You dreamed of bringing home Lassie, but you may have a dog that acts more like Cujo! Luckily, it just takes some elementary training your dog to help your dog understand what sort of behavior is expected.
Proper and generous rewards are critical to dog training. It is essential that your dog get treats at the proper times and in the correct amounts. Dogs will not understand why you are rewarding them if you wait too long to do it.
If you want to teach your pet to use a crate, first try these simple tricks. If they don’t want to go in the crate, try luring them in with a treat or chew bone. They will want to get to the bone, which means going into the crate. After he goes in the crate, reward him with praise and a treat.
Dogs have a short attention span and you will have to attract his attention. Repetition and practice will result in your dog waiting to take cues from you rather than being distracted by other things.
Proper and generous rewards are critical to dog training. You must always provide treats in a wise and timely fashion. It can create confusion for dogs if rewards are sporadic and not administered at the correct times.
You must stay consistent while you are crate training young puppies. When letting a puppy out of a crate, you need to let them relieve themselves immediately. As he gets older, he will gain greater control of his bodily functions, making it easier to control himself.
Remain Calm
Refrain from using higher end training gadgets, such as shock collar devices. They may not work very well and are far too expensive. In addition, shock collars and some similar items can actually discourage your dog from practicing good behavior. You will usually get negative results with these techniques.
Use control to acknowledge positive behavior while training. Whenever your dog does something right, it’s important that they remain calm. If you get excited, the dog will become excited and everything will be out of control. Remain calm, expect them to be calm, and then award them when appropriate.
It is important to avoid dwelling on one task for too long. A long, uninterrupted training period is going to exhaust your dog’s attention. Keep the lessons down to about 10 minutes or so.
Are you house training your dog? If so, then understand that the food and water they consume must come out at some point. In order to regulate your dog’s toileting habits, you should feed him a good quality food at the same times each day. This ensures your dog won’t have accidents as you’ll know when to expect a trip outside.
Make a point to enjoy your time with your dog while you are training. Try and develop a bond with your dog by playing with him, it will only encourage the dog to want to please you more during training. Training can be enjoyable, but you should still make time just to play with your pet.
Always use positive reinforcement to train your dog. Your dog should be rewarded with both small treats and happy words. Don’t yell and/or hit your dog. These are inneffective punishments and will only cause fear. Stay positive but stand your ground when training your dog.
Make sure training periods are short in duration. Since dogs do not have a long attention span, short lessons will prevent them from getting bored. If more training is desired, work in some break times so your dog can play before continuing with training.
To prevent your dog from barking, try to desensitize them to the cause of their barking. Whether your dog barks in response to other dogs, people, certain sounds or something else, it is important to habituate him to this circumstance. The dog will soon learn there isn’t any need to growl or bark during such situations.
Your tone of voice is very important when you discipline your dog. Your pet is very in tune with your emotions. It is okay to be stern when disciplining your dog.
Don’t bog your puppy down with more information than he can process. Brief, simple, positive training sessions are well-suited to the limited supply of energy and attention a pup has to work with. Your puppy will happier with the experience, and less resistant to your future efforts. He will be looking forward to them instead.
You should always take your dog around people when they are a puppy to get them used to it. He needs to learn how to behave around both humans and other dogs. This is best taught early. Also, this will reduce the chance of your dog embarrassing you.
Use praise to re-enforce good behavior in your dog when training. Be positive, excited and provide treats. Do not reward undesirable behavior, because the dog will get mixed messages.
Improving the dog’s recall is key. Your dog should come back to you regardless of the environment they’re in. Teach your dog to come, even when there are distractions. Recall can be lifesaving, so make sure your dog learns this skill above all else.
A useful tip for training your dog is to avoid rewarding the dog for bad behavior. The dog will only learn that it is the boss. An example would be a scenario in which you give your dog treats whenever it barks.
When you are using your dog’s name negatively while scolding him, be sure to repeat it several times lovingly as well. You have to make the dog know that it shouldn’t be afraid to hear it’s name.
While it might be hard, make sure to be patient with your dog. Dogs don’t understand English and he isn’t a person. The dog can only understand simple gestures and vocal tones but won’t understand your meaning. You need to stay calm and just stop training if you seem to be getting frustrated.
It is best to guide your dog to the correct behavior, rather than punish bad behavior. If he misbehaves, correct him, but most importantly, you should try to prevent that behavior from happening to begin with. Training is about teaching your dog, and building a good relationship with him.
When training your dog, it is important to always be consistent. Consistency includes tone of voice, trained words, treats, and commands.
Older dogs aren’t the same as puppies. Most older dogs will be harder to train since their own personalities have already settled in. Keep in mind that older dogs tend to have ingrained routines already. While it may be possible to teach them new habits, sometimes it’s best to concentrate on the negative things that you can alter, and learn to live with the other things.
Do not think that a dog won’t bite you because you are supposed to be in charge. When a dog thinks he is the boss, you could be trouble. Understanding the behavior that makes you an alpha will help the dog understand he needs to give deference to you as the leader. When your dog does not understand your behavior, they could possibly bite you.
Learn to recognize your dog’s signals. Dogs tend to exhibit noticeable signs when they need to heed nature’s call. By knowing this pattern, you could take your pet outside right away, which would teach him appropriate behaviors. Being in sync with the natural tendencies of your dog will make house training much easier for both of you.
Never let your dog’s shot records and vet visits go ignored. If you see some regression in training, check up on his health. Dogs tend to be good at masking their pain. Often, behavioral issues are a first sign of health issues. Aggression can be an indicator of pain, and a lapse in house training can be a telltale sign of urinary issues.
Unless breeding is in your dog’s future, make sure he or she is spayed or neutered before six months of age. This should happen at the same time as your first obedience classes. Dogs that have been fixed are more obedient and have an easier time with training. You will have a lot more happy years with your dog, and your dog will have a happier, healthier life.
Most owners are amazed at how easy it is to incorporate basic canine training into their life and how quickly they start to notice results. Try out these tips if you are having problems with your dog.
Whenever you train your dog to play fetch, make sure you show them that you are in charge by having him bring you the ball. When you go to get the item being fetched, your dog will think he’s the boss. Teaching the dog that he must bring the ball to you each time helps your dog to understand what is wanted of him at all times with the ball.