By seeking out information on dog training, you’ve taken your first step in the right direction. The following tips and techniques will help you train your dog quickly and efficiently.
Make sure your dog stays calm as you enter a space that he is in. It is nice to calmly play with your dogs, but remember to stay relaxed. Don’t acknowledge your dog when you enter the room. By doing this, you will be able to create a controlled environment in which you determine when and how play time begins.
Take small steps when crate training your dog. Once he is comfortable walking in and out of the crate, try quietly closing the door and offering him a biscuit through the wires. At first, leave the dog enclosed in the crate for only short periods of time, such as 10 seconds, and then gradually increase the duration. If the dog doesn’t like it, slow the process.
Make sure your teething puppy has a bunch of chew toys readily available to him, and keep other things he likes to chew on away from him. Replace the tasty item you do not want chewed with a designated chew toy. If your puppy needs to chew because he is teething, try a frozen washcloth.
Put yourself in your dog’s proverbial shoes, or paws, rather. Canine training can get extremely frustrating at times, especially when your dog isn’t learning commands that you think are very simple. Do not give up! Switch things up by thinking like a dog. Imagine the world like they do and that can provide you with a fresh perspective on training.
You must stay consistent while you are crate training young puppies. When he comes out of the crate, you must immediately allow him to relieve himself in an appropriate place. Eventually, the puppy will learn to wait to pee until given the opportunity.
Make sure that there is a calm environment in the room where your dog is. Playtime is great but sometimes it is just not appropriate. If you do not recognize them right away, they will be more calm.
Don’t expect your dog to learn a command the first time you say it. It is not uncommon for it to take between 25 to 50 repetitions of the same command for your dog to learn it. Continue trying the same command and be patient, your dog will get it.
Be certain your dog knows that you are the leader of your pack. Otherwise, the dog will think that he is in charge and will not respond to your training tactics. Never allow your dog pull on the leash while you are on a walk.
As you encounter unfamiliar dogs, make certain to advance with care and let the dog smell your hand. Doing so builds up trust with the dog. As you become close to one another, fear will be diminished and opportunities to learn together will be increased.
Make sure training has an element of fun incorporated into it. When you engage in play with your pet, your relationship becomes stronger; your dog will often respond better to you while training because of this enhanced bond. Having fun with your dog during training is one thing, but playing and having fun with your dog outside of training is also necessary.
You need to leash train your dog. The safety of both of you while out walking is paramount, and the proper training will ensure this.
Training Sessions
If you plan on housebreaking your pet, you must work hard to avoid any preventable mistakes. Watch your dog carefully and learn the signs that they need to go outside. Common behaviors include snuffling, whining, and pacing around. If you see any of these signs, get him outdoors! Get outside right away to the dog’s favorite spot. Give him praise when he eliminates correctly. Do this consistently and he will always let you know when he needs to go outside.
Never allow your training sessions to run on for too long. Your pet probably lacks a generous attention span, making it more likely that he will thrive on brief training sessions. When you want to train more, give the dog a break and come back later.
Use your puppy’s name often so that he knows to pay attention when you speak. It is especially important to do this during the first weeks of training, in order to establish that name-attention association. It’s best to stick with shorter names, one’s that are distinguishable from other words.
Call for your dog the same way every time. Start all commands with the dog’s name. Get their attention and then follow up with whatever you want them to do. Dogs will hear there name and pay attention.
Getting your new puppy used to wearing a collar is the first step in leash training him. Having the dog comfortable in wearing its collar is crucial and it will be able to give the dog its identification in case it takes it off.
The most successful training program is lifelong. Just because a dog becomes more mature doesn’t mean it cannot learn new things. If you provide positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors, your dog will continue to be obedient, and when you provide your dog with consistent discipline, negative behaviors are less likely to occur.
In order to encourage good behavior during training, praise is critical. Simple things like smiles, praise and even tiny treats help to reinforce the desired behaviors. It is important that you avoid offering rewards to stop an undesirable behavior, however, as this may create an inappropriate connection in the dog’s mind.
Accidents are a part of training your puppy to go potty outside. Always clean up accidents right away to help with the training process and keeping the area sanitary. Animals are inclined to eliminate repeatedly in spots where they can smell urine or feces, and carpets require special care. There are a wide variety of odor control products designed to address just this situation, so head to the pet shop and ask about them.
Your training will mold and shape your dog, so take the responsibility seriously. This is a critical fact, since you may inadvertently cause your dog to regress by teasing or laughing at bad behavior. Always be careful not to reward these bad behaviors to prevent your dog from becoming confused.
