A can of pennies is a common and effective way to help train your dog

Constructive discipline is used to interrupt a dog's negative behavior with an audible correction.

A shake can makes a loud sound, much like clapping your hands, which will stop your pup from barking excessively, eliminating indoors, jumping on people or gnawing on off-limits items.

The sound won't scare your dog or otherwise harm him, but he won't like it and it will distract him from whatever unwanted behavior he is in the midst of.

Reward him with a treat only when he isn't doing the behavior you've interrupted. For example, give him a series of treats when he's being quiet just after you shake the can, not when he's barking if you want to discourage excessive barking.

When your pup does something you don't want, such as barking excessively, shake the can only once to stop the behavior.

If you shake the can multiple times in a row, your pup quickly will become desensitized to the sound and the training tool will become ineffective, warns the West Highland White Terrier Club of America.

Once your pup stops doing what you don't want, immediately redirect his attention onto something you do want. For example, if you don't want your dog to chew on your couch cushions, shake the can once to distract him when he does so, before redirecting his behavior onto something acceptable, like a chew toy. If your pooch is eliminating indoors, distract him with the shake can and bring him outdoors to finish. Reward him for eliminating outside.