Many dogs end up in shelters because they don’t turn out the way their owners hoped they would, but this can often be avoided. A well trained dog can become a happy, healthy, and well adjusted member of the family. Making your dog this way doesn’t have to be hard, if you invest the time to do it with some simple steps.
Do not reinforce any negative behaviors accidentally. Don’t give your dog any attention or treats when he is being bad. If they jump on you, don’t pet them, for example.
Refrain from using higher end training gadgets, such as shock collar devices. They almost never work as advertised and they are expensive to boot. In addition, shock collars and some similar items can actually discourage your dog from practicing good behavior. Usually if you do this your dog will respond in the wrong way.
Use an even tone when commanding your dogs. This helps your dog to understand when you are in training mode. In time, your dog will understand what you want regardless of which words you use.
Patience is the greatest virtue in training your dog. This will cause you not to be frustrated and angry with your dog during this process. Keep in mind that your dog aims to please you, however, it does not understand your language, so it takes time for it to learn what you expect.
“Leave it” is a very important command that teaches your dog to drop whatever it is holding. This should be the first command you teach. This is great if the dog chews on household furniture or other items, such as shoes, stuffed animals, or trash.
Training Sessions
Training sessions with your dog are best when kept short. Dogs’ attentions are very short. Maintaining short training sessions ensures that your dog can remain focused on the task at hand. If you want to train more you should always give yourself and dog a break.
Call for your dog the same way every time. When calling your dog, use their name every time. Use your dog’s name to get his or her attention. Once you do this, tell your dog your command. Dogs often respond to their name immediately and know you intend for them to pay attention.
A key part of puppy training is to start early. Dogs find it much harder to break existing bad habits than to learn new, positive ones. Giving your dog scraps from the table is just training the dog that begging gets results, so don’t do it!
Does your dog have a problem with biting furniture or even other people? If so, then spray them with a mist of water. This will show the pooch that there are consequences to these actions. Soon, you will see an improvement in your dog’s behavior.
Know about what kind of grooming your dog may need. Weekly or monthly grooming may be necessary for breeds with longer hair; other breeds may be satisfied with a bath only occasionally. Grooming is essential to keeping your dog healthy and reduces the chances that he will developing health problems.
Training should be an enjoyable activity for your dog. Be aware of your dog’s personality and conform training to fit his cycles; try limiting learning sessions to a few minutes at a time. When you give your dog rewards, make sure they are varied and as often as needed. When your dog shows progress, reward him with praise and rewards. Training your dog can be an enjoyable experience for both of you.
If you are teaching ball-fetching, never chase your dog to get the ball away from him. He must always bring it to you because you are in charge. If you ever pick the ball from up where your dog dropped it, then your canine friend will think he is the alpha. Making sure that your dog brings the ball back to you every time will help your dog understand his/her expectations.
When training, try using the “shake-can” technique. Put a handful of screws or pennies into a lidded can. If your dog is not behaving, shake the can, but shake it only once. The sound will startle your dog and he will stop whatever he is doing. After several shakes, your dog will realize that he or she is actually doing something wrong. Shake the can only once to avoid desensitizing your dog.
Try introducing a clicker to reinforce great behavior. To start using a clicker, all you need to do is make a positive association between the noise the clicker makes and great things happening. When using the clicker, you need to click and treat immediately. Try doing this for a few days. 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.
As discussed in this guide, having a healthy and happy dog is not hard to have. You need to show him love, cater to his needs and train him properly. By following these steps you can make your dog a part of the family.
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