To avoid making your pet overweight, watch the number of treats you hand out in a day. It is easy to forget about treats when you consider how much you are feeding your dog. This can happen especially when you are training him.
You should never spend more than a few minutes training your dog. About 15 minutes is enough time to train because spending longer than that can irritate your dog and hinder their progress. After each time you do some training, spend time horsing around with your dog, and let him know what a good boy he is.
All the time you spend with your dog will contribute to develop your dog’s personality. This is crucial to know because you may undo certain behaviors by engaging in horseplay or by teasing your pet. You will want to mold your dog by always working toward desired behavior.
Dogs have natural destructive behavior, so provide outlets for them to exercise their natural behaviors. A good diet and plenty of exercise are crucial to keeping any dog healthy and happy.
To keep your training sessions positive and effective, you should also keep them short. The ideal time to spend on a task is about fifteen minutes. When you exceed this amount of time, your dog can become frustrated and set your progress back. After each training session spend some time playing with your dog and lavish him with praise.
Never let your dog pull you. You are the one to be leading. When starting obedience training, utilize a training collar along with a short leash, and be sure to heel your dog when you walk and go through gates and doors ahead of the dog. Keep in mind that you are the one who is the leader in the relationship.
If you want an agile dog, make sure you choose a breed that tends to be agile. Just about any dog can participate in agility sports, though Border Collies, Shetland sheepdogs, Labs and Australian shepherds are particularly good candidates.
Make sure your dog has gotten its shots. If your dog doesn’t like training or refuses to do certain things get him checked out. Dogs hide discomfort and pain for a long time. Frequently, the only way you will know that a health problem exists is when you observe changes in behavior. If your dog is overly aggressive, try to get them help immediately.
When training your dog, use many resources, such as books on dog training, dog magazines and books about the particular breed of dog that you wish to train. Get ideas from people who have the same breed of dog as you. Take the information you gather and craft a training regimen specifically for your dog.
Take action against barking that occurs out of boredom. Dogs that are barking from boredom are because of owner flaws. It likely means he does not have adequate outlet to wear off his excess energy. So it’s important to play with your dog and walk him often. When you are busy, give him chew toys.
If you are starting to train your dog, do not think that they will not snap at you. An untrained dog may feel that he/she is actually the leader of his/her pack. Understanding the alpha behavior you’ll need to exhibit will allow your dog to learn that you are indeed the leader. A dog who is confused can bite you out of fear.
A clicker is a good way to reinforce positive behavior. Using a clicker is simple. Use it to make a good association between the noise and when something good occurs. If you use the clicker when you give a treat, the dog will know what to expect. Over time, your dog will learn that the clicking noise means he is doing something correctly.
Dogs who have medical issues will have to have tailored training strategies. For instances, dogs with arthritis should not be asked to crawl for extended periods. You can make your dog’s cognitive functions better with training, which helps fight age related decline in older canines. However, you must make sure that you’re not causing it unwarranted pain during exercise sessions.
If you are going to deem it perfectly acceptable for your pet to use the bathroom indoors, make a designated area for them for elimination. Line the area with potty pads and slowly shrink the size of the spot until just one potty pad designates the exact spot you have set aside for their use.
Try using a shake-can during training. Put some coins in a hollow soda can then seal it. When a dog acts poorly, shake the can one time. This will give your dog a start and stop the bad behavior. The dog will quickly learn that his behaviors are causing this negative outcome. Never shake the can more than once, as multiple shakes will just desensitize your dog.
Make sure the whole family is familiar with your dog’s routine and rules. The dog responds a lot better if it has consistency when being trained. Your dog will get confused if his trainers are too different from each other.
Be sure to discourage unwanted behaviors at the moment they occur. Make sure to use a firm voice when telling your dog “No”. Do not yell, and never ever hit the dog. Discourage bad behavior when it occurs or soon after. Dogs have very short memory span. A long period of time between the behavior and the correction will confuse your dog.
In order to be successful at dog training, you need to understand what motivates your dog. You are finding out about your dog, including the things he does and does not like. Offer your dog different training regimens, positive reinforcement and lots of love while training him. Dogs are much easier to train when they are happy.
Now that you know how to get started, you can start the training process. Remember, training is a daily process; start out small and build from there.
When a new person comes into your house, tell them exactly how they should approach your dog. This can get your dog overly excited and confused. He may start to jump on the guest or assert his dominance.