If you have a new puppy or dog, one of the first things on your mind may be training. Obedience and other types of training are an important step to take when you are a dog owner. You want a dog that is well-behaved and that knows how to follow your commands when necessary. Get to know a few tips to help you out in the dog training process. Then, you can be sure you are doing your best to properly train your dog going forward.
Decide Your Home Rules First
Before you work on training your dog, and preferably before you even bring your dog home, you will need to establish rules for yourself and your dog. You need to have set and consistent rules if you want your dog to learn to obey and to follow those rules.
For example, will your dog be allowed on the couch? How about the bed? Do you not want them on any furniture at all? How do you want them to let you know they need to go outside? Do you want them to be a guard dog that barks when strangers approach, or do you want a quieter dog?
Answer all of these questions for yourself, and set up the ground rules you and your dog will live by. This will help you to train your dog in that you will both learn to know and respect the rules.
Do Not Yell or Get Mad
Once you begin the training process with your dog, it can be easy to get frustrated if your dog is not doing what you want them to do. Keep in mind that just saying "sit" over and over to an untrained dog will not do the trick, no matter how much or how loud you say it.
Even when you are further in the training process, yelling is a no-no. You do not want to use fear tactics to train your dog. You instead want to use positive reinforcement. For example, if you are trying to train your dog to lay down, you will first say the command (and do the hand motion if you are using body language cues), then you can try to assist your dog into the laying down position to demonstrate the objective. Once they are laying down, give them a treat.
However, if your dog does not lay down, you cannot yell at them or express anger in your voice. This is counterproductive to training. It will make your dog fearful of you and will actually prevent them from learning properly. Your dog can sense negative emotions and that will cloud their ability to focus and learn.
Praise, Praise, Praise
When your dog does something right and/or learns a new trick, you will want to shower them with praise. Give them their treat that they earned, but also tell them how good they are and give them pets. This will reinforce the skill and let them know that this is a desired behavior. This will help your dog to remember the skill and to use it readily in the future.
Go to Training Class
Training your dog at home is important, but it is also important to get them trained while they are around other people and dogs. As such, going to dog obedience training classes can help you to better train your dog. You and your dog will learn a great deal about communication and obedience in these classes, and in the end, your dog will be prepared to obey in any circumstance.
With these dog training tips in mind, you can begin the training process and be sure that you will be as successful as possible.
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