Animal shelters are packed with dogs that owners give away due to behavioral problems. You can prevent this from happening. Any dog can be trained to become well-behaved, healthy and happy. It’s not difficult to train your dog once you know how. Use the tips below to get started.
The best tip anyone can offer with regards to dog training is be the alpha. Dogs are looking for their human masters to be the pack leader. At all expense display confidence, firmness, and do not, under any circumstances show them weakness. They naturally want to follow a strong leader, so make sure that you present yourself as such.
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.
Dogs sometimes make mistakes because they can’t do otherwise. It’s your job to figure out why they can’t. Consider an older dog, for example, that has been completely housebroken for years. If all of a sudden it starts relieving itself in the house something is wrong. The dog is likely sick and should be seen by a veterinarian.
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.
If you are having problems with dog training, then you should look at your training routine. Dogs are much more susceptible to learning if you have a solid routine. All you have to do is keep repeating the commands you want them to learn repeatedly and eventually they will pick it up. Leaving you with a dog that is much easier to enjoy having.
When you are training your dog, remember to take frequent breaks and not try to teach too much all at once. Your dog will quickly become overwhelmed and refuse to follow directions if the training period is too long. So ensure your sanity and your dogs by teaching in small increments.
Encourage your dog’s cooperation in training by rewarding good behavior. Dogs respond to a calm, confident leader who earns respect. When your dog responds to commands make sure you reward him with play or food, and make sure you reward easy commands as well as harder ones to build his confidence.
Give your dog plenty of positive reinforcement. Discipline isn’t only about punishment for bad behavior. You should make sure to reward good behavior with lots of affection and praise. It will ensure that your dog understands when it is doing the right thing, and it will help it develop trust in its trainers.
As you see from reading this, having a dog that is in a good mood is all together possible. It is important to train your dog and give him lots of attention and love. By sticking with the guidelines from this article, you can help to assure your pet’s place in your family as a happy and healthy presence.