Raising a dog is a long and consistent work to develop certain pet skills. Together with the training, it contributes to the socialization of the animal, makes adjustments to its character and allows for easier care and maintenance. In this article, we will dwell on the nuances of raising and training pet breeders - spaniels.
Peculiarities of behavior and character
The nature of the spaniel can be different, which is explained not only by its varieties, but also by the conditions in which it is placed after the nursery. Whether it is English, Russian or American Cocker Spaniel, there are certain rules: for a dog to grow up as a friend and helper, in addition to daily training and regular training, it needs human care, attention and caress. Despite my physique, Spaniels have a gambling and playful character.
Being on a positive wave, they need timely training, otherwise they risk becoming stupid.
Spaniels are very friendly and inquisitive. They seek to be in the company of those who deal with them, loves and feeds. In the absence of due attention and with long loneliness they are characterized by destructive behavior. That is why the breeder of these dogs should have enough time so that he could raise a good friend and loyal companion from the pet.
To dogs of this breed characteristic willingness to please his master. This feature can be taken as a basis for education and training, achieving through it the facilitation of training. Dogs understand what is needed from them, they subtly feel the intonation of the voice and manner of speech. They possess excellent adaptability, patience, and vigor.
But, along with the advantages, the character has negative sides. For example, animals can be stubborn and independent. The dog can weigh the relevance of each team submitted, wondering if it is really worthy of execution.
With improper training, the pet takes over the role of the educator and often manipulates the owner.
How old to start raising?
As a rule, puppies are taken from the nursery in 2 months. At this time, they are already familiar with such a concept as socialization, have a strengthened psyche. Two-month puppies are active, learn to play with each other, stand well on their paws, run a lot and move constantly. Considering that the period of getting used to a new place and the owner can take 6-7 months, then the sooner a puppy is taken, the better.
However, experts recommend time to pick up a puppy no later than three months.
This is explained by the fact that at a later age the dog will not be eager to strive for training and education. Moreover, the speed of learning can slow down, and capriciousness and persistence can appear. So, The minimum age for the start of training is 2 months, the maximum is 3.
The subtleties of raising a puppy
To start raising the baby start immediately after he appears in the house, choosing for this day off. If you give him a lot of time to adapt, you can miss the time to curb the wrong behavior. In the first days you can put a heating pad or a small fur mattress in the bedding. Under no circumstances a puppy will not put a person in bed.From the first day of their stay in the new house they teach the place of the puppy.
To do this, pat the litter with a hand and pronounce the word "place." Along with this, begins accustoming the baby to his nickname. This is an important step on the way to training, because first the dog must learn to understand when the owner refers to it. On the very first day you can wash the puppy so that it dries up and runs until the evening. Then it is washed no more than once a month.
The puppy feeds the owner, he also walks, strokes, communicates and plays when the baby needs attention.
However, it is impossible to spoil the spaniel too much, as in the process of upbringing the dog understands that there are times when the owner cannot pay attention to it.
There should be no increase in voice, as well as a cry in communication and education. Paws and stomach are wiped after each walk, if necessary, washed so that the dirt from the street does not enter the rooms of the house.
Baby care is especially important so that he does not feel lonely after separation from his mother-dog. They call a puppy by name during games, stroke and talk to him. Baby buy toys, play with him, at the same time talking and turning by name. As you understand, you can teach a puppy to elementary teams, such as "no", "fu", "to me." In the first months of life, when speaking a team, there should not be unnecessary words and huge tirades: the pet simply will not understand what is required of it.
Along with accustoming to a nickname, own place and some simple commands the owner should carry out hygienic procedures regularly. We can not allow the puppy to walk in the house dirty, you need to clean his ears, comb hair, take care of the condition of the teeth. If from childhood to teach the child to hygiene, it will become the norm for him, and therefore he will not be nervous during its implementation.
If during the game the pet grabbed any object with his teeth, can not pull it out by force.
You can not keep a spaniel on a leash all day, the baby can break the chain, whine and complain in its own way, what will bother all the neighbors. In addition, it can become aggressive, which can turn into a problem of education.
At first, a dog living in an apartment building will have to be carried out for a walk. Someone uses a backpack for this, and the puppy quite quickly realizes that he is going for a walk as soon as he sees the backpack in his owner’s hands.
How to train a dog?
When a spaniel is 3-4 months old, it is necessary to teach him to the team "next". In addition, at this time it is time to teach your pet commands "stand", "show your teeth", "collar." At this time, the baby understands the meal hours, if the owner feeds him in time. In order for nurturing and training to succeed, it is necessary to take into account several key rules.
- Everything has its time. If you shift the upbringing and dressage from day to day, writing off everything for lack of time, you will not be able to raise a dog.
