How to Stop Your Dog From Excessive Barking and Digging.

If you have just acquired a new puppy, it wouldn't take too long for you to start witnessing some common puppy behavior problems in action. The most common of these problems are excessive barking and digging.

Some people choose to just ignore these issues, thinking that they will resolve themselves as the puppy gets older. Unfortunately, that is not how it usually works. If you want your dog to grow up properly and with good manners, you should definitely address these common puppy behavior problems as early as possible.

Putting an End to Relentless Barking

A puppy who barks a couple of times at strangers is exhibiting perfectly normal dog behavior. But if he refuses to stop until the person in question leaves, you will have to take steps to teach him that excessive barking simply is not acceptable.

An effective way of stopping these common puppy behavior problems is to get a hold of the puppy's collar and hold him firmly. At the same time, give him a command to stop barking, like "Be quiet". Pretty soon, the puppy will realize what you need him to do.

When you feel that your puppy has gotten the hang of it, you can take the anti-barking training to a higher level and teach him not to bark at strangers outside the house. Ask friends to help out and have them walk by your house a few times until the dog learns not to bark at them.

At this point, you should also realize that common puppy behavior problems like excessive barking occur much more frequently when the dogs are under-stimulated. In other words, the dog resorts to barking if he is not getting enough physical activity. In this case, you may want to take more walks or spend more playtime with your pup to minimize the barking problem.

Digging - Keeping Your Dog from Ruining Your Lawn

Digging is another common dog obedience problem that new owners have to face. If you plan on letting your pup loose in the garden, you should absolutely train him to not dig up your lawn and ruin the landscape that you worked so hard on.

Since digging is a very natural instinct in dogs, it is very difficult to make them stop the habit altogether. What you can do is to allocate a special place in your garden where he can dig all he wants. All you have to do is to teach him where it is okay to dig and where it is not.

In the beginning, this can be quite a challenge but with some patience, it is perfectly doable. Whenever you see your puppy digging in a restricted area, give him a command to stop, like "No digging!" and immediately take him to his digging spot.

Of course, there will still be times when your pup may stubbornly want to dig in the prohibited areas. To prevent such disasters, you may want to install temporary fences around your plants until he overcomes these common puppy behavior problems.

Michael Brown has been training dogs from an early age and helps you with all sorts of puppy behavior problems. For more dog training tips, visit 'Easy Dog Obedience Training' http://baddogproblems.com/secrets-to-dog-training/

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