According to a study, aggression has become the most common and severe behavioral issue among dogs.

It’s one of the primary reasons pet owners seek professional help from behaviorists, trainers, and veterinarians.

Instilling good habits in dogs will start from an early age. With proper training and grooming, you can curb aggressive behavior in dogs while promoting healthy habits. When a pet knows and follows the rules, it makes a living together more pleasant for everyone.

How to instill good behavior in dogs?

Before we jump into a list of good habits, let's talk about different ways to instill good dog behavior. To make the most of your training, you should continue practicing, praising, and rewarding.

Practice -As the training session continues, give your dog plenty of opportunities to practice a said behavior. Try it at different times of the day.

Praise -Whenever your dog completes a goal, you should praise it. Positive reinforcement can help animals to learn and instill good habits quickly.

Rewards -Dogs love getting rewards. In this case, you can choose a healthy treat as a reward whenever your dog completes a goal.

5 Good Habits to Teach Your Dog

Here is the list of five good habits that every dog should learn.

Hygiene

Good hygiene is a must for all kinds of pets. Untrained dogs will piss or poop anywhere they want. This can leave a foul smell and color on your floor, couches, and sofa. Hence, it would be best if you taught your dog to relieve in a proper place. Potty training should begin when it's still a pup.

As they grow bigger, you should take them outside the house and train them to relieve in a particular place. Use positive reinforcement (Praise and rewards) to motive their good habits.

Leash Manners

"Leash manner" is an essential pet behavior that every dog must learn and understand before their pet owners start taking them out for a walk, jog, or run.

When dogs get out of the house, they often spring towards unfamiliar places, people, and animals. They can land up in trouble if you fail to leash them properly. Never forcefully pull their leash when they aren't walking or walking too slow. Apply a gentle leash pressure. To leash train them, you can begin with rewards such as treats. Please walk up to a point, then reward them. Continue this couple of times every day.

"Come, Sit, Leave It"

Every dog should learn and know basic commands. The commands aren't just fancy words. They can save their life in many difficult situations. The most basic command is calling their name, sit, go, and leave it.

Your dog should respond to you when you call its name. Imagine taking your dog to a park with other people and animals. What if your dog gets overwhelmed and runoff? You'd call its name, and it has to come right to you. If it doesn't, then it can land in serious trouble.

"Leave It" is an essential command that tells your dog to leave, let go, or exit toxic or potentially dangerous objects and situations that can be life-threatening.

Barking/Jumping at Visitors

It's insulting and unpleasant when a visitor walks up to your house and your dog barks or jumps on them. Many people get overwhelmed when they hear a dog bark and runoff. This can become a really unpleasant situation for both you and your guests.

Train and redirect your dog to "sit-stay" or "stop" whenever they start barking at people. Although this process may take longer than usual, it’ll be worth it.

Chewing

Your dog chewing on the sofa, couch, curtains, socks, and shoes can become an unpleasant experience. To curb this habit, you'd need to provide them plenty of safe and chew-approved chew toys. Whenever they start chewing on stuff, you should redirect them to chew toys and reward them for attesting that this habit is not acceptable.

There are many other good behaviors that dogs should learn throughout their life. While most training starts when they're still a pup, some training can only be provided when they become adult.

Before meeting other animals, training them is equally essential because dogs can quickly become aggressive when they see other animals. If they're experiencing aggressive behavior or fear, then you'd need to consult professional trainers to curb such behaviors.

Check this infographics for more information.

Urban Pet Hospital & Resort is the best doggy daycare in Urbandale. Get in touch with your experienced dog trainers and veterinarians to learn more about dog behaviors.