Dog training can be a learning experience for your dog, but you can also learn other important things, as well. This article can help you make the most of training your dog. You will find that your time spent training your dog will have benefits for both of you, for years to come.
One tip to keep in mind when training your dog is to never play tug-of-war style games with it. This only enforces aggressive behavior – something that you rarely wish to bring out in your dog. This can involve anything from pulling on a bone in your dog’s mouth to playing with a toy. You also run the risk of injuring your dog with excessive force.
Try behavioral training with your puppy before the age of one. You may not have much luck training some puppies beyond potty training if you start too early, but training an older puppy can prevent some behaviors before they start. If your puppy is distracted and thinks you are simply playing, waiting another few weeks to try training again.
Don’t allow your dog to drag you around. You are leading him, not vice-versa. Use a good training collar and a short leash to begin obedience training, and make sure to keep your dog at heel when walking and to pass through doors and gates ahead of your dog. Remember, you are the leader!
Puppies respond best to positive reinforcement during training. You should assure that during training your puppy can not get into trouble. If you have to scold your puppy while training him
, he may relate the training to being a negative experience and not be as excited as he should be about his training.
Training a dog can be frustrating, however if a person uses a different language than is normally heard by the dog while teaching it commands, it can be quite effective. Have you heard about the police dogs who were trained using the Irish language? If not, you should check it out! The dog can then easily differentiate between people talking normally and when it is being given a command by someone who wants it to do something.
Dogs sometimes make mistakes because they can’t do otherwise. It’s your job to figure out why they can’t. Consider an older dog, for example, that has been completely housebroken for years. If all of a sudden it starts relieving itself in the house something is wrong. The dog is likely sick and should be seen by a veterinarian.
In order to properly train your dog it is a good habit to always use your pet’s name to get his attention. This will reinforce your control over your pet and it will be beneficial in the long run. This can be done when calling your pet for food or even when playing simple games.
To teach your dog to lie down, have him start in a sit position. Take a treat, and place your hand on the ground. Slowly drag it away from your dog. Your dog should initially lower his nose to the ground, and then lie down as he tries to follow the treat further away. If he stands up instead of lying down, have him restart from the sit position. Make sure to praise him once he lies down.
To enforce good behavior when training your dog, remember to praise your dog. Get excited, smile, and give treats to help your dog relate the good behavior to something positive. Never reward unwanted behavior as the dog will also relate the unwanted behavior to something positive as well.
Your dog will not be trained overnight, but you can read some valuable advice overnight. Admitting that you need help is always the first step and reading about the subject matter increases your insight into dog training methods. The above advice is tried and true; so take a friendly approach to dog training and do it yourself.
