Poor Dog Training is something that affects not just owners but the general public. There are some truly heartbreaking stories that have littered the news in the last few years of dog attacks. A lot of these attacks and indeed the accident claims litigation which can follow could have easily been prevented, by proper dog training and care.
The most recent, and perhaps most dramatic news story, was a 4 year old girl, Lexi Branson, was fatally injured as a result of a dog attack. In this case, a bulldog from a rescue home attacked the child in their family home, whilst she was off sick from school. This is a rare and tragic case and there is speculation of what happened in the dog’s past before it was rescued by the family. This shows that previous unkind and insensitive treatment of dogs can have long lasting devastating effects.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a dog bite incident or anything more severe, it can be both physically and psychologically traumatic. For any legal advice you’re in need of, you can contact Smith Jones Solicitors and find out what the next steps will be.
There are some simple tips and tricks to follow when training a dog and listed below are but a few of these. Otherwise, there are plenty of easy training programs around the UK, including easy-to-learn online training. Therefore, dog owners have no excuse when it comes to controlling and disciplining their dog.
6 Tips to Help Train Your Dog
Giving Freedom Gradually
When giving a dog freedom at home, it is very important to assess and limit the amount. If the dog has the freedom to run around as it pleases, without any adverse consequences if it steps over the line, it will not be behaved or controlled in a public environment. There needs to be set parameters and certain areas of the house that the dog is not allowed. This will help to prevent a dog charging all over the place in public, thereby decreasing the chances of your dog biting or harming someone else. Controlling your dog’s freedom is paramount to being safe, whilst walking anywhere outside the home.
Non-Violent Solutions
I know it may be horrible for some to hear, but there are dog owners out there that will punish their dog in a damaging and physical way. Always use your voice over your hands, as the dog will learn from your bodily display of behaviour. If your display of behaviour is aggressive and physical, the dog will jump to violence much more quickly if threatened, scared or bothered at all. Ideally you need to be able to stop a dog completely in its tracks just by the tone and sound of your voice.
Keep Them Away From Conflict
The key of training a dog is displaying the correct behaviour. If you are having a lively argument with a family member or boyfriend/girlfriend, like you would a child; make sure that you remove the dog from the room. Exposing your dog to conflict leads it to believe that this is a normal occurrence, therefore when confronted by conflict itself, it will lash out and behave like its owner.
Do They Really Like it
When you are with your dog, it is important to find what they like and what they don’t, in terms of behaviour towards them. If you establish this, then more likely than not, you can identify a situation or something being done to the dog that you know its not going to take kindly to. With this knowledge, you can stop a situation developing and prevent the dog from lashing out in a certain situation.
Ease Them Into Public Situations
Throwing a dog straight into a busy park when it has only been out the house once or twice, is extremely unadvisable. Your dog needs to get used to being around people in a large area or on a big scale and ‘slowly but surely’ is the way to do it. Get the dog familiar to the area and familiar to being around a large amount of people but do it in small stages.
Keep it on The Lead
Keeping your dog on a lead is extremely necessary when avoiding any issues of potential harm the dog could cause to a member of the public. If you want your dog to be able to run around a bit more, then extendable leads can be bought from any pet shop or retailer for your convenience. If your dog is on the lead then you have all the control you need to prevent your dog getting up to mischief or lashing out at anyone.
Following these tips will help with your overall dog training, however getting your dog properly trained with a dog trainer or doing an online course is absolutely necessary to keeping it under control. There are many ways to find a dog trainer around your area, search on google, your local newspaper or ask anyone else who has a dog to find a trainer or training classes in your area.
This article was written by Andrew Rapley, a supporter and writer of personal claims and animal cases.
