get your dog to sit? Big mistake. If you give a command, only give it ONCE. Wait for your dog to respond. If it does nothing, say your disciple word (wrong), and say the command again. Repeating commands to a dog will confuse them. If you say something one time, they'll be much more responsive. There are times I'll give a command to Dag, and it could take 15 seconds before he does it, but I never repeat it. I just stare at him and wait.

Tip 6: Scruffing - There are times when your dog just gets completely out of hand, and won't listen to you. This is when it's time to assert your dominance over your dog. They will periodically try to become the dominant figure in the house, but it's important you never let that happen. The best tip for establishing/reestablishing dominance is by "scruffing" your dog. Scruffing is merely holding your dog in your arms like a baby, with them on their back, and with a free hand, you hold the skin/fur on the back of the neck. Hold it tighly, but not to the point that the dog can't breath. You scruff them until they have completely settled down, which is usually seconds later. You should make it a habit to scruff your dog when they get out of hand (like growling), and make sure the dog knows you're the master of your domain....house, whatever. ;-)

Tip 7: Tug - Continuing on the topic of dominance, there are other ways you inadvertently empower your dog, and make them feel like the master. The one that is most overlooked is playing tug. You should only let your dog win at tug 5-10% of the time you play. If you give up the toy each time, your dog will assume it's got control over you.

dag4Tip 8: Leash - Those retracting leashes are such the rage these days, but probably one of the worst training tools you could ever use. Scrap that expensive leash for a cheap 6-foot leash. The problem with the retractable leashes is that your dog will never really know where their boundaries are. Sometimes you'll stop it at 5 feet, sometimes 10 feet. A 6-foot leash lets the dog know their range at all times, and will give you much better control over them. This will greatly reduce the amount of tugging on the leash you experience, which is usually a result of the dog remembering they were able to go farther last time, so why not this time.

Tip 9: Common Tricks - This is the fun stuff. These are the simple first tricks you teach your dog. Sit is probably the most common trick, and the best method I've found, once the dog has the basics, is to make him sit before I open the door to go in or out of the house. Another simple trick to teach is come. Get a few of your friends together, and sit in a large circle. Have one person say, "Come" at a time, and reward the dog with a treat when it goes to that person. Keep doing this, and continue to expand the circle, and he'll have this trick knocked out in days. It's best to practice your new trick 25-50 times a day, and remember to only give the command once.

Hopefully these tips will be useful to you. I'm not an expert, but I took the training very serious, and have practiced what I was taught with great success. Spend some time practicing these tips (and teaching the other members of your household these tips), and you'll have a better dog in no time.

If you have other tips that have worked for you, please share them in the comments section.

Related Reading:

Jump (Uncategorized)Jump (Uncategorized)
Joomla! 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla! Powered Website (3rd Edition)Joomla! 1.6: A User's Guide: Building a Successful Joomla! Powered Website (3rd Edition)
QuickBooks 2010 For DummiesQuickBooks 2010 For Dummies

Other Lists You Might Like

    If you enjoyed this post, Let others know! Delicious StumbleUpon Facebook Reddit Mixx
    • Binkysocky
      I unknowingly adopted a very difficult stubborn puppy. It's a blood hound mastiff mix and he knows what he does is a no no and takes off running when you catch him or right after he has an accident. He gets taken out regularly and will pee after coming in 10-20 mins ago. He has now started peeing on things. I'm about to resort to shock collar training but I would really like some tips or advice.
    • Stubborn Pup
      I've been looking EVERYWHERE (online, in books, on TV) for some detailed training tips for my new puppy. Even "the great" Cesar Milan had some pretty useless information. I needed something that explained what to do and HOW to do it. These tips are not only insightful and fun, they're unique too! All of the other training techniques I've come across are either common sense for the senseless commons or a repeat of what the last guy said (it didn't work last time and it still doesn't work...surprise!). Thanks a bunch, I'll try some of these and get back to you in about 2 weeks' time.
    • Sweetluxy
      you should've just taken him to get trained since you didn't get it.
    • potty training dogs
      Wow. This is really going to help me with my dog. I am the owner that needs to shut up and stop repeating a command and I need to find another word to use other than no. Those are very interesting tips. Thank you
    • beagle training
      Stubborn dogs are like children, they need to be treated well and nicely, yet should be taught useful and unconventional hand signals so that they'll be able to respond well and avoid getting confused. Remember not to be too harsh, yet not too lenient on your dog when training it.
    • JamieLynn86
      I found that these tips are very useful. My husband and I made the mistake of not properly training our dog when she was just a puppy, now at just over a year old she still doesn't know how to sit or control herself. As I read these tips I tried the sit command and waited for her to respond, and she did it! I used to say the command over and over again without giving her time to really think about the command. I still can't believe it worked. Thanks for the info!
    • adult games
      Thanks for those great tips..might come really handy some day when I have my own dog...

