Im so frustrated

As I train more and more dogs, I have really begin to appreciate more how they learn and how they handle stress. I have noticed that dogs that have had a pretty rough past typically get stressed out very easily and that is when they usually try to bite me. Then you have dogs that are totally uneducated but they have had a fairly positive lifestyle. These dogs typically look forward to the challenges I present to them and try to work it out. When they do work the problem out, everyone can see how happy the dog is that it did it and how much faster the dog responds the next time it sees the same challenge. One of the many tools I like to use on dogs is their ability to handle being frustrated. Now with the dogs with some sort bad past, I have to be very careful, because otherwise I may have a few extra holes in me or a few less fingers. The dogs that can handle the frustration, will learn so quickly that seeing them work through the problems many times gives everyone involved a huge sense of satisfaction.

One of the aspects of being able to reach higher levels of frustration with a dog is using something that the dog values very highly. That is why I recommend finding out what your dog really enjoys so that he will try his best to solve the problems you present to him. I dont think it is enough to just go buy some dog treats and think that your dog will like them. Take your time and present your dog with various kinds of rewards and let him tell you what he likes. Once your dog knows he can access these rewards you will begin to see how motivated the dog becomes.

Another aspect to consider is how you over time increase the dogs ability to handle frustration. One of the games I play with my six year old dog has taught me so much about this. When my dog was just a puppy she really didnt care for food that much. She would routinely leave the food in the bowl only to eat it many hours latter. Today, when she gets the bowl of food, I am lucky that she doesnt try to eat the metal bowl. I got to this point being doing a few things. One i only feed her once a day. I also, early on, placed a time limit on how long the food would be available to eat. Next I taught her to sit and wait until I told her to she could eat. Now days, I almost always wait until drool is running down onto the floor for me to release her to eat. Her ability to be frustrated now makes her have such a high level of desire that when i teach her difficult behaviors she stays connected with me instead of simply giving up.

I do have to say that in the moment the dog and even I probably dont enjoy the frustration, but i think that when the dog actually receives what is was working for that in that moment the sense of accomplishment makes it all worth while.

If you would like to see some of these techniques in action be sure to contact us at Longoriahaus Dog Training. I also routinely send out dog training tips on Twitter. Be sure to follow us their. "

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