Good dogs are not born, they are made, so you’ve got some work to do. Training a dog is not easy and it takes commitment. You made the choice to adopt your dog and now it is your responsibility to help it become a good canine citizen and ensure it has a proper emotional and physical well-being. Below are a few items that will help you both to be successful:
- Be prepared: Collect everything your new dog will need (food, dishes, toys, grooming tools, leashes, collars, etc.). Create an environment that will promote success by puppy-proofing your house and through the use of kennels, baby gates and/or exercise pens.
- Patience: Dogs do not think like we do and they do not speak our language. You have to take the time to teach them what you expect them to do.
- Consistency: Mixed messages will only cause confusion for your dog. Ensure the entire household understands the rules and follows through on them.
- Teach them: Too often we just spend time trying to tell our dog what we don’t want them to do. We need to teach them what we expect from them. If we don’t, they won’t know what we want and you both will just end up frustrated!