      I really enjoy playing with them..
    • angelina89
      I love that scruffing. I have a polish Lowland Sheepdog really she is almost to big to scruff but when she starts getting stuborn and our correction word is "Bad" so when I tell her to sit and she is scrambleing with her a.d.d on the floor I come to her level and grab her face and look in her eyes. Sometimes she growls with this approach but not anymore..I scruffed her some dogs just need to be aware of what turf that they are ment to stand at. I firmly grabed the back of her neck and sayed "Bad" in a stern tone. It works.
    • Thomas
      Every dog is entirely different. They need different training. It is entirely different.
    • Lisa
      Nice tips. I will use all this useful tips to train my dog. He is also very stubborn & don't listen to me. But I think,this tips will help me.
    • sex toys
      i never had a stubborn dog to train from. so far, i feel as long as you pay really detailed attention to your dog and treat it with care and a little bit of authority, you will be fine.
    • Police Sunglasses
      Wow.. I really like dogs... And this great list will be very helpful a lot..
      Thank you!
    • dateacougar
      Interesting ideas. I like the idea of 12 different surfaces. I like dog training methods such as clicker training and other non-contact methods.
    • boston moving help
      Thanks for sharing this tips. I'll apply this one to my dog!
    • Marcus
      Great tips they are.. Especially the second one which told 'bring your dog to 12 different places, and have it walk on 12 different surfaces'. Because of your serious training versions it is helping us.. thanks..
      Rhodesian Ridgeback
    • health insurance coverage
      great tips, i love to teach my dogs some new tricks, this post of yours will be very helpful to me, thank you so much for posting this one
    • Sex Machines
      Great tips! I love the approaches you have mentioned, which are very subtle. The last thing I want to happen is to stress my dog or hurt her. Thanks for sharing!
    • puppies for sale
      i have got one Puddle.i used to have a lot of problems while training my dog. but then i got the right direction to train my dog. someone said the truth that DOGs need to be trained correctly. thanks for your very very very much usefull advices. it really works. really!!!!!!! i was so shocked to see that but tha's the truth. people should atleast try these for once.
    • sex_toys
      Your tips are excellent moreover, they do work! I really managed to overcome many obstacles in training and break effectively my dog's stubbornness. Thanks for the great suggestions.
    • rose
      cool tips thnx ,i have a beagle i know what u mean,i bet ur cute maybe ull wanna go out some time (i'm not a guy but a naked teen at 18 so im coming for sex tiger)
    • Norfolk Terrier
      these are great tips, i can honestly say i have had a really hard time with my norfolk terrier. Especially with potty training. She is very stubborn, and it took 9 months to get it fully down.

      great tips though, will add to my site!
    • Carol
      Thanks for the great suggestions. What if you want to socialize an older dog, 3-4 years old? Any suggestions?
    • Hund
      everyone disciplines their dog differently,
      but it’s important to do it correctly
    • amber necole
      i have 3 dogs and all of them act the same and don't listen it's like they teach each other things they bark at other dogs across my field and they bite 4 wheeler tires and my smallest jack russell runs to attack dogs 4 times his size i am affraid he or all of them is going to get hurt. can you please help me to break their stubbourness.

      thank you so much,


      amber....from virginia
    • Sue
      We have a Jack Russell Terrier mix who's going on 3 months. She is so stubborn. It's like trying to take a mule for a walk instead of a puppy. We bought a harness and regular leash for her. We love her to death, but it's very frustrating when she doesn't want to walk on the leash. She's also afraid of other dogs in our neighborhood. A man was walking his 2 Cocker Spaniels and she let out a terrible sounding noise like a wail. It seems odd to be b/c she was in a foster home with other dogs and cats. She's not afraid of our cat; in fact she tries chasing her. That's another thing we're working on.
    • Cherie
      Some of these tips are good, especially the socialization. I teach puppy classes and I give students a socialization chart that has the different surfaces, different types of people, etc. I give a prize to the student that has their chart filled out the fullest by the end of the course. However, tips #4,6,&7 are based on some outdated training methods. There are certainly trainers that still use and suggest these and everyone has their different opinions, but using punishment appears to work instantly because it suppresses the behavior, but only temporarily. With some dogs, it can cause some defensive aggressive responses. Better to show the dog what he SHOULD do rather than just what he SHOULDN'T do. In my opinion, better safe than sorry.
    • Shannon
      Very good training tips, I don't disagree with ANY of them. I don't see a problem with scruffing, as long as you do it correctly. I have used it occasionally on my pitbull, and it has proved to be very effective. I also agree with not letting your dog always win at tug. I frequently play tug with my pit & AmStaff, and I make it a habit to make them 'drop it' during play. They both patiently wait for me to resume play with them. Most of the time, tug time ends with me telling them to drop it & then throwing the rope toy for them to fetch. Only once in a great while do they actually win at tug. A dog can still have fun playing tug without actually winning at it.
      Great tips overall. Thanks!
    • nyc puppy
      Great ideas overall - I think some of them are breed and dog specific. I wouldn't recommend playing tug of war "at all" with mouthy, feisty dogs or with strong jawed dogs like pit-bulls. Scruffing is an aggressive move and is not right for all owners. Some good ideas there though, thanks!
    • AngieC
      Good ideas on the whole, but I must say #6 and #7 are questionable! I would never 'scruff' a dog as it seems a rather violent way to subdue a dog and as for rarely letting my Maltese, Francie, win at tug.... She loves tug and wins most of the time and certainly doesn't appear to think she has control over me---just that she's having a lot of fun and totally enjoying herself.

      Angie C
    • cindy
      I have a ACD (Austrailian Cattle Dog) That will Not stop barking when people come to the door, Then when they go to leave it's the same thing. I don't know how to get him to stop barking at every move a person makes. Please Help.
    • Nick
      Throw out #4,6,7 completely! I can't believe people still suggest that kind of stuff and perpetuate myths like don't or hardly ever let your dog win at tug.
    • Karenann
      Very good tips on training dogs. I have an apprehensive little dog and followed all those tips mentioned in the article and they really do help.
    blog comments powered by Disqus
    Advertise Here
    Comcast cable for your entertainment!


    Advertise Here
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 108 109 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287