Many people take the simple approach of simply bringing home a dog, feeding it, and giving it a place to sleep. And as far as training goes they feel that the dog will soon teach himself how to live in a family of human beings. Sadly, however, nothing could be further from the truth than that. In fact, we often tend to forget that our pets are canines, not humans who need to be taught to suit our lifestyle and expectations, much like a newborn baby, or he will continue to display predominantly animal traits such as:
Soil the house or his immediate environment:
Out in the wild, dogs don't need to worry about where they go to the toilet. All they do is simply find a suitable spot and go for it. So it is quite obvious that he will need to be toilet or crate trained or else he will use any part of your house or yard as his “bathroom or toilet” area. To prevent this from happening, you will need to teach him where to eliminate by marking an area or spot in your yard meant specifically for this purpose. Now, accustom him to using this spot as his elimination ground by training him to “pee or potty” there alone. If he is in the habit of marking out his territory, you will have to break this habit by intensifying his crate training. In order that he understands just what you expect of him—and that includes cleanliness—you will have to clean up after him with cleaners comprising organic digesters. Also, remember never to use bleach or ammonia because its smell resembles urine to a dog. If you crate train him for a month and accompany that with leash training, he will soon begin to urinate and pass stools in the designated area. In the initial periods, this can be quite time-consuming as you invest time and effort of reinforcing and rewarding the behaviour you want. But in years to come you will look back with pride on how you were able to house train your dog.
Digging and other destructive behaviours
Dogs just love to Dig things, drag shoes or clothes from room to room, scratch walls or furniture. Further dog this either seems like fun, or simply a means to alleviate his boredom. Until he learns good behavior you must take responsibility for your things and keep clothing, shoes, trash, eyeglasses, magazines, books, and other nick knacks out of the dogs reach. Until such time that he obeys house rules you will need to be with him when he is loose or crate him when you are busy. Place his favorite toys with him so that he is not bored also please remember he must not be crated for very long periods. Dogs get bored and need plenty of activity so you must arrange a schedule that includes frequent walks, yard time, training time, and people-time (when he interacts with unfamiliar people and so on). A busy dog does not create mayhem. Also he must feel that creating mayhem will not get him any attention. Some dogs do so to get attention. Don’t punish but give him your love and understanding. Remember, if there are behaviour issues with your dog, then consider that you are also partly to blame.
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