Potty Training A Puppy - How To Potty Train A Puppy

House training or potty training a puppy is one of the first few important tasks that every new dog owners will have to undertake when they first introduce their puppy to its new home.
While the initial puppy potty training process can be challenging especially when you are a new owner or when the puppy is just a few weeks old, the good news is all puppies can be toilet trained successfully if you are persistent, patient and take it a step at a time.
To have a young puppy establish good toilet habits early, here are a few common sense housebreaking tips you can apply to potty training a puppy successfully. The first thing you need to do is to learn as much as possible about the breed of your puppy. By talking to other dog owners, veterinarians and reading books, you can discover many tips and pointers along the way to help you in your puppy potty training process.
Remember that puppies are still young and developing. Because of this, they do not have a very large bladder nor do they have much control holding their bladder. When potty training a puppy, give the puppy ample opportunity to eliminate in a proper location. For most people this location is outside. Other people encourage their dogs to use indoor dog litter boxes or grass boxes (as might be the case for a small dog living on the 98th floor in New York City). As long as your pup has a place to go to the bathroom and is given the opportunity to use it, the method and location is up to your discretion and lifestyle.
As a basic rule of thumb, a puppy can hold his or her bladder for the number of hours that is equivalent to their age. For example, if a puppy is 1 month old, they can hold their bladder for 1 hour, and then they will need to have an opportunity to eliminate. The same is true even at night and in inclement weather! Making the effort to get up and go outside is one of the pledges you made to your puppy when you adopted him or her! Don?t worry... as they mature, dogs gain better bladder control. Each dog is an individual, so keep a schedule that works for your dog.
When you wake up in the morning, avoid praising or greeting your puppy until he has used the bathroom. This will develop into a routine for him and once he realizes that he gets a lot of loving attention and praise after he uses the bathroom in the morning, this pattern will stick in his head and he will understand what to do in order to get what he wants, which is your praise!
Having a puppy often entails a change in lifestyle. Undertaking this experience, while rewarding, requires a large amount of commitment. If you are unable to go home and let the puppy out to go to the bathroom every few hours or so, then you will need to make arrangements for someone else to be on duty to do it. Alternatively, you may also like to crate train your puppy. Crates are an excellent tool to use when potty training a puppy because puppies are reluctant to soil the place where they sleep (but if they are forced to do so, they will, and that can create a problem in future house training efforts. Forcing your puppy or dog to soil their crate should be avoided at all cost. Consult a vet or a professional dog trainer if your puppy or dog goes to the bathroom in the crate even without spending a lot of time there. There could either be a more complicated training issue involved or a medical concern.
When you do bring your puppy outside of the house to their place to do their business, make sure that you have them on a leash. This prevents them from spending time sniffing, playing, chewing on flowers, chasing bugs and other puppy activities (which are necessary activities, just not during potty time)!
Always keep an eye on puppy whether he/she is inside or outside the house. Not only does this prevent the pup from getting into things that you do not want them to chew or shred, but you can look for signals that the pup needs to go to the bathroom. Such signs are sniffing, circling and beginning to squat. If you see any of these signs, be sure to quickly whisk your puppy outside or to their ?spot?, so you can interrupt and prevent elimination in the incorrect spot and instead reward him or her for going to the right place.
When you start to potty train your puppy, choose a cue word like 'go potty' and stick to using the same command everytime so that he or she will understand what it means each time you lead him/her to the potty area. Similarly, whatever route you take from the house to his potty area, use the same path every single time you take him to use the bathroom. This will help create a pattern so that he understands that it is time to go to the bathroom when you are walking him through the same route.
It goes without saying that you need to be generous with your praises, treats and loving caresses when your puppy properly eliminates in the designated area. You must help him associate housebreaking with a positive experience. Showering him with treats and affection will increase the likelihood of your puppy going to the correct place because they will want to earn those yummy treats (and going to wrong location, such as your living room, will earn them nothing).
While potty training a puppy, accidents may still happen. When you do come across an accident, simply clean it up and vow to be more diligent about making sure you watch your puppy for signs and taking him or her outside more frequently. Punishing a puppy for an accident can actually make potty training more difficult. If the pup associates bad things happening when they have an accident in front of you, they can learn that it?s safer to eliminate behind the sofa and out of your sight. The more often a creature repeats and practices a behavior the better they become at it. You don?t want your puppy to start a habit of eliminating behind the furniture.
Given proper attention and training, the process of potty training a puppy should take approximately two to four weeks to establish a routine and between six to twelve months to be completed. And remember to start the potty training a puppy early because it is always easier to cultivate good habits in a dog from the beginning than it is to break bad habits later.

