Training your dog is part of responsible ownership. Proper training includes behavioral and obedience instruction, as well as socialization, all of which enable your pooch to interact safely and appropriately with other people and animals. This article contains tips that will help you make sure that your dog is properly trained.
Shock Collars
Don’t waste your money on expensive training products, such as shock collars. In many cases, they do not live up to the advertising expectations created, and are just more money than more effective and traditional training tools. Plus, shock collars can discourage your dog from behaving properly. In general, using such techniques produces negative effects.
Make training with your dog fun. A sense of play brings you and your dog together. This bond makes the dog more responsive to your commands and training him easier. Training is fun for your dog, but it doesn’t always have to be about learning something new. Play for the sake of playing.
You need to teach your dog to stop when you give them their command. It’s important to discover positive methods of reinforcing your dog’s training. Using the word “no” will not help your dog learn that a behavior is unacceptable. Every dog and every situation is different. This means that their training must be tailored accordingly.
Avoiding accidents entirely is the best way to toilet train a dog. Watch your pet to identify his unique behaviors and signals that indicate when he must relieve himself. Common ones include whining, pacing and even consistent staring. If you see your dog doing this, take action immediately. Get out the leash and head for their designated potty area. Praise him for a job well done. Do this consistently and he will always let you know when he needs to go outside.
Be sure to provide consistency when it comes to your dog’s training. When many members of a family are working to train a dog, be certain that each person uses identical commands, rewards and discipline. Dogs will learn better and faster if they have a set commands that they need to follow.
Making your dog learn habits that are good from the start is very important. It is easier to teach a dog good habits right from the start, rather than trying to break bad habits that have already been learned. If you never feed your dog table scraps, he will not beg for them.
When training a dog to a leash it is important to keep the leash loose. When dogs go on walks, they frequently want to explore all the new sights and sounds. Since they are excited, they may pull on their leash. Rather than allowing this behavior to continue, a looser leash walk should be encouraged by the person in control of the animal.
One way to help discipline your dog’s bad behavior is to use a water bottle. This will show the pooch that there are consequences to these actions. Before long, your dog will no longer display these behaviors, and will be obedient and playful.
Positive Reinforcement
You should always praise your dog for his good behavior while you are training him. Positive reinforcement, shown through your tone and attitude, lets your dog know he has done a good job. Avoid rewarding improper behavior since the dog will relate this to positive reinforcement too.
Never reward bad behavior with the intent of quickly ending a certain behavior. This will give your dog the wrong mindset during the training session. For instance, avoid giving treats to calm a barking dog.
With consistency, you can train your dog to hold on longer. Spend plenty of time with him, and go outside with him once an hour. Praise lavishly for pooping and peeing outdoors. Don’t punish a puppy for pottying inside. He does not know better, and shouting at him will only make things worse. Take your dog out soon after meals and after coming out of the crate.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help you and your friends and family enjoy your pet much more. A well trained dog leads to a better relationship. Training, whether done by you or a professional, will make your ownership much more pleasant.
