Dog Obedience Training Tips

Barking can be on of the more difficult things to keep your dog from doing. After all, this is how all dogs communicate. This is how your dog tells you what it wants and needs, by giving you a bark, whine, growl or howl, vocalizing what it wants, much as humans use words to speak and vocalize. However, a constant barking or whining can be frustrating it may be trying to let you know that its needs are not being met. More so, with a Boston Terrier, because this breed of dogs does not usually bark all that much and there have been more cases of Boston Terriers not barking at all then of them using excessive barking.

One cause of excessive barking can be due to separation anxiety, and as your dos becomes more anxious or lonely the louder they will become. This is because, when you leave they fear you will not return. Another possibility is because, they could be bored or lonely. Boston terriers are very social creatures and when left alone or isolated they will seek attention. Also, Boston Terriers that do not get the proper amount of exercise can turn to barking to release the tension from not moving around.

There are ways, however, to counter act this behavior. The best way to train your Boston terrier that it is okay when you leave, to to not make a big fuss. The number one rule of dog training is to ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior. Most the time we don’t think about when we leave the house we love and coo our dogs and get them all excited then leave. Instead don’t make a fuss over your Boston Terrier when you are leaving or coming home. Start off with just leaving for a few minutes and returning and then gradually leave for longer periods of time. Just remember as long as you don’t make a fuss they won’t get anxious.

When you are starting with a Boston Terrier puppy. It will bark for attention , treats, food or to go in or out do not oblige. When this starts ignore the behavior, once your Boston Terrier pup has stopped reward the puppy for good behavior and repeat as often as necessary. You have to stay consistent with training any puppy. Also, as hard as is is to believe, with a Boston terrier, if you start when it is a puppy you can train the puppy to bark on command and this can assist with unwanted barking. This is because of the specific way you will train it. You start with finding something to make you pup bark and tell it to “speak”, when it does reward your puppy with a treat. Then, and this is very important, you will have to train you Boston Terrier the quiet command. To do this once you have taught the command “speak”, when you Boston Terrier barks unnecessarily say “quiet” once very sternly. Then walk away, as soon as your pup stops barking reward it with a treat. Repeat this several times and your Boston Terrier will find that “quiet” means to stop barking and it is rewarded. With continuous and consistent training your Boston Terrier have better behavior.

A serious behavioral issue in dogs is digging. All dogs will dig for different reasons, however, some dogs take it to further distances. Boredom, attention, and even genetics can play major roles in whether your dog will be a digger. Terrier breeds, like the Boston Terrier is considered a dog with a genetic predisposition to digging. They have many reasons for digging and sometimes dig just to dig. Stopping this behavior means that you have to out think your pet. If you think that this is a simple task, you may be surprised. In order to stop the digging, you must first understand why they are digging.

Boston Terriers were bred to dig and love to do so. They actually enjoy the feeling of digging. It is stimulating to them, both mentally and physically. If they are bored, that digging will get worse. Keeping your dog well occupied with toys and things to do can actually save your yard. Taking them for regular walks, as well as playing with them will ensure that they are not bored while you are away. Putting gravel and rocks in your yard can also deter a dog from digging.

Terriers are known for their sense of smell and will dig up an entire yard trying to get to a mole, or any other burrowing creature that may be invading their space. Dogs especially like freshly turned soil, like in a garden. The soil is softer and tends to be cooler. If you have used fertilizers in your garden, your Boston Terrier will certainly dig in it, then. They love the smells of fertilizer and enjoy digging in it to enhance the smell. To stop your dog from digging up your garden, or flower bed, bury wire mesh, like chicken wire, under the soil and around the plants. The pet will not be able to dig through the wire and will get frustrated and give up.

Another reason dogs dig is because turning over the top soil exposes the cooler, more damp soil underneath. The dog will dig a bed for themselves to lay in when it gets hot. In order to keep this from being a problem, you can try putting a small children’s splashing pool under some shade, but within reach of your pet, and fill it with water. This will give the pet something to splash around in, providing cool water and entertainment. They will also use holes to store food. This is a behavior that is genetic. As pack animals in the wild, the wolves will bury their left over food for later consumption. Domestic dogs have adapted the same behavior.

It can be rather difficult to stop some digging behavior. Redirecting the behavior can be the easiest way to do this. Having a section of the yard designated for your pet to dig can help. Whenever you catch your dog digging in a place that you do not want him to, reprimand him with a “no” command and move him to a place that is designated. When he begins digging there, reward him. You can also use a squirt technique. Whenever you see your dog digging in a place you do not want them to, squirt them suddenly with a water hose. Eventually, your dog will associate digging in that area with a negative sensation and will cease the behavior.

