Tracking Your Behavior (An Essential Part of Dog Care)

They say a dog can be a reflection of his owner. It’s easy to see how this mindset came about. In a way, he looks to you for guidance in order to get through life. What you do and don’t do will have a huge impact on his life.

Creating an Environment of Care

One of the biggest ways that you can provide a climate of positive behavior for your dog is to demonstrate your love and appreciation for him by building a caring environment. This includes making sure your buddy has a comfortable, clean space to sleep, play around, and chill out by himself when he wants to. Doing this will allow you and him to build a solid foundation of trust.

A big part of establishing this caring environment comes from purchasing and maintaining various items and objects that are essential for a dog’s day to day functions. This consists of several common sense items like a food dish, a water bowl, chew toys, a leash, and the like, but you should take great care and consideration when buying these items. Remember, the old adage “you get what you pay for” extends to products meant to be enjoyed by members of the canine world.

They Aren’t People - They are Animals!

One of the ways that novice dog owners may struggle with when taking care of their pooches is that they can start to believe in the quasi-cliché “dogs are people, too.” The problem with this sentiment is that it’s completely false. Dogs are not people; they’re animals that possess behavioral tendencies like animals.

Because of this, it is crucial that you treat your dog appropriately. Oftentimes, this means that you be mindful that dogs will sometimes exhibit animalistic behavior that runs in conflict with our human sensibilities. Some of this behavior is unpleasant, such as “doing their business” in the middle of the living room or ripping up your loafers.

These behaviors will often frustrate us, and may even cause us to lash out at our dogs in anger. The problem with this is that your dog does not have an inherent sense of right and wrong on a level that humans possess. Therefore, if you try and deal with your dog as you may deal with a person, he will be greatly confused - not to mention frightened.

Reaching Down to Your Dog’s Level

In order to cultivate a sense of right and wrong in your dog, you can’t expect him to graduate to your level of thinking. Instead, you must break things down to a level that he can grasp. This is where basic training methods come into play.

Basic dog training covers many aspects essential to building a solid bond between you and your dog. Some of these aspects have to do with basic behaviors like going to the bathroom in an appropriate place or dropping foreign objects from his mouth. Others are built around developing a measure of routine, such as establishing proper meal times or knowing what furniture he is or is not allowed to sit on.

Remaining positive with your dog is of the utmost of importance when you are teaching him the “house rules.” Praising him and providing him with treats when appropriate gives him a clear and easy signal that he is doing right by you, and he will eventually repeat the good behavior because he will know that it pleases you. On the other hand, having a bit of a mean streak during the training process will make your dog less likely to trust you, and may not conform to your commands as readily.

Remember - You Love Your Dog

The one element that should always dictate your behavior - and therefore, your relationship build between you and your pooch - is that you love your dog. Even when he drives you up the wall with his animalistic tendencies, his loyalty, happiness, and cuteness will always be enough to endear him to your heart over the long haul. And when you put this part of his overall disposition into your relationship equation, how can you really tend to the needs of your pooch in anything but a kind and loving fashion?