Training Your Dog As Effectively As Possible
Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.
Whether Fido is tearing up the furniture or Fifi insists on doing her business in your favorite shoes, you are no doubt at your wit’s end. Although taming your pet’s wild behavior may seem like an overwhelming, impossible task at times, this article is loaded with great tips to help you get your dog under control by effective training.
If you want to keep your dog off the couch or bed you will need to create a negative reinforcement when he decides to jump on the furniture. Once he jumps on the banned furniture, give a sharp, “No!”. Gently, but firmly, lead your dog off of the furniture. If your dog decides to sit at your feet instead of jumping up on the sofa, reward him with lots of praise.
To improve your relationship with your dog, you should incorporate basic obedience training as an every-day task. Ask for simple behaviors like a sit or a down before letting your dog out into the yard or before putting down his food bowl. Your dog will learn that you control his access to priority resources, which will reinforce his relationship with you as he starts to learn to look to you for direction.
To help you train your dog so it is obedient and well behaved, it is important to show the dog that you, and you only, are the pack leader. This means showing a dominant presence so the dog understands that he is not the leader and he must follow your commands. If you follow this key step, you will be on your way to training your dog effectively.
A clicker and a few treats can be a very effective method of training your dog. Because a clicker can be easier for a dog to understand than a voice command, lessons can be quick and productive. Training sessions should not be longer than about fifteen minutes, since dogs do have short attention spans.
In order to properly train your dog you must understand how your actions affect your dog. Self awareness is vital if you want to ensure success with training your dog. If you do not understand how your actions affect others, there is no way you can have success with training your dog.
Be patient with your dog while training. If he is not getting a command right away, help him to understand what it is you are asking of him. Remember, dogs are not born with the ability to understand the English language; it is your responsibility to teach him which words mean which action. Be consistent but understanding in your training sessions.
Create a bridge between the dog’s response to a command and the reward for success. By saying a bridge word such as “yes” or “good”, you will reinforce that the behavior is acceptable and the reward will follow. Keep using this bridge word even after training is complete to be consistent with your pet.
Now that you are armed with the know how, it is time to take what you have learned and use it to get your naughty pup on the road to being a pet you can be proud of. The good news is, even the most frustrating of pups can be trained with a little gentle guidance and a good dose of tough love.