Saturday 13 July 2013

My Dog Growls at Me During Feeding!--------Dog Training Tips

              If your dog growls at you during feeding time - it can be both scary and dangerous. Especially if there are kids nearby. The best dog training tip is to prevent this behavior in the first place. Preferably, when your dog is a puppy!
              The main reason why dogs growl during feeding is because they are protecting their food and showing dominance. This is a natural instinct for them. But there are ways to turn this around with some good dog training tips.
              Before you can "fix" a dog training problem, like biting or growling, you have to try to understand why it's happening in the first place. My two dogs, Champ and Blaze, have only growled at me a couple times during feeding.
              The first time it happened, Champ (my part blue heeler/border collie) was happily eating his food when I was goofing around and ran up from behind him. He was so busy eating that he didn't hear me coming and growled when I accidentally bumped into him. Of course it was my fault - but growling at me is still not acceptable. Ever.
             The second time my younger dog Blaze, a border collie, growled at me while feeding was because he was overly hungry. I swear he was growing every day! But again, there is never an excuse for a dog growling at you.
             So what dog training tips can you use to stop the growling or keep it from ever happening in the first place?
Here are 3 of the most common reasons dogs will growl during feeding:
1) They believe they are more dominant than you
2) They are scared or unsure if you are going to take away their food
3) They are overly hungry and can't control themselves
             One of the most important steps in dog training, no matter if your new dog is a puppy, teen-ager, or young adult, is to show that you are the dominant one. The leader of the pack or the alpha.
             If you don't establish this early on, you're going to have lots of aggression problems with your dog training.
So how do you show dominance with your dog?
It's pretty simple - and not mean.
            Simply kneel down over your dog until he turns his head or stops struggling. This may take only one try or it may take days! But this is the first dog training step.
Now that you're the alpha - you set the dog training rules!
            When feeding your dog or puppy, sit down with him and be near when he eats. Pet him, put your hand in his dog dish while he's eating, and feed him some of his food out of your hand. Also, take his food dish away for a few seconds and then give it back.
            Your dog will start to understand that you're not a threat to him and he will always be fed.
            Growling or aggressive behavior should never be tolerated. If your dog does growl or nip at you
during feeding or any other time, immediately scold your dog. And take his food away for a minute.
Keep doing this until this behavior stops.
           Remember, the best dog training tips prevent problems from happening in the first place.
That way both dog and owner are happy!
Dog training isn't just for grown-ups and professionals...kids can do it too!
I'm 12-years-old and I learned all about dog training from my two dogs Champ (13) and Blaze (1)!

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