Chewing habits in puppies can quickly become “fetishes” in adult dogs, and none so prevalent as in the Boston Terrier. Stopping this behavior should be handled at a young age, but most frequently, it is not. Using chew toys as a puppy is the best way to stop the habit. However, as an adult, the contributing factors to the behavior is varied. There can be many different reasons for an adult Boston Terrier to chew. Stress, boredom, and even separation anxiety can lead to the chewing behavior, but they are all correctable.

As a puppy, a Boston Terrier will typically chew because they are teething. Also, like most dogs, the Boston terrier puppy explores the world with its mouth. This can lead to chewing on everything. The best way to handle this problem is with chew toys. Keeping chew toys nearby can help in training your pet not to chew. When they are puppies, Boston Terriers will go through a stage that they are teething. During this time, they will be looking for something to chew on to sooth their gums. At this point, you can freeze a softer chew toy and give it to you puppy. The cold will help with the pain and the chewing will occupy their time.

As adults, training a dog not to chew can be more difficult. It is good to be able to recognize the reasons. Boston Terriers will chew on whatever they can reach out of anxiety. Boston Terriers are also known to be very co-dependent pets. They need constant companionship and can panic if their people leave them alone. The separation anxiety is typically the first thing that has to be worked on. The best way to handle this is by getting the pet used to the idea of you leaving. At first, you should not leave for long periods of time. Then, begin leaving for longer time periods until the dog is comfortable with you being gone. Never make a fuss over the dog when you are leaving. This can set back the training, significantly. Do not allow your pet to follow you or the rest of the family around the house. This can encourage anxious behavior when they are left alone.

The most common reason for chewing in a dog is boredom, especially in a Boston Terrier. Keeping your pet well entertained while you are busy or away can help prevent them from chewing on unwanted things, like shoes. Also, keep anything you do not want destroyed out of reach of the dog. When you see them chewing on something that they are not supposed to have, reprimand them right away. If you reprimand them after they have already committed the offense, it will confuse the dog further. Play with your Boston Terrier vigorously and make sure that he is well worn out before you leave the house. If you do not have time for a good hard play, take him for a long walk. This will tire your dog out and he will most likely sleep the majority of the time that you are gone. Keeping your dog entertained can mean a longer life expectancy for your personal belongings, in the end.

Biting can be a serious behavioral issue that all dogs are prone to. Boston Terriers are no different. Stopping the behavior is simple, but you must first understand the causes of the biting. In the dog world, biting is a form of communication, especially when communicating frustration, pain and even dominance. There are many reasons a dog bites, it is our jobs as the owners to know why it happens. The hard part of training the dog that it is bad to bite is figuring out why it bit in the first place.

Sometimes, correcting the behavior of the animal means correcting the behavior of the owner. If a Boston Terrier feels threatened, or is backed into a corner while being reprimanded, it will lash out. This lashing out tends to come in the form of biting. Reprimanding a dog while backing it into a corner is an improper way to handle any behavioral issues that it may be displaying. When reprimanding a dog, try to be as non-threatening as possible. It is very important not to confuse the animal as well. When the pet does something wrong, reprimand it right then, but in a non-threatening way.

Some breeds, such as the Boston Terrier, fall into a category that is called a “bully breed” because it is descended from a bulldog breed. These dogs tend to display dominance issues and will sometimes nip in an attempt to re-establish its dominance. This is an unacceptable behavior and can be treated by telling the dog in an even tone, “no biting” and putting it in time out alone. A bathroom or an empty bedroom works for this purpose. Once the time out is finished, let the pet out and put it in the same situation that it was in when it initially nipped at you. If it still bites, put it in time out again, scolding it. If it does not bite, reward it for behaving properly.

Sometimes, a dog will bite its people or other dogs out of frustration of pain. In the wild, showing pain and illness can mean the death of a dog by a predator or a rival dog. It is learned behavior that the dog cannot help. If your dog bites you, try to figure out if it is doing so out of aggression or due to illness or pain. The easiest way is to watch their behavior. If they are hiding more frequently, or acting like it does not want to be picked up, then you may want to take your furry friend to a vet and make sure that they are not ill or in pain.

Boston Terriers will also occasionally bite while playing. This is still not a good behavioral pattern. Biting during play and biting out of dominance are not far off. Playing rough with your dog can give the wrong impression that it is okay to bite and the behavior will carry over to everything else. All dogs are social animals. Keeping your Boston Terrier company and entertaining them can keep aggressive actions like biting to a minimum. Also, knowing how to handle situations the right way can also effect the biting problem. Remember, sometimes it is the owner that needs to correct their behavior in order to properly correct the dogs behavior.