Dog training is a topic of critical importance to anyone with a domestic canine companion. The most efficient way to help your pet attain an appropriate level of obedience is to thoroughly educate yourself on which methods work and which offer little help. By following the tips in this article, you will be well on your way to a peaceful, loving relationship with your pet.
The walk can be very hard to master, but with the right practice and patience, your dog will be walking right by your side in no time. Firstly, do not allow them to leave the door first. When you put his leash on, make him sit first or give you his paw. In short, some sort of obedience to get him in the spirit. Then, when you are actually outside, if he begins to walk in front of you, give the leash a quick tug to assert yourself as the one in charge.
Your dog will perform best on a healthy diet. The effects a bad diet has on your dog extend further than you might think. It is damaging to their health as well as making them more prone to bad behaviors. Improving your dog’s diet can make training him easier.
Use your time walking the dog as a time of bonding and positive reinforcement. Try bringing your treats along and playing games with them during the walk. Ask him to sit in the middle of your walk and reward him with a snack. Reinforce the love you have for your dog and they will respond in kind.
It is important to understand that training your dog will require a lot of patience and repetition. It often takes a dog between 25 and 50 repetitions before they are able to learn a new command. Getting frustrated will only delay your results and may hurt your relationship with your pet.
To keep your dog from barking while you aren’t home, you need to make him think you can appear at any moment. This will take some time on your part. Pretend to leave the house, but stay outside until the barking starts. Then open the door and deliver a stern “No!” This will make your dog think you are all-seeing and all-hearing. A few sessions of this technique, and you’ll train your dog to keep it quiet.
Giving your dog a proper exercise routine will vastly help you with your dog training. Dogs have a very demanding exercise life style, when left unchecked they can develop bad behaviors which travels all the way down the chain. When you take your dog out for a run or walk daily, it helps by giving them incentives for good behavior, and as an added bonus, the exercise can help you stay fit as well.
Early on, always have a tasty treat on hand to immediately reward your dog for responding to a command. After all, the point of rewarding him is to show him that he is following good behavior. You will ensure that your dog knows how to tell right from wrong if you do this.
Make a point to enjoy your time with your dog while you are training. Try and develop a bond with your dog by playing with him, it will only encourage the dog to want to please you more during training. Training can be a fun experience, however, getting some enjoyment for yourself and the dog through play is a good thing.
Don’t subject your dog to lengthy training sessions. For a given task, fifteen minutes should be sufficient, since working for longer periods can cause frustration and backsliding. Following every session, allocate some playtime and give the dog lots of praise.
When training your dog make sure you never stop training. This may sound silly but it is actually very sensible. Your dog may learn tricks quickly and not forget them, but dogs never stop learning so you need to take advantage of this by teaching often. Also, it never hurts to reinforce what has already been learned.
When training your dog, never forget that he is a dog. It is easy to get frustrated with your pet when he is not learning something simple, but keep in mind that it sounds simple to you in human terms. Try to think like your dog and see things as he does – this might change how you train him, which will in turn positively change how he reacts to the training.
Time your rewards properly. Timing is crucial when training a dog. Dogs have very short attention spans, and waiting too long to reward a good behavior or punish a bad one will end up doing more harm than good. For example, when training a dog to “quiet” when barking, rewarding too soon after the barking will serve to reinforce the barking instead of the stopping. When you give the “quiet” command, wait a second or two, and then treat and praise ” ensuring your dog knows that it is the calm behavior that is being rewarded.
Find a suitable trainer. Ask your vet, other dog owners, or a local shelter or rescue organization for recommendations. Also, check out the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, which has a list of approved instructors on their website. When finding an instructor for your dog, be sure to sit in on one of their classes. If the dogs in the class seem to be happy, then it’s a good sign.
Nobody who has ever owned a dog will dispute the essential nature of proper training. By gaining an understanding of effective training techniques, it is possible to nurture a loving, well-behaved companion. Take these tips to heart, and you will greatly increase the likelihood that your pet will become the happy, well-adjusted dog you always wanted.