Essential Dog Commands For Basic Dog Obedience & Behavior Training

Have you taught any dog commands to your new puppy or dog yet? Do you know which are the most important dog training commands that will help you bring out the best in your dog and train your pet to develop good obedience and desired behavior successfully?
Well then, here are 10 essential basic commands for dogs that many professional dog trainers believe a new puppy or dog need to know for effective obedience and behavior training. Come - One of the most important dog commands that every new puppy or dog need to learn. Usually taught together with his/her name, it's a command that you will use actively to recall your dog back to you if he/she breaks free from the leash or is running around misbehaving.
Sit - This basic command is among one of the most useful dog obedience commands especially if you want to know how to control and keep your dog in check. Dogs who understand the "Sit" command are easier to manage and are also less likely to misbehave like jumping on people, chasing animals or fighting with other dogs.
Stay - Often used in combination with other dog commands like "sit" or "down," the command "stay" is useful to keep your dog out of harms way should he/she approach something it's not suppose to or attempting to cross a busy street. Not the easiest command for dogs as sometimes their curiosity and animal instinct might take over instead of staying put when told.
Wait - Different from the "Stay" command which is more often use to keep your dog away from danger, the "Wait" command is more of a obedience command to keep your dog in check, letting him/her know he/she has to wait for your approval or till your next command. Commonly use on dogs that have a habit of rushing through doors or getting overly excited and aggressive while you are preparing its meal.
Down - Unlike the "Sit" command, the "down" command means your dog goes down all the way on his/her stomach. This dog command is an essential part of doggy etiquette and helps establish you as the leader in the relationship. It is also a handy behavior command for hyperactive dogs or when there are small children around looking to approach your dog.
Stand - This is a very handy obedience command that tells your dog to stop moving and be still. It's useful for when you are having a veterinarian examining him/her over or when you are bathing and grooming him/her.
No - Depending on the situation, the "No" command is usually use to discourage or break up undesirable behavior such as chewing, biting or jumping. This is an important command that you should teach your puppy from the beginning.
Off - The "Off" command is useful to teach your dog to get off that expensive couch or your bed and is also applicable for telling them to stop jumping on you or other people.
Leave It - Dogs are inquisitive animals and sometimes give in to their instinct to explore things that appeal to their senses. The "Leave It" command is perfect to stop dogs that fancies poop eating or having a fetish chewing habit to chew everything around the house.
Drop It - The "Drop It" command is necessary to get your dog drop whatever it is in their mouth especially items like your expensive leather shoe or unknown substances that might be potentially harmful. This command is also useful when you start teaching your dog tricks like how to "Fetch".
Knowing these 10 dog training commands will give you the basic fundamentals to becoming an effective trainer and having a well-manner and obedient dog.

