If you’re looking to get a dog for your family, but aren’t sure how to train it, make sure to educate yourself first! Proper dog training is essential for a happy and fun addition to the family. Read on for some basic tips on how to get your puppy obedient.
Just because your dog is obeying you, do not assume that they are done learning. Your dog is always learning. Never stop reinforcing good behavior. This is especially important if you move. A new surrounding can be very distracting for a dog. You might have to reteach them a great deal.
You must enforce any command you give when training your dog. Giving a command that you are not confident in or not willing to follow through with diminishes your role as leader. Do not ask, beg or scream. Give firm commands in a dominant tone and expect the dog to give the appropriate behavior. Your dog will see you as a true leader when you follow through.
When training your dog, it is imperative that you remain patient at all times. Moving too quickly or losing your temper can confuse your dog and cause him to mistrust you. Without proper trust, your dog will never fully submit to your training and your relationship with your dog will surely suffer.
Dogs often become destructive because they are bored and lonely. Consider a house dog that destroys the sofa while you are away from the house. Consider the larger outside dog that chews up the shrubbery. The answer to alleviating their destructive behavior might be as simple as spending more time with them or buying them a new toy.
When training your dog to walk on a leash, remember that your dog should follow where you lead, not the other way around. Dogs are pack animals, and the leader of the pack always travels in front. You want your dog to see you as the leader, so they need to learn to walk behind you.
You want to begin your dog training as early as possible, but not too early. You want to wait until the dog is at least 49 days old before you begin trying to train them. But after that, you’ll want to begin quickly so that your dog can learn while he’s still adapting to his environment, and you don’t have to undo behavior that he’s already learned.
Next time your dog jumps up on you in excitement, tell them “Off” in a firm (but not angry) voice, gently push them off, and turn your back. The verbal command and action of moving them reinforces what the command means, and turning restricts their access to you. This accomplishes two things: a) your dog can’t jump on you anymore, b) your dog feels he loses your attention, which is the exact opposite of what he wants. This teaches him quickly not to jump on you.
Go through the door before your dog, eat your own dinner first and always make sure that you win tug-of-war, by taking away the toy when you’re done. This all asserts that you are the pack leader and your dog is subordinate. This will help curb other obedience problems and help in other aspects of training because your dog realizes that he MUST do what you say. It’s how he’s hard-wired.
Training should be completed in small spurts. By keeping the sessions short you will be able to hold your dog’s attention. If you want to train them more, let your dog take a break to get some energy out.
When training a new puppy to come, a long rope is a great aid. Call the puppy while gently pulling it toward you and praising it for coming. When it reaches you, praise it even more and offer a favorite treat. Soon the puppy will associate its name and coming to you with praise and treats, then you won’t need the rope anymore.
Be sure to give your dog lots of attention and love. By not doing so, your dog will eventually intentionally misbehave. In their minds, any attention is better than none at all. Plus, your dog is a living creature and needs love just as much as any human does.
Do not issue a command to your dog that involves two words that do not go together. For example, telling your pet to “sit down” does not make sense; either tell him to “sit” or ask him to get “down.” Using contrary phrases delays the training process because your dog does not understand what to do.
Little dogs like Dachshunds that like to hide and burrow may enjoy beds or hideaways intended for cats. A tube type play structure or a cat bed that is covered and made of soft, flexible foam and faux fur may be exactly what your Doxy wants to curl up in secret!
An important key to effective dog training is to always enforce the first command that you give to your dog. It is a mistake to keep repeating the command over and over again. The dog needs to learn that a command requires instant obedience. Do not give the dog the opportunity to disobey. Enforce the first command, and then promptly give a reward and praise.
Understand that a dog’s thinking is simple compared to human thinking. If you call your dog and he doesn’t come immediately because he’s distracted by a squirrel, don’t scold him when he does show up. He only knows that he is coming to you, and you are scolding him for doing so. He doesn’t understand you’re angry about the squirrel, or that he didn’t come to you quickly enough.
As you can see, dog training can be easy when you know what to do. Make sure to follow these tips consistently throughout your dog’s life to make sure you have a happy, friendly, obedient addition to your family. Enjoy your new best friend and have a great time training him!
