Having a dog can be one of the most rewarding experiences you can ever have. It can also be one of the most frustrating experiences of your life. That adorable bundle of love can easily develop plenty of bad habits if you indulge him too much. All aspects of the dog’s life must be carefully planned beforehand, to establish sleeping, eating and play times etc.
A well-trained dog is less worry and more joy, but getting to that point may not be so easy. It may sound like a cinch to say that you and your dog must take that journey together, but it’s true. Before you start, involve your family and let them familiarise with the dog. Then, you have to agree on what the dog’s role is going to be, and where the dogs is allowed in the house – work out all the details. Your dog needs very specific and reliable instructions if it is to be trained properly.
After everybody agrees on these things, make sure that you stick to the routine. Dogs are creatures of habit, and they feel much more secure and much happier if they have a routine they can get used to and rely on. The dog’s feeding times are significant to it’s proper training. While an odd treat is alright, don’t encourage it. Appoint fixed times for everything. Having a fixed schedule is the best way to train a dog correctly, because the moment you deviate from the routine, none of the messes can be blamed on the dog.
After the fundamentals are established and the dog is properly trained accordingly, you can move on to teaching it simple tricks and improve its obedience. Give the dog a treat when it does something right and shower some praise. Dogs love to be petted and shown love, so each time your dog does something right, let it know it did the correct thing by giving encouragement and lots of love.
Please remember that you cannot get a dog trained properly through fear. Praise and encouragement is what works and it can be a rewarding experience for you, as well. There is nothing quite as uplifting as a pair of doggy eyes looking at you adoringly as if convinced that you are perfect – be patient and you will see that it is worth it.
