A Few Key Tips To Help Train Your Dog
When your dog is well-trained, you will both have a happy home life. Give some of the following tips a shot. You may find the perfect hint that you need for that training breakthrough.
Your dog needs to get plenty of exercise. Don’t let your dog sit around with nothing to do. They won’t get any exercise that way and if they’re too bored, they might sniff around and get into some trouble. When dogs feel bored, they are much more stubborn when it comes to training. When your dog is happy and well-exercised, he will be more willing to pay attention to his training. Be sure to go for jogs or walks with your dog regularly.
Try to think about what it would be like to be your dog. Sometimes, training will get frustrating, but you will need to have patience. Try to think the way your dog does. Your dog might not be making the connection between the order and the behavior you expect from them because you have not repeated the exercise enough times.
Give your puppy something it can chew to help it lessen teething pains, like a toy or a piece of rope. Keep any items you treasure out of reach of your puppy while it is teething. Immediately replace it with one of his designated chew toys. Try a frozen washcloth to alleviate the pain of teething for your puppy.
Make sure you establish feeding routines and times for your dog. Training your dog to expect that when fed, once or twice a day, you will be removing the food bowl in 10-15 minutes, will lay down a feeding schedule that your dog will adhere to. This will ensure he eats it all quickly instead of doddling or grazing all day.
When potty training your pup, remember that whatever he eats must come out. Feed your puppy three times regularly each day. That way, you’ll know when you need to take your doggie out to “go”.
Don’t allow your dog to jump on you when you get home. While playtime is valuable for every pet, dogs ought to be calm whenever you come into a room. Calmly enter the house and ignoring your dog until you are ready to interact with him.
Choose a crate that corresponds to the size of your dog to facilitate its training. Do not forget that all puppies will grow up. Be sure to select a crate that allows your dog to have ample room as it grows. There should be ample room for the dog to lie down and turn comfortably.
Do not tie up several dogs in close proximity to each other. The dogs chains could get tangled up and cause harm to the dogs as they struggle to get free. Particularly in the case of a large dog and a small dog, the animals may get so tangled that the smaller dog has his airway cut off and dies.
You should never do long sessions of training. Dogs have a short attention span, and keeping the training sessions short and sweet prevents them from becoming a boring chore your dog dreads. If you wish to do more training, give your dog a play break to stretch their legs and relax before resuming their training.
To ensure success, you must ensure that the crate you are using is appropriate for the size and breed of your pet. As your dog gets older, he will probably grow larger. Pick a crate that will be of suitable size for the adult when the puppy matures. The crate should be big enough for the dog to turn and lie down comfortably without feeling cramped.
Training is a lifetime endeavor. Training does not stop when your dog leaves his puppy stage. If you reinforce desired behaviors, you will ensure your dog’s continued obedience, and by continuing to discipline your dog, you will prevent negative behaviors from appearing.
Shock Collars
Keep track of how many treats used to reward your dog every day for a healthy diet. Many people don’t take these into account with their diet, but they can add up during active training.
Stay away from high end training devices like shock collars. In addition to being very expensive, they usually do not work as well as the more traditional training techniques. Plus, shock collars are not positive reinforcement when your dog is exhibiting proper behavior. These tools often do more harm than good.
You should always take your dog around people when they are a puppy to get them used to it. Your dog needs to know how to act around other dogs and humans, and frequent socialization is the only way to teach these skills. Devoting time to socialization early in life will enhance your pet’s comfort in unfamiliar situations.
You should pick a phrase to say to your puppy while he is being house trained. Whenever you take your pet outside to use the bathroom, choose a phrase, like “go potty”, so he remembers what he is there to do.
Teach your dog to lay down on command. You can build from this command, or just have it handy in emergencies. By teaching your dog the command “down,” you can ensure his safety in the event of an emergency.
Begin training your dog with a task that will be simple for him to learn. This will help you to see the progress you are making, regardless of how small or slow it is. It will also ensure that your dog truly comprehends each step of the training process. Using this method as you train produces better results.
While it may be hard, you need to always be patient with your dog. Your dog doesn’t understand English and he is not a person. The dog can only understand simple gestures and vocal tones but won’t understand your meaning. Take a breath and relax if you feel your frustration starting to creep up.
Training Sessions
It is important to improve your dog’s recall ability. Regardless of the situation, your dog must be taught to come back to you when it is called. Teach this necessary behavior sequentially so that the dog obeys, even when distractions are present. Recall can be lifesaving, so make sure your dog learns this skill above all else.
In addition to regular walks and puppy training sessions, you should make time to let your dog exercise for at least one hour every day. Ensuring your dog gets thorough exercise will cause your training sessions to be much more effective, which will encourage your dog to behave better. Fit dogs are happy and responsive to you.
