There are many schools of thought on the best ways to train your dog. Whether you believe your dog should be allowed to sleep with you in your bed or if you think that your dog is a pet that should stay off the furniture, you can teach your dog basic obedience and commands.
When you are wanting to work on training you dog you should start of by making sure that he knows his name. At least 10 times a day use their name for things like playing, feeding and treats. Try not to use their name in a punishment so that way when something good happens they think of their name as a good thing, not bad.
Dog owners should learn to listen to their pets. When a dog indicates that he is uncomfortable in a situation, such as with another dog, it’s never good to push him further than he wants to go. Take a step back and re-evaluate the situation, or come back to it at a later time.
Rewarding your dog generously and properly is essential in training your dog. It’s very important to provide treats at the proper time. Dogs will not understand why you are rewarding them if you wait too long to do it.
When trying to train your dog, always reinforce positive behaviors even when you’re not actively in a training session. It’s easy to remember to reward your dog during a training session, but it’s just as important to reward your dog for those trained behaviors the rest of the time, too. This builds a good connection for the dog between the behavior and the reward.
To break your dog of bad habits such as jumping, the best technique is to ignore him, for just a short period! Dogs don’t really understand yelling in a situation like that. But if you turn your back and avoid further interaction, he’ll get the idea that he’s done something that breaks contact with you and dogs want to be our friends!
Make sure you’re not reinforcing an undesirable behavior. You don’t want to give your dog treats or special attention during training if they’re not performing the task properly. If you do, then they’ll think you’re pleased and continue to do things the way they’re doing them, and they won’t improve.
If your dog is not listening while you are doing dog training, make sure that the dog is not ill. There will be no benefits to punishing your animal if it is not feeling well, and it can have very detrimental effects afterwards. If you are unable to decide if the dog is sick then contact a veterinarian for assistance.
If you have a dog that begs, the easiest way to train them from this behavior might be to simply remove the dog from the situation. Shutting the dog out of the room at mealtimes keeps them from pestering you while you eat, and removes the temptation for you to give in to that cute face.
Some dogs have enormous reserves of energy that can cause the dog to act crazy through out the day. For dogs like this a fenced in yard or electric collar fence can be a useful tool to allow the dog to run around in a contained area. The dog will have more exercise and be more relaxed when it comes inside.
You won’t have to use dog treats forever to train your dog. As time goes by and your dog starts to learn, their obedience will increase and they will obey your orders as a habit as opposed to an action that gets rewarded with treats. It is also nice to use one form of praise when your dog performs as you asked.
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.
Crate-training is excellent for dogs with separation anxiety. Crates effectively become safe spaces for nervous dogs. Blankets or dirty laundry that smells like their favorite people can be helpful during the crate-training process. Anxious dogs are also likely to be destructive when their owners are not home. A crate keeps anxious dogs out of harm’s way.
For dogs that hate nail-trims, get them used to having their paws trimmed one step at a time. First, hang out with your dog when she’s calm and laying down. Touch her paws gently during petting, and treat and praise when she doesn’t react. Continue this process over weeks and step it up to gently picking up her paws. You’ll eventually introduce the nail trimmers without a trim, and then finally, trimming. It’s a long road, but it will save you money on nail trims in the future.
Make sure that your pooch is obeying commands. If Spot is ignoring you when you tell him to sit, do not give up. Follow-through until you get the action that you expect. If you are going to give up without getting the action that you requested, don’t bother giving the command in the first place.
Your opinion on what truly means a dog is “trained,” may differ from your neighbor, friends, or even dog training instructors. Whatever your beliefs, by training your dog to follow basic commands and to obey your instructions, you will create a happier, safer home for you, your pets, and other members of your family.
