In order to establish a great relationship with your dog, dog training is essential. Training your dog can be hard, but the more you learn about it the better off you will be. Thankfully, this article is full of advice which can get you started.
Positive Reinforcement
Always use positive reinforcement to train your dog. Give your dog rewards every time he or she does something good. Never shout towards your dog, nor ever hit or physically strike him. This is not a particularly effective form of training. Always be firm, be consistent and use positive reinforcement to make your dog understand what you want from it.
Your dog will be easier to train if you are careful to avoid letting him learn bad habits to begin with. It makes it easier for the dog to learn the correct behavior first, than it is trying to make them unlearn old bad habits. If you never give your dog any scraps from table food, they will never start begging for it.
Start leash training by playing with your puppy while he is wearing his collar. Having the puppy get comfortable wearing the collar is important not only so that you can properly use a leash but also that your puppy has the proper identification tags in case he or she takes off.
Use a spray bottle filled with water to prevent your dog from doing things it should not do, such as scratching the furniture or biting. This will teach your dog that there are certain behaviors that are unacceptable. Eventually, they won’t do these behaviors anymore and your dog will be obedient and playful.
Do not give up when you are trying to train your dog. Without reinforcement, your dog will revert to his old behaviors. Food and shelter are lifelong needs for your dog, and training is no different.
Keep your training sessions short so your dog retains what they have learned. You should use at most 15 minutes for training. Any longer and the dog will become frustrated and will not respond correctly. Following training, be sure to praise your dog liberally and have a nice play session.
Patience can be hard, but it is necessary with puppy training. Your dog cannot speak or understand English, and does not have the cognizance of a human. He’ll learn in time, but only with consistent reinforcement. You need to stay calm and just stop training if you seem to be getting frustrated.
Dogs have natural destructive behavior, so provide outlets for them to exercise their natural behaviors. Feed your dog a balanced diet, give them space to run, and provide them with activities that will burn energy.
When you reprimand your dog by using his name, follow it up with using his name in a positive manner at least three times. He should know his name isn’t associated with something bad.
If you catch your puppy chewing on something he isn’t suppose to be chewing, stop him immediately. Switch out the inappropriate object for an item that belongs to your puppy to allow him to realize what is and is not okay.
Do not neglect to make a visit to the vet for a spay or neuter around the six month mark. Make this coincide what the starting of an obedience class. A dog that has been spayed or neutered will do better in obedience school than one who has not been. This will make your pet healthier and happier, and make your ownership experience happier, too.
Your dog will not dig in the trash if you feed it and give it enough toys. Make sure that you take out your trash frequently, and try to keep things that your dog will not be able to resist out of there. Be sure to crate your dog when you go out and/or leave your trash can empty when you are gone.
Older Dog
Some tricks may be beyond the capability of an older pet. Always consult your veterinarian before beginning a new training program. For example, you don’t want to have a dog with arthritis to crawl for long distances. Training your older dog benefits his cognitive functioning. On the other hand, you need to make certain that exercise and training are not causing your older dog pain.
Dogs have their own personalities and you need to find the ideal training method for your dog. A calm and relaxed dog will respond well to positive reinforcement, but dogs with aggressive personalities may need some negative reinforcement before they will respect that you are in charge. Try using a different method if your current method presents little success.
Your dog may be terrified of thunderstorms. Ask the veterinarian for advice if they have extreme fear towards thunderstorms. Your vet might give you a sedative for your dog to take before thunderstorms. This may be used in the situations where your dogs behavior is uncontrollable during a storm.
Be realistic about changing behavior that has gone on for years. If a dog’s owner allowed it to jump on people or sleep on furniture, it will take a long time to teach it to change this behavior. It can often be simpler to change a dog’s behavior if it was handled when your dog was a pup.
It is essential that you your dog listens to you. This article described some useful ideas that you can try the next time you train your dog. You need to have time and patience in case it takes a while to train your dog. Good obedience is going to take repetition over time, so make certain that you keep expanding your knowledge in this area for true success.
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