Dog Training Tips and Advice

#1 - Social Development
Help and make sure your dog meet and socialize with as many people as possible. These experiences allow your dog to be comfortable with humans and reduce the likelihood of any future behavior problems. Limited contact with humans or other species can lead to development of certain characteristics such as shyness or fearful of strangers. #2 - Mental And Physical Stimulation
Every dog thrives on both mental and physical stimulation. Exposing your dog to new environments and experiences can greatly enhance your dog's interest in learning new things. Dog walks or games are great ways to stimulate your pet both mentally and physically. If actively stimulated, your dog will become healthier and adept at learning new trainings faster. This will also help strengthen the bond between the both of you at the same time. #3 - Hand Feed Your Dog
Whenever possible, hand feed your dog. This teaches him/her to like human contact, even when your dog is feeding from his food bowl. Not feeding from hand can lead your dog to turn aggressive in the future to whoever that tries to get near him/her while feeding. #4 - Training Environment
Always begin your dog training inside the home where your dog stays. Your dog will learn faster when he/she is in a familiar environment. Outdoor training should only be attempted when your dog reliably obeys commands in your home. After each training sessions, make sure you play with your dog to help associate training as positive and fun. #5 - Step-by-Step Training
Work on one new exercise, command or trick per training session. This will allow your dog to learn, understand and familiarize each new training better and faster. Trying to introducing multiple items at one session can confuse your pet and lead to slower learning curve. Instead, having patience with your dog will set up your dog training to be successful. #6 - Words And Commands
Make sure you always use and repeat the same word or command for each particular training. Attempting to be creative will confuse your dog and prolong the training session. #7 - Best Time To Train
The best time to train your dog is before each of its meal or feeding period. Your dog is hungry and will respond very well to food treats. This is especially useful if you are just starting out to train your dog or you have certain difficulty with a particular command or trick. Do balance your rewards with praises and hugs so that your dog doesn't associate every reward with just food. Never begin any training with your dog when you are feeling lousy or in a bad mood. #8 - Offering Rewards
Whenever your dog obeys or performs to a certain command, praise and reward your dog immediately. Do not delay in giving rewards as you might be accidentally rewarding for the wrong behaviors. If in doubt, repeat the command again and reward accordingly. Once your dog is familiar with a particular command or training, start to give out your rewards randomly. This will allow your dog to continue to respond well to the same command or behavior as it won't know when is the next reward coming or even in the absence of any rewards. #9 - Reprimand And Punishment
Never use any physical corrections or harsh yelling when you dog misbehave as this can cause fear and promote future aggressive behavior in your dog. Reprimand your dog by using a stern voice instead and only when you actually caught it misbehaving. #10 - Training Sessions
Train you dog in short, frequent sessions. Dogs have a short attention span and will get easily distracted or bored. Train your dog for ten minutes each session and then play with him/her with its favorite toy to stimulate your dog's learning process. End the training with a positive note or with your dog wanting more. This will allow your dog to look forward to the next training session.

House Training A Puppy

House training a puppy means the identification and establishment of your puppy?s main toilet area. It is one of the first few important tasks of puppy training when the puppy is first introduce to its new home. Clear designated sleeping, playing and toilet areas are vital starting point of the house breaking process for your puppy to develop the proper habits and desired behavior.
Puppy house training can be catergorized into two main types: Passive House Training or Paper Training, andActive House TrainingGiving proper attention, the house training process should take approximately two to four weeks to establish a routine and between six to twelve months to be completed.
Preparation For House Training Your Puppy To start off with the house training, a room should be prepared and ?puppy proofed? with no dangerous objects (items like detergents, glue, nail polish, medications, various toiletries and cosmetics). Small objects like coins, paper clips, jewelry, figurines, pins, tacks or stables and heavy items such as lamps, telephones, radios should be place away from the room.
Passive House Training A Puppy Passive house training or paper training is very useful in the event you cannot be around most of the time to train your puppy his or her toilet habits. Start by papering a large area in the room and direct your puppy?s attention to the papers for his bowel and bladder needs. The initial process, however can be quite a challenge as he or she might not understand the meaning of the papers and will most likely mess up the room by playing or chewing the papers. Don?t get upset by this minor setback. Simply clean up and replace the area with new papers again. Given time, your puppy will start to recognize and differentiate his play and sleeping area in the room. He or she will begin to identify the papers as its elimination area. Observe the behavior for two weeks for your puppy to develop this habit of eliminating on paper. After the two weeks, you can start to change the location of the papers to anyway of your choice for easier clean-up.
Active House Training An active approach to your puppy house training process will only benefit everyone as this will speed up the development of your puppy?s toilet habits. Methodology is almost similar as passive house training except that you are more active in supervising and guiding your puppy. Puppies need to eliminate almost every 45 minutes after eating, drinking or playing. So whenever you see your puppy sniffing and circling around in a special way, immediately take your puppy to the papers. Reward your puppy with play time or affection if he or she do it correctly by eliminating on the papers. Use a firm ?No? kind of tonality to discourage the wrong habits or behavior. Another important puppy problem that might occur during this period is the so-called ?submissive urination?, which appears while showing joy and gratitude for your presence. It?s a puppy way of showing respect to you. More patience will be needed here to strengthen your puppy confidence to eliminate this habit successfully.
Keys To House Training A Puppy With Success House training a puppy successfully depend a lot on your consistency, discipline and perseverance. Treating your puppy with patience and understanding, using the appropriate house training methods are the main ingredients to developing a well behaved dog with good toilet habits.

