Everyone knows that dogs can be man’s best friend. However, we don’t let our friends jump on us or chew on our shoes and we shouldn’t let our dogs, either. This article can help you understand the importance of dog training and why it is good for your dog and helps him be a better member of your family
When training, be specific about what you want your dog to do. Using vague commands like “no” tend to be ineffective. No only tells him that you didn’t like what he did, but not why. If you say “no” when he jumps on the couch, he may think you wanted him to jump higher. Use specific commands like stay and sit for better results.
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.
Do not train your dog through fear of physical punishment. Teaching your dog to respect your commands and dominance will create a healthy and stable pet. Dogs learn to respect the pack leader in the wild by being dominated, not attacked. Physical punishment can lead to an irrational and often violent pet.
Potty training a puppy can be a harsh task at times, but not impossible. You have to remember that the puppy doesn’t know that when they go to the bathroom inside that it is wrong. Try your best to keep an eye on your puppy and if it starts looking like it has to go to the bathroom let it outside, after the puppy goes to the bathroom praise the puppy so it knows it did the right thing.
When training your dog, keep track of time during each session. You will bore your dog if your spend a lot of time on just one thing. Try to limit initial training sessions to 10 minutes or less.
Set goals for training your dog. Decide what time of day you will work with your dog and how long you will work. Decide exactly what you want to work on, and be consistent. Work on the same things, in the same way, at the same time every day until mastered. Once you have accomplished one goal, build on it by adding something new. Don’t skip around or be inconsistent. This is confusing for your dog.
If your dog suffers from separation anxiety and gets restless when you are about to leave the house, you should feed your dog right before you leave. This will keep your dog busy while you prepare and distract it from the stressful situation. This should make the separation much easier.
If you wish your dog to respond to commands such as ‘sit’, you should spend up to ten minutes every day positioning your dog in the right position and repeating the command. Your dog will associate the word with the action of sitting. Be patient and reward your dog every time it obeys the command.
Make sure your yard is free from burrowing wild animals to keep your dog from digging. Some dogs, especially hunting breeds, will dig when looking for prey. Finding humane ways to rid your yard of other animals can help to stop this troublesome behavior. Wild animals can be deterred or relocated for the sake of both your yard and your pet.
If your family includes four-legged friends, consider an “invisible fence” pet containment system. These fencing systems place a wire around the perimeter of your property in which you wish to contain your pet. Your dog or cat is then fitted with a small, discrete radio collar. When the animal approaches the perimeter, the collar will emit a warning sound which induces the animal to remain within your yard.
In many cases, a dog’s diet can be contributing to the behavior and health problems that he is having. Be sure that you are feeding your dog a balanced diet and he is going to thank you by adapting his behavior to be accepted, more important than that, he will be healthier for many more years.
When training your dog it is important that you are positive and upbeat. You should always focus on rewarding your dog for what he has done right, rahter than punishing him for what he has done wrong. Punishing your dog is not the best way to train your dog. The only thing that punishment and cruelty does is teach your dog to be afraid of you.
When training your dog, it is always of utmost importance that you do not punish them for what they have done. It is better to positively reinforce them when they do something correct, rather than punish them when they do something wrong. If you do this they will not become skittish whereas they would if you punished them.
A crate is your dog’s best friend during house training. Take your dog outside frequently and try to maintain a regular schedule in order to maximize the effectiveness of the crate. Over time, a dog that is properly crated trained is less prone to having accidents inside the home.
When you are working at training your dog, positive reinforcement is everything. You need to give your dog lots of chances to get things right and then immediately reinforce that desirable behavior. You can use treats, praise or a combination of both to let the dog know how happy you are with what he just did.
Dogs are indeed man’s best friend. As this article has stated, dog training is an important part of taking care of your dog. Training your dog helps him to understand what you want from him. Your dog wants to please you and dog training can help you to show your dog what you expect from him. That will make both of you happy.
