Dog Training Basics: 8 Fantastic Tips

By Scott Erickson

With the right information and a patient attitude, training your dog can be enjoyable for both of you. When you see how well your dog is learning the new commands, it will become fun, and you will both look forward to lessons. Also, knowing the basic commands like Come, Sit, Stay, and Heel will help keep your dog safe in dangerous situations, such as around traffic or strangers.

One person should be in charge of training your dog. This will make it easier for you and the dog because of familiarity, and the consistency of the training method. Everyone who lives with the dog should help to train the dog by following the methods of the primary trainer. When children help, they should be supervised, preferably by the primary trainer.

Because dogs have limited attention spans, lessons should be 15 minutes long, or a little less. Lessons can be every day, or every second day. Feel free to skip a session occasionally if you don't feel up to it. It's important for it to be fun, and to be able to feel patient.

For fastest results, blend the commands you've been working on into the dogs daily life. For example, if you've covered the Sit command, try using that throughout the day. Remember to reward your pooch every time he displays the correct behaviour.

Since using food rewards offer a powerful incentive to your dog, it's good to use them. However, it's important to schedule the lessons for before mealtimes to make sure that he's hungry, and keen to earn the reward.

Begin training in a quiet environment with few distractions, making it easier for her to focus on learning the new command. If you remove distractions, you will be the most interesting item in the room to your dog. Try to choose a quiet room, where you and your dog are alone. After she has learned the command, start adding distractions, such as having other people in the room.

With this success achieved, you can begin to reinforce these new commands using different body language, in other areas of the house, and then outdoors with a leash. For example, you can voice the new command when you are standing, sitting, and while the dog is on your left or right. Your dog will begin to understand that the command means that he must do the same thing each time he hears it, regardless of where you are, or your body position.

You might be teaching a previously trained dog. That's OK. Grown dogs will usually have longer attention spans than pups, allowing for faster learning. This helps to compensate for some incorrect training that might need to be unlearned.

Previous training could cause her to link a certain behaviour with the command word that you're using. Maybe your dog is having trouble grasping what response you want for the word Come, use the same training sequence using Here, instead.

It's normal to need to regress a step or two in the training regimen, when moving to a new location, being in a new situation, or using different body language. Your dog has many ways to be distracted, and he is learning to focus on your command, and remember what it means, and then perform it.

8 Essential Dog Training Tips:

* Only one person as the main teacher

* 15 minutes every other day, or every day

* Quiet area with few distractions to start teaching each new command, indoors is best

* If you're using food rewards (recommended), do the lesson before the dogs mealtime

* Mastery of command? Alter body language, use distractions, change environment

* Use learned commands during daily life for reinforcement

* Reinforce commands by using during daily life (that's the funnest part!)

* Substitute command words for adult or previously trained dogs

Who's a good dog?

I hope that this article will be helpful for you.

Improve your dogs behaviour in less than 29 days! - 29895

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here