Sometimes it may feel as though you brought home Cujo instead of Lassie! With some basic training, you can teach your dog to act better quicker.
Gradual increments are easiest on your dog when going through crate training. Allow them to feel comfortable in their crate by closing the door and feeding them treats while praising them. At first, only close the gate for a short time, then gradually extend the time as your dog becomes more comfortable. If the puppy becomes upset, you may be progressing too quickly.
If you want a well-trained dog, you must be willing to offer generous and appropriate rewards. Unless you offer treats appropriately and frequently, it’s almost impossible to keep him motivated and interested. Dogs will not understand why you are rewarding them if you wait too long to do it.
Ensure that the mood is calm as you approach your dog. It’s great to play freely with your dog, but when you enter a room, you should not be bombarded. Do not acknowledge the animal when you enter and by doing so, you create a controlled atmosphere in which you decide how and when play time begins.
Your training sessions must be long enough for your dog to learn the desired behavior but no so long that he becomes bored. Begin with a training session that lasts a few minutes, and do it for a bit longer every day. Once your dog is distracted, it is time for a break.
Make sure that you use control to reward your dog’s good training behavior. If your dog is responding to your commands and is not overly excited, give him a treat. You may feel great about it, but you don’t want to make the pup feel over-excited. Be calm, expect calm, then reward appropriately.
Teaching a dog to walk correctly while on its leash is important. This will help to keep both of you safe while taking walks.
Make sure to give your puppy plenty of toys that are okay to chew, so that he isn’t tempted to chew other things that aren’t okay to chew. You need to replace that with a designated chew toy. Puppies sometimes chew objects while going through their teething phase. A wet cloth that has been frozen is perfect for them during this time.
Begin the dog training process with a simple task. Not only will you get the instant gratification of your success, but also your dog will gain the important foundation of what an acceptable trick or behavior is. This will give you positive results from the onset.
Dogs should never be tied up close to each other. The two chains could get tangled up. This could panic you dogs as he tries to get free and he could potentially hurt himself. If a big dog is tangled up with a little one, they may get so wrapped up that air passages are blocked off, and one could potentially die.
Have a good time while training your dog. You can build a strong bond with dog by playing with the dog, and that in turn causes positive reactions during training. Training is fun for your dog, but it doesn’t always have to be about learning something new. Play for the sake of playing.
Don’t reinforce your dog’s negative behavior by accident. In other words, you must avoid showering your pet with treats or rewards in response to performing some unwanted behavior. If your dog leaps on you when you return home and you wish to discourage this behavior, you must ignore him and go about your business. Even negative attention from you can cause the behavior to continue.
To ensure that your dog maintains good behavior, you must continue his training throughout his life. Your dog doesn’t stop learning just because it’s no longer a puppy. You need to concentrate on positive behavior to make sure of ongoing obedience. When you do this, negative behavior should stop.
Always have a treat for rewarding your dog. The treat helps your dog to know that you think he has done well. This is a good way to make your dog know the difference between a good and bad thing.
Desensitize your dog to the cause of their barking in order to reduce the behavior. A variety of things can cause this, whether other animals, unknown people or specific sounds. Eventually, your dog should see that barking is not necessary in this situation.
Teaching a dog to walk correctly while on its leash is important. This will help to keep both of you safe while taking walks.
Training methods you use should be consistent. If more than one family member is training your pet, make sure they all you the same commands, rewards and discipline. If everyone involved uses the same commands, your dog will learn more quickly and easily.
During your training sessions, you should keep a close eye on the time. Your dog will get bored and antsy if you spend too much time on one thing. Early on, your training sessions should be limited to less than 10 minutes.
It is not good for a puppy to train too often, it will wear it out if it has to process too much information. Puppies have a very limited attention span. When doing training, make them in small short sessions and always make them positive. If you do too much the puppy will just forget what you have taught him, and remember it in a negative way, it will be harder to help him in the end.
If your dog wants to jump you should squeeze their paws when they do so, they will know that they shouldn’t do that. Although it may be uncomfortable, it does not hurt them when done lightly. This will help them to stop this action immediately.
When training a dog to a leash it is important to keep the leash loose. Dogs want to see what’s going on around them at all times. Since they are excited, they may pull on their leash. Rather than allowing this behavior to continue, a looser leash walk should be encouraged by the person in control of the animal.
Use the same hand signal or voice command to get your dog’s attention. Start your commands by calling out his name. Secure the dog’s attention and then state what you wish him to do. Dogs often respond to their name immediately and know you intend for them to pay attention.
Every time you interact with your dog, you’re molding its behavior. This is crucial to know because you may undo certain behaviors by engaging in horseplay or by teasing your pet. Mold your dog into the pet you want by constantly working towards the behavior you desire.
If you are leash training a puppy, put the collar on him in advance of training. 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.
Don’t ever reward destructive or bad behavior. This teaches the dog that he is in control. An example of something to avoid is giving your dog a treat when it is barking.
Consistency is key when housebreaking your dog. Spend plenty of time with him, and go outside with him once an hour. If you dog uses the bathroom outside, praise him. Never scold your dog for going in the house. He does not understand what he did and your yelling will not teach him anything. Instead, make the effort and take your dog outside 15 minutes after eating, and every 2 hours otherwise. Also, if you crate your dog, take him outside immediately after releasing him from the crate.
Does your dog pull on the leash? This problem is a very common one for dog owners. Thankfully, resolving it is very simple. The right harness will cut pulling quickly and can be purchased at any pet store.
You will find dogs are simply dogs. Allow for activities that let him be himself and have fun. It is important to provide dogs with the right type of food, space in which to exercise and a wide array of exciting pastimes.
Whenever your dog misbehaves, ensure you don’t provide the wrong signals to your dog. If you’re acting amused while your pet is behaving badly, he may think his behavior is good. Any amusement will shortly be diminished as you struggle to consistently grow together and learn new things. Correcting the behavior and showing that you are displeased will help to make training much easier.
Above all else, consistency is the key to effective dog training. Keep the commands simple to understand so that everyone can use them consistenly with your dog. It is also recommended that everyone use the same positive reinforcements for good behavior and negative response when the dog is disobedient. If the dog deals with inconsistencies while training it can become confused and it will delay the dog being trained.
Many times dog owners are surprised to see they can easily train their dog on an everyday basis and promptly see the results. If you feel like you and your dog are having a hard time, try some of this advice.
Use magazines, books, documentaries and Internet sites to learn more about dogs and how to train them. Seek out other pet lovers who have experience with your dog’s breed; they will be able to offer insight into the specific breed. Use all available information to create a customized plan of action for training your dog.