Owning a puppy or having a canine companion is fun, exciting, and enjoyable. Dog owners create a strong bond with their compassionate and loving pets within a short period. With proper training, your dog will acquire good behavior, including obedience and positive manners, whether they are in the house or outside with the presence of other people.
However, it also comes with challenges even in conducting basic obedience training for your dog or teaching them basic commands. Sometimes, it can be difficult for those who have never owned dogs before or do not know dog training techniques.
But you don’t need to worry because most of the challenges can be overcome easily if you learn how to deal with them and even get expert help. So what are the 5 biggest dog challenges every pet or dog owner faces?
1. Housebreaking And Crate Training
Housebreaking involves potty training or having your dog learn to help themselves in private places. Depending on your housebreaking training techniques or the dog, it could take a few weeks or months for your pet to learn.
Your effort to spare time and energy and take breaks to instill the knowledge will be part of your dog training efforts that will enable you to housebreak your pet successfully.
Closely related to housebreaking is crate training. Dogs or canine pets have the instinct to seek a quiet, safe, and comfortable place when their environment is overwhelming or loud. Crate training’s main objective is to take advantage of this natural intuition. It’s a vital tool to keep your pet safe and healthy by preventing chewing of items or giving humans much-needed space.
Dog crates can also help keep your pet out of trouble, and it is also a good place to transport a young dog or puppy. However, it is important to know that dog crating only manages behavior problems and not punishment. Also, never leave your dog in the crate for too long to avoid getting them depressed, anxious, or denying them exercises.
2. Chewing, Teething, And General Destruction
Pets, especially puppies, are generally curious, have boundless energy, and desire to test the edibility or durability of things they can find on their way. They can create havoc around them, and if left unchecked, they can destroy your important items or even documents.
You might not know which plants, clothing, household items, or furniture will be spared if you decide to bring a puppy to your home. However, there are a few tricks you can use to prevent or avoid these kinds of destruction, such as allocating a convenient, structured, and consistent dog training environment as well as tons of exercise.
You can also close certain rooms when your puppy is growing to prevent destruction; for example, you can close your bedroom and laundry rooms to avoid destroying your clothing or personal items. Another method that might boost the safety of your items is buying toys for your puppy to play with to keep them occupied or busy.
3. Separation Anxiety and Developmental Fear Periods
If you work away from your house, your dog or puppy will experience separation anxiety, especially during the first few weeks. There is little you can do to change this, but there is no need to get anxious because your puppy will get used to it with time, and working is also an important aspect of your life.
Your dog will also take you seriously, and with time they will understand that they will have to be alone for a few hours. Their mind will also be stable if they learn how to be alone for a certain period, and after some time, they won’t panic when they see you leaving or driving away.
It can be difficult at first especially when you look at their adorable and confused faces; some people have succeeded by cuddling their dogs a little and waving them goodbye. If you have children or a partner, you can also wave at them as you leave, which can help train your dog that it is normal to go away. Your pet will still get thrilled when you come back to the house.
Closely related to separation anxiety are the developmental fear periods which most dogs develop as they grow older. These are normal phases in puppies’ lives and occur at around 8 to 11 weeks and 6 to 14 months. During these stages, your dog will see things differently as they try to figure out what is dangerous or safe, and you must do your best to observe their behaviors during these moments.
Knowing how your dog will respond through their behaviors will enable you to keep them calm, relaxed, balanced, and happy. However, don’t be overprotective because you can end up making your dogs needy or more anxious.
4. Socialization
Another major challenge is training your dog social skills, which can be difficult. Antisocial behaviors are common, especially if a puppy was acquired immediately after it was born and did not have time to socialize with other dogs that were birthed together with it or its mother.
However, one of the most important lessons you need to learn is teaching your dog how to socialize and not hurry or speed up the process. You will end up distancing your dog from others or making them more anxious if you force them to be social more quickly or fast.
A social dog will have a better relationship with everyone, including those who visit your home as guests or contractors working around your home. It will give you peace of mind knowing you don’t have to put your dog on a leash when you have visitors in your place.
5. Involving The Whole Family
Getting every member of your family involved is perhaps one of the biggest challenges because you will also have to teach them all the basics, routines, commands, and rules. The best and easiest way a dog can learn well is through consistency, and if other family members command your puppy differently, the training will not be effective.
Also, make sure you don’t allow leeway on your dog training rules and stick to them to the end. A slight change of even one sign or word is enough to confuse your puppy and derail the learning process. When all the members of your household use the same training methods and commands, your will dog will learn quicker, and your life together will be enjoyable.
Why Choose Our Dog Training Classes
At Alaska Dog Works, we are industry leaders in providing effective dog training programs.
Our dog trainers are highly experienced, skilled, friendly, and committed to providing world-class dog training lessons. Our dog training methods, techniques, or tricks are force-free, easy, and reliable. We will also provide your dog with personalized private lessons specific to your needs and those of your dog
We aim to provide quality dog training programs in Alaska and beyond, that will enable you to easily control your dog’s behavior and enjoy a good relationship with your pet.
Contact us today and let us help you prepare an enjoyable life for you and your dog irrespective of its breed or age.
We offer a FREE Discovery Call.
Click on the graphic to learn more
