You thought you were bringing home Lassie from the pound, but some days it feels more like you might have brought home Cujo! You can do just a little training, and you will see that your dog will be a better dog in no time.

When training a puppy to use a crate it is important to take your time and start with only a few steps at a time. If your dog seems comfortable inside the crate when the door is open, shut it and feed them a treat. Start small, like at 10 seconds per approach, and then gradually increase the times. If the dog becomes upset, then you need to take a step back and slow down the training.

Specific feeding habits should be established for your dog. Train your dog to understand that you are going to remove their food bowl upon fifteen minutes of feeding them. This will establish a feeding schedule for your dog. By doing this, your dog will eventually learn to finish their food in one sitting, making feeding a little easier on you.

A consistent schedule of feeding and potty-time is very important when house training your dog. This allows you to know when your dog has to go and take him outside to do his business before your carpet gets ruined. Having a regular schedule will help your dog know that a potty break will be coming, and he will hold learn to hold his bathroom urges until that time.

In order to decrease barking, stay around the offending item. Triggers can include strangers, loud sounds or new places. Your dog should realize barking in such situations is needless.

You should remember that you are essentially helping your dog shape his personality. This is important to know, because you might undo certain desired behaviors inadvertently by teasing your dog or engaging in horseplay. You will want to mold your dog by always working toward desired behavior.

Don’t ever reward destructive or bad behavior. This just teaches the dog what it can do and what power it has over you. An example of this would be to give the dog treats every time it barks.

If your dog is accompanying you on a trip, be sure to bring along whatever your dog needs for sleeping, eating and eliminating. Include water, food bowls, bathroom bags and paper towels, so you can have a relaxing ride. Don’t worry about carrying dog food along. It’s easier to buy some at the location you’re going to.

It is important to work on the recall of your dog. Regardless of what is happening, your dog must learn to come back to you when he is called. Work on this skill daily. Recall may save your dog’s life one day, so don’t skip out on this training, even though it can be time-consuming and challenging.

You will be amazed at the results once you start applying these tips. If you and your dog need to spend some quality time together, try working with him on some of these training your dog tips.