Positive Reinforcement Dog Training

Positive reinforcement dog training has been widely accepted by among the vast majority of dog training experts as the most effective and humane way to begin training your dog. Essentially, positive reinforcement or conditioning entails rewarding good behavior that you wish to see repeated with rewards, so that the learning experience will increase the likelihood of your dog repeating that particular behavior.
Professional dog trainers who employ the uses of positive reinforcement dog training will attest that they believe not only is this method more pleasant for both dog and trainer, but that the use of rewards in training is much more effective. Here are some successful positive reinforcement dog training ways for you to facilitate your dog training training process:
Using Meaningful Rewards
Dogs get bored pretty quickly with the routine pat on the head or the verbal praise ?good boy?.
To keep the quality of your dog?s learning at a high standard, use tempting incentives for good behavior. Food treats and physical affection are what professional dog trainers refer to as ?primary incentives? ? in other words, they?re both significant rewards that most dogs respond powerfully and reliably to.
Using The Right Timing
When your dog obeys a command, you must mark the behavior that you're going to reward so that, when he gets that treat in his mouth and he understands exactly what behavior it was that earned him the reward.
Some people use a clicker for this: a small metal sound-making device, which emits a distinct ?click? when pressed. The clicker is clicked at the exact moment that a dog performs the desired behavior (so, if asking a dog to sit, you?d click the clicker just as the dog?s bottom hits the ground)
(Read more about Clicker Dog Training)
You can also use your voice to mark desired behavior: just saying ?Yes!? in a happy, excited tone of voice will work perfectly. Make sure that you give him the treat after the marker ? and remember to use the marker consistently. If you only say ?Yes!? or use the clicker sometimes, it won?t have any significance to your dog when you do do it; he needs the opportunity to learn what that marker means (i.e., that he?s done something right whenever he hears the marker, and a treat will be forthcoming very shortly). So be consistent with your marker.
Be Consistent With Your Training Commands
When you?re teaching a dog a command, you must decide ahead of time on the verbal cue you?re going to be giving him, and then stick to it.
So, when training your dog to not jump up on you, you wouldn?t ask him to ?get off?, ?get down?, and ?stop jumping?, because that would just confuse him; you?d pick one phrase, such as ?No jump?, and stick with it.
Even the smartest dogs don?t understand English ? they need to learn, through consistent repetition, the actions associated with a particular phrase. His rate of obedience will be much better if you choose one particular phrase and use it every time you wish him to enact a certain behavior for you.
How To Reward Your Dog Meaningfully
All dogs have their favorite treats and preferred demonstrations of physical affection. Some dogs will do backflips for a dried liver snippet; other dogs just aren?t ?chow hounds? (big eaters) and prefer to be rewarded through a game with a cherished toy, or through some physical affection from you.
You?ll probably already have a fair idea of how much he enjoys being touched and played with ? each dog has a distinct level of energy and demonstrativeness, just like humans do.
The best ways to stroke your dog: most dogs really like having the base of the tail (the lowest part of their back, just before the tail starts) scratched gently; having their chests rubbed or scratched (right between the forelegs) is usually a winner, too. You can also target the ears: gently rub the ear flap between your thumb and finger, or scratch gently at the base.
As far as food is concerned, it?s not hard to figure out what your dog likes: just experiment with different food treats until you find one that he really goes nuts for. When it comes to food, trainers have noted an interesting thing: dogs actually respond most reliably to training commands when they receive treats sporadically, instead of predictably. Intermittent treating seems to keep dogs on their toes, and more interested in what might be on offer - it prevents them from growing tired of the food rewards, and from making a conscious decision to forego a treat.
How To Correct Your Dog Meaningfully
The great thing about positive reinforcement dog training is that it doesn't require you to do anything that might go against the grain. You won't be called upon to put any complex, weighty correctional theories into practice, or be required to undertake any harsh punitive measures.
When it comes to positive reinforcement dog training, all you have to do is reward the behavior your wish to see and ignore the behavior that you don't wish to see repeated. Not getting any attention (because you're deliberately ignoring him) is enough to make just about any dog pretty miserable, and thus is also a powerful correctional tool.
The more positive the reward and bigger the fuss you make over your dog when he or she does get it right, the clearer the connection your dog will understand for that particular behavior.
In A Nutshell
Each dog has its own personality, intelligence, tolerance, and trainability. If you compares two teachers: One who shouts constantly and gives you a whack when you mess up, while the other firmly but gently corrects your mistakes, praises your successes, and makes learning fun. Who do you think you'd learn the most from?
Well, your dogs are no different. You can train a dog to do anything canines are capable of doing with good, positive reinforcement and conditioning.
Anyone who wants to develop good behavior and obedience in a dog while at the same time, have fun and build a harmonious happy relationship with your canine friend should learn to apply the skills of positive reinforcement dog training.
Recommended Reading
One excellent resource for positive reinforcement dog training is SitStayFetch: the ultimate training and knowledge database for dog owners.
With a focus on preventing and dealing with problem behaviors, as well as obedience work and 'tricks', SitStayFetch covers a vast variety of topics in minute detail - all round, an invaluable manual for dog owners everywhere.

