New to puppy training? Here are six things to keep in mind to ensure you train and raise your dog to become well-rounded and loving as it is known worldwide to be:
- Australian Shepherds are very willing and obedient dogs that respond well to reward-based training methodssuch as clicker training. As such, never punish your dog for bad behavior. Instead, reward it for good behavior.
- As proper puppy socialization is a must, expose your Australian Shepherd to different stimuli and environments while it is young. Poorly socialized dogs are more likely to be fearful and shy – and can resort to fear biting as a defense mechanism.
- When training your dog to do tasks properly, always use the same basic obedience training commands such as sit, come, stay and down. This will help them associate a word with a certain behavior.
- Australian Shepherds are sociable and loyal dogs – and they love the company of people. While this may be a good thing, the flip side is that they absolutely have troubles being left alone and isolated for long periods of time. Make sure not to leave your Australian Shepherd puppy longer than eight hours because it may develop separation anxiety.
- As they love to chew on things, Australian Shepherds can get very destructive. They don’t choose what to chew – from your expensive shoes all the way to your babies’ hands. With this in mind, make sure to introduce proper chew toy training at a very young age. This will curb your dog’s incessant chewing as well as teach bite inhibition.
- If you’re keen to get your dog into sports, make sure to start training it while it is young. Doing so will give it a sense of purpose as well as an excellent outlet to burn off excess energy.
By: Kevin Wood