Ways to discipline Rat Terriers! In this article, I’m going to be covering some simple ways to discipline Rat Terriers with these top tips that are simple in the best fashion possible.
One of the most important parts of dog training is disciplining your Rat Terrier.
Especially at their age of adolescence age discipline is one of the most important if not crucial parts in dog training.
It’s an important part of building strong communication between you and your Rat Terrier, especially in a strong breed like the Rat Terrier, which tends to be very defiant by nature.
Ways To Discipline Rat Terriers
A dog with little to no discipline, direction, or structure will develop a lot of problems in the future. So, with training, there’s a reinforcement of positive behavior and correction or redirection of undesired behavior.
So, how is it done? The following are helpful tips to discipline your Rat Terrier:
1. Use Positive reinforcement while discipline your Rat Terrier
If you will be able to use positive reinforcement while disciplining your Rat Terrier it will be effective.
With this positive reinforcement in discipline, your Rat Terrier doesn’t engage in the act of punishing your Rat Terrier, they won’t understand the reason why you are maltreating them instead reward good behavior.
This type of discipline is also applicable when you are potty training your Rat Terrier to reward them with treats when they follow instructions and go to the potty where you want.
You can as well shower their love with an endless praising tone when they perform excellently with the commands your are teaching them.
With this positive reinforcement when discipline your Rat Terrier after all said and done, you’re going to understand that this reward-based method is effective for them.
You are going to enjoy it while practicing it with your Rat Terrier because it is going to build your relationship with your Rat Terrier.
Using a positive reinforcement is one of the best ways to discipline Rat Terriers.
2. Keep everything consistent and on time when disciplining Rat Terriers
If you can keep everything consistent and on time when disciplining your Rat Terrier no more than five seconds at the point of incident you will get it right, they forget easily.
Chances of them forgetting easily is obvious. So scold them instantly when you noticed wrong thing they are doing, don’t wait until later you do so.
Be mean in your commands, if you say ‘stop’ in a stern voice, let it be! And don’t praise or reward with treats.
Be consistent in monitoring your Rat Terrier, say for few weeks before you can conclude they’re no longer doing the wrongs when you’re not around watching them.
So keeping everything consistent with your Rat Terrier is one the ways to discipline Rat Terriers.
3. Redirect negative behavior when disciplining Rat Terriers
To put everything in order while disciplining your Rat Terrier you can redirect this behavior, and often childish display or fit of bad temper in them.
Kindly, redirect your Rat Terrier to something meaningful when you noticed they’re no longer going with the good teachings.
If you don’t take the time, they might become excited and this can result in your Rat Terrier to exhibit some aggressive behavior when you are on a walk with them.
Whenever you are on the walk with your Rat Terrier or at the dog park they seem to be jumping on anything they see to make use of a clicker.
You know, this clicker is programmed in such a way that the noise of it will help give a command to them when they are on the wrong track, then give them praise.
This clicker can be used in different ways, When You see your Rat Terrier barking it can help reduce their incessant barking or biting on your couch, anything valuable.
4. Don’t discipline your Rat Terrier with physical force
There is never a reason why you should hurt and think of disciplining your Rat Terrier with physical force because you love them as your family.
I will not advise, even though you are in bad mood to lay a hand on your Rat Terrier in the name of discipline, because it won’t make any impact on what you want to achieve from them.
In a condition you can no longer carry on with the training or disciplining of your Rat Terrier, don’t discipline by physical force instead invite a professional trainer.
You can as well look for friends or family members who had an experience that can help with the situation.
If you wish to punish or discipline your Rat Terrier by a physical force they will never get the gist of the punishment, instead, they mistake it with the action they committed.
Like seriously, there will be an increase in their bad behavior, and will be afraid of you and might not be listening to you anymore.
5. Do not scream or yell at your Rat Terrier when disciplining
When you are disciplining your Rat Terrier, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be shouting or yelling at them.