Siberian Husky Training | How To Train A Siberian Husky Dog

How To Train A Siberian Husky - Siberian Husky Training Made Simple. To begin training your Siberian Husky, you must be ready for the unexpected. Your dog's strong will and independent nature can pose a challenge when you try to teach him basic obedience and behavior training. Thus, proper Siberian Husky training will require you to be patient and persistent. The training of your Siberian Husky should begin when your dog is still a puppy. It is essential that you establish the house rules early and make sure that your puppy knows that you are in charge. The rule of thumb is that if you train your dog to do something, expect him to do it. Once you do this, your dog will respect you and look to you for guidance and trainings will be much easier otherwise it will be much more challenging to train him as an adult dog. Obedience training begins with housebreaking your Siberian Husky. The dog loves to be outdoors so housebreaking isn?t nearly as difficult as with some breeds. This dog breed has an innate sense of wanting to go outside to do their "business". You simply need to reinforce that behavior from the minute you bring your puppy home. Take your puppy out every morning when you wake up and before you turn in. In the initially stages, you will also need to let your puppy out ever couple of hours or 30 minutes after every meals. However as your puppy gets older, the frequency for going out to pee or potty will decrease. This dog breed is especially responsive to positive reinforcement from the pack leader and is therefore very important to communicate with your dog about your expectations through trust and respect. Positive Siberian Husky training can be in the form of praise such as ?good job,? a pat to the head or side, or in the form of a treat. Starting positive reinforcement early means your puppy will learn to respect you from young. As your Siberian Husky is a working breed, the desire to run is in the genes so you must make sure that this dog breed is given the required exercise daily and allowed to get a few good runs each week. A walk simply is not enough. In fact, your Siberian Husky must have regular opportunities to vent his energy. Otherwise he will become rambunctious and bored and he will most likely express himself by barking, howling and destructive chewing. Bored Siberian Huskies are famous for massive destructiveness such as chewing through dry wall, ripping the stuffing out of sofas, and turning your yard into a moonscape of giant craters. Therefore solving bad behavior problems that develop in your dog can be as simple as ensuring your husky is getting his required exercise or at least being asked to perform tasks that resemble working, because he needs something to do. Your Siberian Husky is a strong-willed and intelligent dog that requires a confident owner who can take charge. If you want to be an effective trainer, your dog must respect you and think of you as leader of the pack. Despite centuries of selective breeding, your dog still thinks like its wolf ancestors. It is a pack animal wanting to know its place in the pack and respond to the pack leader's commands. In your dog's mind you and your family are pack leaders. You make decisions and your dog complies. Understand how your dog thinks and your Siberian Husky training will be enjoyable for both of you. I've heard that Siberians are mischievous. Is this true? Yes and no. Despite their affectionate nature, Siberians are very intelligent dogs and are not as subservient and eager to please their owners as some other popular breeds. They will often do things that surprise their owners. They can get into things that one might think are impossible. When Siberians are bored, they can become quite mischievous, inventive, and destructive. This is typical of working dogs. This is why it is so important to include the Siberian in family activities and give him plenty of attention and exercise. My Siberian Husky digs constantly and is destroying the yard. What can I do? It is the nature of the breed to dig cooling holes to lie in. One method that has worked is to provide your dog an area in your yard in which he is allowed, even encouraged, to dig and train him to dig there. A sand-box, of sorts, with soft cool dirt with an occasional treat buried there can work. My Siberian Husky is very noisy and howls all day long, annoying the neighbors. What can I do? Your dog may make noise as its way of communication to you when he is lonely or bored. Your dog may howl to seek attention from you. However excessive howling can irritate therefore, training your dog not to howl or make noise is of utmost importance. There are a few simple solutions to solve this problem: For the first few days, try to ignore your dog when he/she goes into a howling fit for no apparent reason as any attention will reinforce the behavior. Praise your dog when he becomes quiet.Do use a squirt gun to spray water on your dog if excessive howling persists. This is to disrupt its behavior and your dog will associate howling as an unpleasant experience.Do praise and reward your dog immediately after it stops maaking noises and not ten minutes after. Your dog will not understand the reason for the discipline.Do use an anti bark collar for further training whenever you are not around and your dog is not fully train yet so as to be thoughtful to thy neighbors.

