Useful Tips For Successfully Training Your Dog
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Unwanted behaviors like barking and biting can all be unlearned. The tips in this article can be used to help train negative behavior out of dogs, and teach them positive behaviors. With the right training, your dog can be transformed into the perfect pet.
Make sure to give your puppy plenty of toys that are okay to chew, so that he isn’t tempted to chew other things that aren’t okay to chew. Give it one of his toys instead. Chew toys are essential for puppies who are experiencing pain from teething. A great alternative is a frozen wash cloth.
Take small steps when crate training your dog. Eventually they will become comfortable with the crate and you can then try to shut the door to the crate. When they allow the door to shut you can give them a treat through the wiring. Start off only putting them inside for 10 seconds, and when they seem okay with that, slowly increase the time they are inside. If the dog becomes overwhelmed, it means that you are moving too quickly for them.
Give your dog a regular elimination and feeding schedule, so you can house train them. This will give you the opportunity to understand when your dog needs to go to the bathroom. Then he will become practiced at waiting until the right time.
Before you start training, learn which treats your dog likes best. Since these will be the rewards for good behavior when you are training the dog, it should be something that really motivates him. Pay attention to what treats your dog responds the best to.
It is very easy to train some dogs in groups, but some dogs might have personalities that clash, making training them together impossible. If your dogs do not focus on you properly when you train them together, you may want to separate them and give them some individual attention before trying to work with them jointly.
Make sure your dog associates one word with one discrete behavior. All dogs will respond better when a behavior or action is associated with only one word. It is absolutely critical to remain consistent throughout. Your success rate in training your pet will be higher if you follow these guidelines.
Demand respect and attention from your dog at all times. If the patience to follow through with any command you give is not there, simply choose to not give it instead.
Clickers are a great way to reinforce good behavior from your dog. In order to begin, simply create a happy mental link between the clicker’s sound and something the dog enjoys. If you use the clicker when you give a treat, the dog will know what to expect. Soon, your dog will associate the click with ‘reward’ or other positive actions, which can be very helpful in shaping the desirable behaviors you hope to achieve.
A wise tip in canine training is to always call the dog by his rightful name, rather than using any nickname or other deviation. You will have more control over an obedient, well-trained animal. Practice calling your dog’s name and letting him respond at least tens times a day. Also, on no occasion punish your dog if he comes running to you whenever you say his name.
High-value treats should be used when training a dog. Since these treats will be handed out sparingly, it should not matter too much if they are usually off limit items.
Use your dog’s name often to get and keep his attention. Do this consistently during the first several weeks to get your dog to pay attention to you. Give your dog a relatively short name, preferably one that isn’t likely to be confused with other words.
Big dogs who like to lie on their back or stretch out need a large sized bed. You can give your dog a bed that is sized appropriately, or consider an unconventional bed for your dog, such as a crib mattress. A crib mattress is also an easy to care for alternative to a dog bed because the sheets can be changed regularly with little fuss. This is also good because mattresses for cribs are waterproof.
Social sessions with new animals should be very controlled and done slowly. Before adopting another pet, you should think about the other pet you have at home first. Your new pet needs to have a temperament that matches those of your existing pets.
The first step in dog training is commanding control. Be friendly with your dog, but also be firm. On walks with your dog, you should lead him and not the other way around.
As this article has hopefully shown you, training your puppy or dog doesn’t have to be the stuff of nightmares. Armed with education, patience and the right philosophy, dog training is eminently feasible. Dogs are capable of thriving with the right training.