• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
DogsBestLife.com logo

Dog's Best Life

The information you need to keep your dog happy, healthy, playful and loyal.

  • Top Stories
  • Blog
  • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Raise a polite pooch

Posted October 29, 2017

 
Australian shepherd shakes hand with owner. Use patience, education and positive reinforcement to make sure your pup has good dog manners. Don't allow jumping, begging or mouthiness.
Use patience, education and positive reinforcement to make sure your pup has good dog manners. Don’t allow jumping, begging or mouthiness.

By Catherine Bono

Teaching your dog manners is important, whether you are bringing home a puppy or an adult dog.

Rude behaviors that owners often deal with include jumping up, begging at the table and mouthiness.

The answer to all of these issues lies in patience, education and positive reinforcement from you.

This means no raised voices and absolutely no punishment.

This can be challenging, but punishment leads to conflicted emotions in your pet, worse behavior, and, sometimes, aggression.

Jumping up

Having a dog that jumps on people is not only annoying, but it can also hurt and scare people.

Most dogs don’t jump up for aggressive reasons.

The usual reaction is to push the dog down or talk to him. Dogs think this is great! They jump up to say hello and then we touch them! You are reinforcing the bad behavior.

If your dog jumps up on you, ignore him. Turn away with your arms crossed and do not even make eye contact.

As a social animal, being ignored is not a dog’s favorite thing. As soon as the dog is sitting calmly, say, “Good dog!” and offer a treat.

Carrying treats in your pockets will make this easier for you. Soon your dog will learn that sitting calmly gets a better reaction than jumping.

Begging

Ignoring your pet is also useful at the dinner table. If your dog is begging, do not speak or look at him. Any food that accidentally falls to the ground will reinforce begging behavior.

If you can’t avoid this situation, the dog may have to go to a different area during mealtime. Be careful that this segregation doesn’t seem like punishment.

You can offer a toy or treat at mealtimes to keep him busy. Should you wish to offer table scraps to your pets, make sure you do not feed them in the same room as the dinner table.

Mouthiness

Mouthiness can be a challenging issue, but it is a common one, particularly with puppies. Be cautious with this problem, because puppy mouthiness can easily turn into unacceptable and dangerous behavior if it is reinforced.

One rule of thumb is to never play with a dog aggressively with just your hands. When these dogs become excited, they may nip at your hands when you are just petting them. In these situations, you have two options: quietly end the play session or redirect their attention to an appropriate toy.

Don’t mistakenly reinforce bad behavior

Dogs have a completely different language from people, which can contribute to misunderstandings and accidentally reinforce bad behavior.

Here’s an example: if you’re in a situation where your dog is acting extremely anxious, the instinct is to touch the dog gently and soothingly say, “It’s all right.”

This would be completely appropriate with a person. But a dog actually hears, “This situation is not all right, and you are completely correct to be so anxious.”

Dogs look to us for social cues. So, for instance, if you’re at the vet, and your dog is whining and staring at you, the best reaction is no eye contact, no words and certainly no touch until they demonstrate calmer behavior.

Create a happy place

Having a quiet area (such as a mat or a dog bed) where your dog can go to lie down and relax is very helpful. Teach the dog that this is their safe spot, by using tranquility exercises.

  • Bring your dog to the mat and encourage him to lie down. As soon as he lies down, give them a small tasty treat. The goal of these exercises is to teach the dog to relax on the mat in the face of any distraction.
  • Stand in front of your dog (while he’s on the mat) and watch him for a few seconds. Then give him a treat.
  • Take a step back from the mat and give a treat if he stays on the mat.
  • Take a step sideways, and give another treat.
  • Increase to two steps back from the mat, and so on. Don’t do this for any longer than 15 minutes a day, and intersperse the exercises with breaks.
  • Use other distractions, like picking up your keys, putting on your jacket, walking to the door, etc., to introduce a command, like “go to bed” or “relax”. You can use this as a default command in any situation where your dog’s rude behavior is getting out of hand, but always say the command softly
    and calmly. The mat is not a punishment or time-out area.

    Catherine Bono is an experienced marketer, who is passionate about dogs.  She created the crittersitca.com after an experience with his own dog, Kupo! She learned that doing proper research, and learning from others’ experiences can be just as important as taking a veterinarian’s advice.

 

 

Related Posts

  • dog training success
    10 rules for dog training success

    For dog training success, use positive reinforcement, punishment-free training. Reward…

  • Bernese mountain dog training
    All dog owners can benefit from training classes

    Dog owners benefit from training: Even experienced owners need help.…

  • Do not encourage jumping games, or tap your shoulder for your dog to jump up on you, until your dog is completely obedience trained and under control at all times.
    Dog training: 3 things every good dog should know

    Dog training should include three key things every dog should…

  • Do not encourage jumping games, or tap your shoulder for your dog to jump up on you, until your dog is completely obedience trained and under control at all times.
    Dog training: Always Be Consistent

    The ABC rule makes training easier for you and your…

Share this post:

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Pinterest Share on Email Share on Reddit

Filed Under: Dog Training, Home Page Tagged With: Biting, Chewing, Dog begging, Dog manners, Dog training tips, Jumping

« Previous Post
Next Post »

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Categories

  • Adoption
  • Dog Breeds
  • Dog Facts
  • Dog Fun
  • Dog Grooming
  • Dog Health
  • Dog Inspirations
  • Dog Training
  • Dog Travel
  • Holidays
  • Home Page
  • Puppies
  • Top Stories

Featured Posts

  • Tricolor Australian shepherd in front of white background. Take steps to stop dog pawing.

    Canine body language: What’s your dog saying with his paws?

  • Cute corgi puppy wrapped in a blanket. Talk with your vet about starting your dog on medication to protect him from parasites including flea and tick prevention, as well as heartworm prevention.

    Puppy training 101: 10 tips to prepare your dog for success

  • Thinking of getting a furry friend? Use the DogsBestLife.com perfect dog breed quiz to find the perfect canine companion.

    Take our dog breed quiz to discover the perfect breed for you!

Tags

WaterPoodleSeparation anxietyService dogsPandemicTwo dogsWorking dogsPomeranianThanksgivingSheddingOutdoor activitiesPawOld dogsSocializationPet parentstraining tipsPetfinder.comPit bullTicksRescue dogPuppy-proofPet sitterYorkshire terrierPuppy kindergartenSmall dogsVacation dog carePotty trainingValentine's DayVeterinarianRottweiler

Footer

Quick Links

  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Blog
  • What We Do
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Recent Posts

  • Is a large, muscular Cane Corso your dream dog?
    The Cane Corso needs an experienced owner. While bred to guard and intimidate, the dogs can be affectionate and docile if trained properly. […]
  • Understand potential dangers of vaping for dogs to protect your furry friend
    Vaping can be dangerous for dogs, who can be exposed to harmful chemicals in e-cigarette smoke or ingest nicotine-containing products. […]
  • Use a 5-step process to teach your dog a reliable recall
    Start teaching your puppy a reliable recall when the dog's around eight weeks old. Keep training sessions short and sweet. […]
  • Use 3 tips to successfully leave your dog home during summer vacation
    If you leave your dog home during summer vacation, use these tips to create a safe and comfortable environment for them in their own home. […]

Get Our Newsletter

Get more news to help keep your dog healthy delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for DogsBestLife.com's monthly newsletter.

© Copyright 2023 DogsBestLife.com online magazine · All Rights Reserved · Privacy
Get Our Free Monthly Newsletter

Get more news to help keep your dog healthy delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for DogsBestLife.com's monthly newsletter.