Dogs and Kids - Kid-Proof Your Dogs & Dog-Proof Your Children

Dogs and kids just seem to go together. Ensure that you have a happy household by selecting a dog with the best temperament to live with children. Then teach kids how to be an active and integral part of the dog?s life. The benefits for everyone in the family are substantial! Rules to Mixing Dogs and Kids Together
Many households consist of both kids and dogs. Because of this, it is important that our dogs get along with ALL members of our family. When it comes to introducing a dog into a household with children, there are a few rules to follow.
Rule #1
Carefully choose a puppy or dog that really likes children. There are many dogs who will politely put up with children, and then there are dogs who really adore children. A dog that falls into the later category is the one you want to find for your family. To achieve this goal, seek a professional dog trainer who can help you select a dog or puppy from a shelter with the correct personality and temperament for children. If you are going to buy a puppy from a breeder, make sure you know the puppy?s mother and father, inquire what kind of socialization the breeder is doing with the puppies (there should be human children regularly interacting with the puppies), and ask to talk to other families who have adopted the breeder?s puppies to inquire how the dogs and kids interacted together.
Rule #2
Never leave dogs and kids alone or unsupervised. Not for even a single minute, no matter how wonderful the dog, or how long the dog and child have known each other. Dogs are animals, children are unpredictable and accidents can happen.
Rule #3
Teach children how to approach and interact with a dog. Instruct them not to approach dogs they do not know, and guide them in reading some obvious dog behaviors such as a dog who looks friendly verses a dog who looks aggressive. Because not all dogs are friendly, teach children to: Be alert to dogs in the area they are playing.
Not to approach a strange dog.
Not to approach a dog who is eating, sleeping, or a dog who avoids them.
If approached by a dog they do not know, instruct children to be ?a tree?. Practice standing still, avoiding eye contact with the dog (but keeping the dog in sight out of the corner of your eye) and being quiet.
Find protection or a means of escape, and slowly (without running) back away.
Become ?a rock? if attacked by a dog. This means curling into a ball and protecting their face, throat, neck and vital organs.
There are several resources for parents who are looking for guides on successful interactions between dogs and kids. One good place to find information is with a local professional dog trainer who uses positive reinforcement. Some trainers even have classes specifically designed to teach kids with dogs.
Additional Information You May Also Find Helpful:
Children And Dogs: Important Information For Parents
Books: Living with Kids and Dogs...Without Losing Your Mind, by Colleen Pelar
Video: Dogs, Cats & Kids: Learning to Be Safe With Animals. Created by Donald Manelli with Wayne Hunthausen, DVM. This short video helps children read animal body language, shows children how to handle animals and demonstrates what to do in a dog attack.
The Wonderful Benefits For Kids With Dogs
Because many children are drawn to animals, quite often the children are the ones trying to initiate getting a dog for the family. Sometimes parents are reluctant to bring a dog into their household because dogs do require a lot of time, energy and money. However, there are several benefits to children having a dog in the house, such as:
Sometimes, much to the pleasant surprise of a parent, kids often make the best dog trainers! Considering the roles dogs and kids play in each other?s lives, it is important to invest the effort in a smooth relationship. Before you get or adopt a dog, make sure your child knows what kind of responsibilities are expected of him or her in caring for the dog. Set up a list of their duties and be sure to reward them for being successful!
Check out classes at the local training center or seek the services of a private dog trainer who can give you tips to make the most out of having the kids train the dog.
When kids use positive training techniques, they will use treats to reward the dog. Having the dog associate children with making good things happen is a great way to further cement the bond they share. Other attributes that kids have going for them when it comes to training the family dog is that they are: As many families will agree, there is nothing better than a happy household! Giving children the skills to take care of and train the dog will help the dog, the children and the parents! Dogs and kids often form a special relationship with one another. They are playmates, best friends and trusty companions. And, after all, isn?t that what family is all about?