This is because if you use a low voice at them, they will still understand and as well grab when you are yelling at them.
Be on the right track when disciplining your Rat Terrier, don’t let them misinterpret your voice to loud noise, otherwise, you will be tuned out.
To get things in order with your Rat Terrier at least by making use of a cool voice and simple commands with them will give a positive result.
Though they might get excited whenever you scream at them, but it might lead them to a bad behavior indeed.
So, if you moderate the way you shout at your Rat Terrier while disciplining, that is one of the best ways to discipline Rat Terriers.
6. Don’t rub your Rat Terrier’s nose in an accident when disciplining
Here, It is your obligation to teach your puppy where and where not to go.
Because by this time of their age, they don’t know everything in the house and where they can easily go to relieve themselves.
Actually, it is their inherent to mark their territory being in the house anywhere they step their foot.
So this instinctual behavior is still transferred to the puppies who will find it difficult to do the same thing in the house.
This is to tell you that their smell represents them wherever they go and is a means of communicating with others in their park that is why they usually leave their smell.
As a puppy they’re, they may not realize the consequences of the act actually, but they are likely to know it’s not good before they do it.
As a good pet parent, what you should do here is do your normal household cleaning and let go.
Remove the scent of previous urine marks with a good enzymatic cleaner.
Instead of disciplining your Rat Terrier by their nose rubbed in their mess or accident just show them outside.
7. When disciplining your Rat Terrier, don’t allow inappropriate play.
Here, It is not guaranteed that your puppy will be at their best behavior whenever you seem to teach or play with them.
They have the tendency of playing with anything they see around the house, this is the time stage of your Rat Terrier’s life you should let them know what is obtainable.
Making sure that they know their limit and which items that belong to them, since we know that at this stage their main behavior is chewing and destroying things.
This time around is when you should be vigilant and never allow inappropriate play near where you keep your items, make sure you limit their way by keeping those things out of their sight.
If you don’t correct inappropriate play and bad behavior now they’re puppies they will grow with it.
As a good pet parent, put everything in place to teach them from the beginning. That is one of the ways to discipline Rat Terriers.
8. When it comes to discipline your Rat Terrier, get into a routine
So, you got started, you kind of have a plan on what you want to do. But now you need to get routine, and you need to stay consistent, this is huge.
This means everything for your Rat Terrier, and they will be so routine about everything, they will know what time to eat, know when exercise is going to take place and when to go outside, even know when to be left alone.
Now, your Rat Terrier has that internal clock figured out. So the more routine you can become the easier it’s going to be for her or him to learn to figure things out.
If everything is sporadic and nothing really lines up for them, it’s going to confuse them especially when they’re younger, maybe things get a little out of work with your routine later once they’re a little older.
Because, life does happen, that is okay! But in the beginning getting routine and staying consistent with everything you do, feeding schedules, training even if it’s for five to ten minutes basic command training.
Exercise them learning that routine your lifestyle and what you expect is huge for your Rat Terrier.
Now you are starting, you’ve started the process you started early, and you have a routine.
If you can get into a routine with your Rat Terrier, that is one of the ways to discipline Rat Terriers.
9. Be patient when disciplining your Rat Terrier
They are going to make mistakes, they’re going to test your limits, they’re going to drive you insane a lot of time, they’re going to be following you everywhere.
There are just a lot of things about Rat Terriers that make them unique like they’re high energy, they’re zoomies, they’re prone to chew, they’re escape artists, dig and escape a yard when they’re younger.
So, that’s part of it, if you can prevent it, just do it. If you can’t and something happens, as long they stay safe and everything’s okay have some patience and work with them, everything gets better.
But, without patience with this Rat Terrier you’re going to be in for a really long ride, so go into the adoption knowing you need patience, exercise that patience and you will be just fine.
10. Be crucial when disciplining your Rat Terrier
When disciplining Rat Terriers is crucial as well, they respond fantastic to this tip.