When training your dog, do not include any punishments. Taking preventative measures to avoid the occurrence of a bad behavior to begin with is always best, however, if your dog does get out of line, demonstrate how it should have been done rather than scolding him. A positive relationship between you and your dog is what makes training work.
You need to teach your dog to stop when you give them their command. Find positive and supportive ways to train your furry friend. Saying ‘no’ doesn’t help your dog understand how he should react to you. Every dog and situation is unique and you should adapt your strategies accordingly.
Learn to recognize your dog’s signals. Dogs will behave in a certain way when they start to ‘feel the need’. By learning this pattern, you can take your dog outside immediately, which teaches him appropriate behaviors. Getting in sync with the natural tendencies of your dog will make house training a whole lot easier.
In order for your training to be effective, you have to understand that you’ll need to be firm. But do not yell at your dog constantly: try finding the right balance between being strict when your dog misbehaves and being a loving master the rest of the time. This approach helps to reinforce your relationship with the animal.
Spay or neuter your dog at six months. This should happen before you start obedience classes. You will find that dogs that have been neutered or spayed exhibit calmer behavior and are more eager students than they might otherwise have been. You will be able to better enjoy the time you have with your dog and they will be happy and healthy.
One tip to keep in mind when training your dog is that everything you do with your dog is molding its personality and behavior. This is important to know, because you might undo certain desired behaviors inadvertently by teasing your dog or engaging in horseplay. You want to constantly be teaching your dog the behavior that you want it to have.
When teaching your dog how to sit, hold a treat above him while he’s standing. Pass the treat directly above his head, moving your hand behind him. This will get him to hold his head up while following your hand. In most cases, the dog will naturally move into a sitting position.
Bad Behavior
Just like people, all dogs are different. Therefore, they all respond differently to training methods. For instance, a casual and reserved dog is more than likely going to respond to positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is more appropriate and necessary for aggressive breeds in order to know that you are the alpha being in the relationship. If you are failing with your method, try something new.
It’s very important to never try to quickly stop a bad behavior by provide a reward. This will give your dog the wrong mindset during the training session. Refrain from giving your dog treats for bad behavior, as this reinforces something negative.
If you are looking to train your dog to not use the bathroom inside, housebreaking pads are counter productive. The problem with the wee-wee pads is that they leak and leave enzymes from urine and feces behind. They can also convince your dog that anything similar in appearance is also an acceptable surface to use for bathroom purposes. The best way to housebreak a dog is not to allow them to use the bathroom in the house; there is really no alternative.
Consistency makes it easier to teach your dog how to control himself. Be sure to take your puppy out for scheduled, hourly potty breaks when you’re home. When he goes potty outside, tell him he did good. When he goes inside, don’t punish him. He doesn’t know any better and yelling at him will not help him learn. Give your dog time outside a quarter of an hour after he drinks or eats anything, in addition to the first moment he comes out from his crate.
You should teach all family members the same commands that you use for training your dog. If you use different commands for each action, like using “down” and your wife using “lay,” your dog will get confused. If everyone is consistent about the same words, it will be easier to train your pet.
Short training session are better suited to your dog’s attention span. Any longer than fifteen minutes spent training your dog will exhaust his ability to concentrate and lead to frustration. End each session by praising your dog.
Don’t get mad at your dog if they don’t immediately pick up on their training. You’re the instructor and they are your pupil, so if they aren’t responding properly, you might not be a good instructor.
There really isn’t room for error when teaching your dog right from wrong. You will need to have these rules enforced by everyone in your home. It undermines your efforts quickly!
It’s important to try to avoid using food as your sole control over your dogs behavior. Food is critical to every dog’s survival, and therefore different types of rewards must be used. Use other rewards such as petting and praise to help your dog associate his behavior with good benefits.
Anxious dogs are prone to chewing on things they shouldn’t. Enclosing him in a crate will prevent accidents from occurring and leaving him a chew toy will discourage destruction of your property.
Always use the name of your puppy in a positive way. When you do this, you dog will feel like it is expected to live up to the way you call it, instead of associating its name with being bad. So, don’t say your dog’s name negatively.
You should always give your dog a challenge. Even though you know he’s been properly trained, be sure to quiz him from time to time.
Communication is the basis for dog training. Be consistent and clear when training your dog. Your tone of voice, choice of words, body language, and rewards and corrections should all send one unified message. Don’t forget to figure out what your dog is communicating as well. Your dog can tell you the type of day he is having or if he is tired or nervous.
Whatever your dog’s age is, or how much trouble he has been, the information laid out here can make the difference. Be patient when applying this useful advice. If you do so, you both will be at your happiest.
Give your dog a lot of affection. Dogs need positive reinforcement when they are doing the right thing. When he obeys a command or behaves well, be generous with attention and praise. This makes your dog happy, and a happy dog is easier to train.
