by Sarah Hawn

Created on: May 31, 2009

Training your pet can be a challenge but it can also end in a good result. Many dogs are good listeners, however they may take a while to grasp what it means to be trained. When I was first training my 3 year old Maltese, he was very rebellious and would not listen and would end up going to the bathroom on the carpets of my apartment.

Over time, I got irritated with it and soon realized that my dog was in need of some serious training and discipline. It took almost a year to train him in the right direction, but he eventually learned and does well now with rarely making a mistake. He loves dog biscuits, bones and jerky treats as his reward.

When dogs are young they have a tendency to chew on anything and everything they can get their teeth on. For instance, they may want to chew on your shoes and tear through a pillow. You may think why are they doing that? It may be that they are getting used to their new environment and are not aware of their surroundings. However, when it comes to going to the bathroom there are many ways you can train your dog to do well and reward them.

As small puppies, dogs will not know how to control their habits of going to the bathroom. They may accidentally pee or poop on your floors. Other people in the home may step on t and get mad at the dog for doing this mistake. The dog then will eventually learn that he or she has made a mistake and will often get scolded for doing wrong. It is okay to discipline a dog, however always being negative will not teach them to do better. Therefore the owner should teach them how to go outside and use the bathroom on the lawn rather than on the carpet inside.

There are ways you can reward your dog for doing good such as feed them a treat when they come back inside after you watch them go to the bathroom outside. They also like good positive feedback such as clapping your hands or saying " good dog". They will eventually learn that they are doing a good job and will learn that this is the way they should go to the bathroom. It does however take some time to train a dog that is under a year old. They are kind of like human babies whom wear diapers but then learn to use the toilet. Dogs over time learn to use the bathroom outside as they grow older. Young dogs can make mistake just like the rest of us, but should be loved and rewarded and not constantly scolded.

If you want your dog to love you and not bite or fuss at you then teach them well and let them learn a lesson.

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