Training your dog can sometimes be incredibly frustrating, both for you and for your pooch. If anyone tells you otherwise they’re either lying or have what I like to call ‘Proud Parent Syndrome’. Which I use to describe people who refuse to acknowledge that their dog (or even child) ever does anything wrong. So I wanted to share some tips with you that I have learnt from both being a dog owner and from working with dogs most of my life. To hopefully help you both on your journey to pet duo extraordinaire!! Or…ya know….a proud pet owner with a dog who finally listens.
Positive Reinforcement
I cannot emphasize this enough, your dog will be happier and learn much quicker with positive rewards. Are you essentially bribing your dog? Yeah…Kinda. But it WORKS. Studies have shown that training in a positive way is much more effective than other training methods used.Positive rewards aren’t just food related, it can be anything your puppy loves. From his favourite tug game to his favourite ball. In fact the more your dog wants whatever you have the harder he will usually work to receive his reward. Remember your affection alone is seen as a reward to your dog. Don’t underestimate a good ear rub!
The Gambling Effect
When rewarding your pup, each treat will be on an imaginary scale of how much your puppy enjoys that item. For example a piece of kibble won’t be as enjoyable as a piece of chicken. Or his ball may not be as good a reward as a tug of war game with you. In order for your dog to stay interested, mix up his rewards so every now and again he hits the doggy jackpot. This keeps him eager to please and learn as he won’t know when he is going to hit that ‘jackpot’ again!Timing
Timing is so crucial in training, you want to be rewarding your dog AS he performs the task you have asked of him. Not just before, and definitely not afterwards. If you are struggling with this, a clicker is a good training tool to help the dog mark when he has done something right. Just click as he is doing what you have asked and then go over and give your treat. He will soon associate the clicking with doing something right.Patience
Like people, sometimes dogs just decide they don’t want to do something. So if your dog is being stubborn or you are losing your patience, it’s time to stop the session for a while and try again later. Some breeds are well known for being quick to learn whereas others not so much. Just because your neighbours dog learnt ‘sit’ in a couple of days doesn’t mean yours will. So have some patience with your pup.Keeping It Short
Try to keep training session short, especially for puppies who have even shorter attention spans. If you push your dog too hard he will start to see training as a chore. By keeping it short it can soon become a fun exciting activity for your pup, which is ideal. I like to keep mine to around the 15 minute mark now Kai is an adult. It was more 5 minutes here and there when he was still a little gremlin *cough* I mean puppy.Begin At Home
All training should be done at home first, including how to heel on a leash properly. At home there are less distractions, your dog feels safe and is way more likely to listen to you. So begin at home, and then move to the garden and eventually test your dogs new abilities while out on a walk. Many people skip training at home, or wonder why their dog will sit when in the living room but not while at the pet shop. Your dog has to learn a behaviour in a variety of environments before he or she realises that the command must be performed no matter where they are. This comes with time.Repetition
Keep at it. If you put the time and effort into your dogs training, I promise you the rewards are so worth it! If you are doing everything right their is no reason you cannot have that well trained puppy you always dreamed of. Use my tips and keep at it and you’ll get there together. A dog is continuously learning throughout it’s life. And while training obviously gets more simple as they grow up, it is easy to slack off and then your dogs behaviour may become slack too. So don’t stop training just because your pups now an adult. You CAN teach an old dogs new tricks.Training your dog can be so fun and such a good bonding experience for you both. It enriches your lives so to me it is always worth the effort. So I hope my tips have helped you understand your pup better or given you some new ideas on how to make your training more efficient.
Is your pup naughty? Have you managed to fix some of his bad habits? Or are you still struggling? I love hearing about your pooches so drop a comment below!
