Canine Training With A Few Easy Tips
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
You just got a new puppy and want to get started on training him, as young as possible. This is important to do early in your dog’s life, in order to shape his personality and responsiveness. In this article, we will provide the best tips and tricks for training your puppy quickly and successfully.
Enforce all of the commands you issue to your dog. Do no issue a command on a whim. Only give a command to your dog if you truly mean it. This can lead to having to repeat your commands. A well-trained dog should only need to be told once to do something.
Many behavior problems can be solved by additional exercise. If your dog is acting out, he may not be getting enough exercise. Try to walk your dog at least three times a day. If your dog is a working breed, at least one of those walks should be a run. A tired dog is often a well-behaved dog.
The “watch” command is extremely useful and should be taught to your dog early. The process is simple: hold a treat between your eyes and use the command. When the dog gets this idea, start moving your hand parallel to your face. Naturally, your dogs eyes should follow the treat. The moment he looks back at you, as if to say, “Aren’t you going to give me that?” reward him. Pretty soon, he’ll learn that looking you in the eyes is the best way to get what he wants. This technique is valuable for helping your dog to focus on you during distracting situations.
To break your dog of bad habits such as jumping, the best technique is to ignore him, for just a short period! Dogs don’t really understand yelling in a situation like that. But if you turn your back and avoid further interaction, he’ll get the idea that he’s done something that breaks contact with you and dogs want to be our friends!
Be as generous with affection as you are with discipline. So many people spend a great deal of time yelling at their dog to stop doing things that they should not be doing and not enough time showing their dog that they love them. Let him know he is loved and he is sure to behave better for you.
A great tip for properly training your dog is to give your dog enough attention. Dogs thrive on social interaction with their owners. So if they do not get enough attention on a regular basis, then they will likely start performing some type of bad behavior.
One of the most important commands a dog can learn is the recall. When you call your dog to come to you, he should do so immediately. Make sure when you’re teaching him, that you do it at home and also out around distractions because you want him to respond in all situations. Always call him to you with a happy voice tone and never call your dog to come to you when he is in trouble; this could make him leery to come to you when you call him.
When training a dog to a leash it is important to keep the leash loose. Dogs are often eager to explore new territory when they get the opportunity to go for a walk. Because of their eagerness they will tend to strain on the limits of leash. The savvy owner will discourage this behavior, instead encouraging his or her pet to walk with some slack in the leash.
In conclusion, training your puppy requires that you take a completely different approach than training an older dog. Luckily, you are starting off when it is easiest to do so. As long as you follow the tips provided, you should be able to train your dog successfully and form a great relationship between the two of you.