- Regularity. It is necessary to train a pet every day so that the animal can consolidate its skills by learning the rules of behavior.
- Load moderation. You can not mix multiple teams at the beginning of training, because the pet will confuse their meaning.
- Patience. If the kid performs the command correctly, it is necessary to encourage him, if he can not learn the lesson, you can not raise his voice and offend the lack of attention.
- Game approach. Spaniels are cunning animals, and therefore monotonous training can quickly get bored with them. Without a creative approach, they will get bored and try to take the initiative to train in their hands.
- Personal contact. It is not necessary to shift the education and training on someone from the outside, because personal communication is the key to a trusting relationship between the owner of the dog and the pet.
Schooling to water and swimming
At about half a year, the puppy should already understand the “bring me in” command. At this time, he is ready to learn to swim, for which the owner must choose a sunny day.
For this, a small pond with sloping banks is suitable. In order not to frighten the dog, it is impossible to deliberately pull it into the water.
For the first time, you can use the usual wooden stick for your pet.
She is thrown into the water so that she finds herself in the water approximately at a distance of one meter from the shore. Immediately the master gives the command "serve", but the stick should not be where it will be deep. For the fact that the spaniel will bring it, it is encouraged by affection or delicacy. If the dog is not afraid of water, you can try to throw the stick a little further.
As a result, time after time moving away from the coast in search of a stick, its paws will no longer reach the bottom, which will cause a swimming reaction. However, you can not mock the pet constant throwing a stick into the water: after a few throws, she needs rest. If you do not switch her attention to running or just skating in the grass, the training will seem to her something exhausting, and therefore she will not want to repeat this later.
Basic commands
Spaniel training involves the execution of different commands. For example, a trained dog must understand not only his place, but also his name: she should be able to swim, walk next to her master, sit or lie down at his request. Besides, the animal must have an idea about the concepts of "slow motion" and the search for "shuttle". He must have developed hunting skills, guard qualities and jumps.
A trained dog has been going to the toilet outside since four months. She is accustomed to the collar and leash and actively responds to the team. "walk". Team dress “Serve” and “sit” she understands well, like a team like "Search" which learns willingly, due to the use for this various treats.
In order for the owner to quickly teach the pet to the toilet, at first it is necessary to provide the puppy with a box of sawdust. In this way, he will reduce the puppy’s desire to meet his needs anywhere.
In the future, you will need more often to bring it to the street, at the same time walks should be frequent, but short. Over time, their duration increases, and the number decreases.
General recommendations
Spaniel training at home is hard work, which does not tolerate carelessness and letting the situation go by itself. During training, the dog must learn not only to carry out any commands uttered by the owner. She must also understand and stop certain actions at the command of the owner.
The basis of the training can be taken training I. P. Pavlov, allowing to develop reflexes taking into account conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. The dog trainer can influence the dog by various methods, for example, by promotion or prohibition. In order to turn a promotion into a conditioned stimulus, it is necessary to connect a delicacy to it. With frequent rewards, the dog will quickly understand what is required of her, and this technique will favorably affect her attachment to the owner.
Forcing a spaniel to dressure is useless. Neither the snatch of the leash, nor the blow of the rod, nor the threatening intonation will make the spaniel obedient and docile. On the contrary, they will be the reasons for the dog's insecurity and fear of the owner. To forbid a pet to do something, it is enough to say the command “no”. Of course, at first to get used to the same leash or collar will not be easy.
However, rather than screaming and hitting an animal, it is better to come up with a more positive way of training him.
You can not sharply pull the collar, even if the pet really wants to run away in the study of the surrounding world.
By this the host shows superiority, but it does not contribute to the proper relationship. The principle of learning should be based on team unity, action and encouragement.
For example, the sit command is taught by light pressure on the puppy croup. As soon as the pet has sat down, it is praised and encouraged. The “take” command is taught during one of the feedings.They give him food on the “take” command, thereby accustoming him to self-control, because the dog must understand the order. Otherwise, for example, in the hunt, she may rush for game ahead of time.
The team "can not" begin to work out with the "young claws", from the bowl. At the same time they give food on the command “take”, so that the puppy understands that he was allowed to eat. At the initial time of teaching the command "no" you can use a leash. In the future, it is removed, trying to get away from the physical effects. The team "to me" is considered one of those to which puppies get used faster than others.
It is possible to teach a puppy to it literally in a month using the methods of rewards. You can call him to yourself, treating him with some delicacy. However, when summoning a pet, it is necessary to remember and follow the order of actions. They give a command first, then show the treat, and only after that reinforcement goes. When training, you can use the whistle: it will serve as a kind of signal to execute the command.
See more on the Spaniel training in the video below.
