Responsible dog owners understand that a trained dog is a good dog. Training your dog to be a well-mannered canine citizen will not only improve your relationship with them, it will keep them safe and happy. This article will give you some helpful advice on order to train your dog.
By giving your dog the proper amount of rewards, you’ll have an easier time training. It’s very important to provide treats at the proper time. By giving treats at the proper time, you’ll ensure that your dog understands which behavior it’s being rewarded for.
Create a calm environment whenever you enter the room the dog is in. During playtime allow your dog to be feisty, but teach him to remain calm when someone enters a room. Don’t acknowledge them when you enter so that you can ensure a controlled environment for how and when playtime starts.
Make sure you feed your dog healthy food. A poor diet can negatively affect them in various ways. This is not just bad for the dog’s health; it may also play a role in their negative behavior. Improving your dog’s diet can make training him easier.
Be careful not to reinforce negative behaviors. Withhold treats and attention when your dog exhibits any undesirable behaviors. Don’t scratch the dogs back, give it a snack or reward it in any way if it jumps, barks or does anything you don’t approve of.
When you start dog training, develop a verbal cue so that the dog knows precisely when they complete a command correctly. The word “yes” may serve as a good gap-filler in between the dog’s good behavior and the giving of the reward.
Stay away from high-end training devices like shock collars. In many cases, they do not live up to the advertising expectations created, and are just more money than more effective and traditional training tools. Also, shock collars and like devices are just not nice things to use. You will usually get negative results with these techniques.
When you are approaching an unfamiliar dog, be sure to approach slowly and offer the dog the back of your hand to sniff. That is the first step in getting the dog accustomed to your smell and building trust between you. The dog will no longer be afraid after he is able to recognize the scent and may begin to follow commands.
To house train your dog, you should make sure that your dog follows a regular feeding and elimination schedule. This gives both you and the dog a heads up as to when they need to go outside, and you can make sure that happens before they make a mess indoors. This schedule also teaches dogs what it means to “hold it”.
Set small, easy goals when you start training your dog. 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. You will see more results as you are training this way.
When training your new dog, you call them by name as much as possible. Use the name repeatedly during the first weeks after your dog’s arrival, so he pays attention to you when he hears the name. Give your dog a relatively short name, preferably one that isn’t likely to be confused with other words.
Never ever give your dog a reward as a means of stopping bad behavior. This will teach your pet that it could do whatever it is that it wants and that it has control over you. For example, if you give a treat to stop your dog from barking, you are teaching him to bark for treats.
As you begin a new training program for your dog, it is important to commit yourself to the process – don’t give up! Frequent reinforcement is the only way to help your pet maintain new behaviors and actions. The learning process for dogs is a constant one; with reminders and reinforcements needed along the way.
Every time you reprimand your dog by using its name, try using it 3 to 5 times in a good way. He should know his name isn’t associated with something bad.
One very good way to reinforce a desired behavior in a pet is by providing a treat after the behavior is successfully performed. Once they become more familiar with the order, you do not have to give a treat every time and can gradually reduce the amount of treats you give.
If you have a large-breed dog, he needs a big bed on which to stretch out. Large, flat rectangle beds are made for large dogs. You can also get a little creative, and just buy a mattress made for a baby’s crib.
These are advantageous for the fact that you are able to regularly change the cover by using crib sheets. Crib mattresses come with the added benefit of being waterproof.
You need to reinforce that you are in charge by never chasing the dog with a ball and instead making it always bring the ball back to you. If you go to your dog instead, he thinks he is in charge. Your dog will understand his expectations if he must always bring the ball directly to you.
A clicker is a good way to reinforce behaviors. The clicker works when you make an association between positive events and the clicker being used. When you click give your dog a treat right away; do this a lot when you start out.
Soon your dog will be able to recognize the click noise means that he did something good, helping to shape desirable behavior.
Hopefully, these suggestions will help you and your friends and family enjoy your pet much more. If you properly train your dog, ownership will be more enjoyable and less stressful.
Whether you train it yourself or seek the help of a professional, training will improve the life of you and your dog, so get started!