You have to always be thinking reward for everything not scold reward.
Everything that they do right reward them, they’re very driven to work, so to speak they want to know that they are doing what you want them to do and they look forward to that.
They do things specifically for that reward, when you give them that reward that makes them desire to get it again.
So, whether that’s treats, love and affection, there are a lot of ways you can reward your Rat Terrier.
That doesn’t mean whether it has to be a delicious treat even though you love those two, don’t you?
I think you get the point, make sure that when they do things correctly you’re rewarding them for that, and they understand that they just did something correctly.
When they don’t do something correctly, just move on they don’t really understand, you the scolding and the corrections based on the human language they respond to.
Okay! I just got something I want, it tastes good, or I got my belly rubbed, and it felt good that’s what they respond to.
So, be sure to always reward this dog throughout the discipline process.
Again make it crucial while disciplining your Rat Terrier, that’s one of the best ways to discipline Rat Terriers.
11. When disciplining your Rat Terrier, Try to mix it up
This is meant for, if you’re kind of at the end of your limits, or you’re struggling, and the biggest thing I can tell you on this tip specifically is you need to mix it up.
If one thing is not working, try to be scared to try something else.
Your Rat Terrier might respond very well to clicker training, which is just a handheld flicker with your thumb.
That’s how they will learn the basics like, ‘sit’ and ‘lay down’.
Some dogs don’t need clicker training, and some dogs respond well to it.
It depends on your personality how you interact with it how fun you make it, and of course, on the dogs themselves and their personality.
If one thing isn’t working you know with potty training, if it’s not working to put a bell on the door try something else.
Try more frequent trips outside on a leash followed by a treat, don’t be scared to change it because you’ve started with something failure it can happen.
For you and your Rat Terrier during this process if you don’t mix it up you might not ever find the method that works the best for you and your Rat Terrier, So mix it up!
12. Introduce exercise when disciplining your Rat Terrier
This one might be the most important tip on this entire list, it’s exercise, the disciplining process, the training process, even the socialization process.
With these Rat Terriers, it is never going to speak or be what it could be if you never provide exercise.
I don’t care if you have a backyard where they can do their zoomies and that’s how they get it.
If you have to take them on walks that’s fine or if you need to go to a dog park that’s fine too.
The point is I don’t care what kind of exercise they get as long as they get some.
Because if they don’t have a way to burn off energy they can’t stay as focused, they can’t stay as attentive to what is happening and they’re just a wild dog without exercise.
They have to have that ability, it’s not their fault it’s built into their DNA to be like this, so if you don’t provide it that failure is on you.
Make sure that your Rat Terrier is getting the exercise they need.
Again, outside Is fine, even without you as long there’s space to do it to make sure they get what they need and that’s part of the entire process if you want to succeed with your Rat Terrier.
According to hillspet: Before you begin, it’s important to learn the do’s and don’ts of how to discipline a dog. You want to make sure the punishment matches the action and you don’t do anything to harm the bond you’re currently building with your pet.
Final Thoughts
Your Rat Terrier can frustrate you, they can be a pain in the rear sometimes. You are going to get frustrated you have to keep at it.
The second, you start kind of breaking away from your tendencies or letting them win so to speak and not caring about the discipline is when it’s all going to go downhill for you.
So keep at it, expect some failures exercise the patience when it happens, mix it up if it’s not going well and stay consistent and you will be fine.
If you stick to just these twelve tips, even though we didn’t go fully in depth on all of them you’re going to have a very good base.
Once you adopt your Rat Terrier on what you need to do and the mindset that you should have throughout the process.
You know your mood can easily be felt and sensed by this dog. She just knows like when you’re in a bad mood, whenever you’re in an enthusiastic mood.
If you’re bringing that energy into everything you’re trying to do with this Rat Terrier, nothing is going to work, so let it go, be patient, mix it up and you’re going to be in good shape.
