What to Do to Train a Timid Rescue Dog
You can find it quite rewarding to adopt an abandoned dog. However, it can be quite tricky because most of these dogs have psychological issues that make them difficult to interact with and shy. You can get the dog to interact normally and overcome its psychological issues by training it. Among the tips that you can apply for training a rescue dog are those given below.
You can get a confident and well-trained dog to help you train the shy one. Training will become easy because the timid dog will start behaving like the other dog.
You need to consider getting on the ground with the rescue dog. This tip will be helpful when the dog appears to be afraid of you since getting on the ground with it makes it feel that you are less threatening to it. Only make sure that the dog will not act aggressively toward you so that you are safe.
Be sure to avoid violence, but instead use words as you train your dog. You should punish the dog for bad behavior using words instead of being violent. Let it know that it is not acting as it should by using sharp words like ‚no‘ and ‚stop‘. Also, keep reinforcing the dog’s good behavior by praising it when it does what it is supposed to do.
It is essential to ensure that you let the dog know anytime it does the right thing. You need to give it a treat as a way to show it is that it is behaving properly. When buying treats, make sure that they are healthy and not harmful for the dog, and those that contain meat are an excellent option.
It is necessary to try and gain the dog’s trust. The dog will not obey you if it does not trust you. As with all relationships, it may take time to build trust, and you should be patient with it. It is essential to show it that nothing bad is going to happen, especially when something scary happens.
Take some time before you get the dog to wear the leash. You should introduce the leash slowly and gently, and avoid making eye contact with it when putting it on the dog. Make sure that it gets a leash that it’s comfortable in and reward it if it cooperates.
You should ensure that your dog does not bite anyone. Even if it bites at your clothes or hands, you should make sure that it understands that this behavior is unacceptable.