If you have never owned a dog before, the process of dog training may seem to be an impossible task. There is so much information available on training dogs that its easy to become completely overloaded with no idea of where to begin. Below, you will find some suggestions on getting started with dog training.
The best way to teach a dog good behavior is to never let poor behavior take hold. Dogs find it much harder to break existing bad habits than to learn new, positive ones. For instance, a dog that is never fed table scraps is less likely to beg at the table.
When you know that you need to be gone for a few hours, take your dog for a long walk before you depart. If you tire them out, they will be better able to handle feelings of anxiety when they are alone and separated from you.
Always keep the atmosphere positive and motivational when conducting a training session with your dog. If your dog performs a task you ask him to, reward him. Negative reinforcement will only confuse your dog early in its training and is likely to make your dog afraid of you.
Do not take out your other frustrations on your dog by speaking to it sternly for no reason. Keep in mind that unless your dog has misbehaved immediately before your interaction, your behavior toward the dog should be positive in nature.
If your dog suddenly starts exhibiting behavioral problems, take him to a veterinarian in order to rule out any serious health conditions. Animals that are in pain or that have certain health conditions may lash out or behave inappropriately. This behavior is an indicator to humans that there is something wrong.
You do not want to use wee-wee pads when potty training your dog. The pads eventually leak; leaked waste marks certain areas in the house as "potty areas". Wee-wee pads can also train your dog to think that other items that are the same shape are a potty area as well. The best way to housebreak a dog is not to allow them to use the bathroom in the house; there is really no alternative.
During the dog training process, it is a good idea to use various treats as rewards for your dogs good behavior. Do not use the treats that you would give your dog day to day. They should be specific to training and ensuring the feeling of being rewarded for something specific. The dog will also be more likely to obey if they know they will receive something special.
Get your dog the proper nutrition required for canine health. Too many table scraps can unbalance your dogs diet. A poor diet can affect their behavior as well as their health. Improving your dogs diet can make training him easier.
Make sure everyone involved in a dogs training uses the same set of commands. Make sure everyone is on the same page with command words; if the command for being quiet is "quiet," dont let anyone use "stop barking." If everyone uses identical commands, the dog will learn much faster and you will have greater success.
Pick a phrase you will say to your new puppy the whole time you are working on house training him. Every single time you take your pup to do his business, say something like "need to go out?". It does not matter the phrase you choose, as long as you keep it consistent. This will keep him focused, and will teach him to associate those words with the action of relieving himself.
Keep count of the number of treats you feed your dog because you do not want him or her to get fat. A lot of people forget to account for treats given during training when considering a dogs diet plan.
When house-breaking your puppy, choose a specific phrase to use when its time to go outdoors. When you take your dog out, repeat this command. This will help him form an association between being taken outside and doing his business.
Any complicated or multistage task you would like to teach your dog should be broken down into steps. A great example of a teachable command is having your dog get the paper in the mornings. You will need to teach him or her how to hold something first. Next, he must learn the name of the object. After that, you should teach him how to take the object in his mouth. Then, he should give it to you. Breaking a task into small steps will make the information your dog has to process much more digestible and consequently, more easily accomplished.
During your training program, keep your dog interested by using many different types of treats. You can increase your dogs incentive to learn the desired behaviors by offering treats that are extra-special. This helps your pet to understand that this is no ordinary reward.
Remember to enjoy the time spent with your dog during training. Taking time to play creates a strong bond between the two of you, and your dog will be more likely to respond well to training. Training can be a fun experience, however, getting some enjoyment for yourself and the dog through play is a good thing.
As with any professional, research their reputation to verify that you are getting the best animal behavior specialist out there. There are a lot of different approaches taken by dog trainers concerning how to correctly train a dog. Understand the trainers philosophy so that you can be sure the trainers approach is similar with your own views of dog training.
Crate training is an effective way to house train a dog. Always take your dog out consistently if you want to be effective at crate training. If youre patient you will find a dog who has been crate trained will make less messes inside.
If you catch your puppy chewing on something that he shouldnt be, stop him as soon as you catch him. Redirecting your puppy towards a chew toy teaches him what is appropriate to chew on. This can prevent further damage to your possessions.
A clicker works well when training most dogs. Using a clicker is as simple as showing your dog that good things happen when the clicking noise is heard. Try using this technique right away, doing it frequently over a span of a few days. Your dog will soon know that the clicking noise means that they are doing a good job.
After learning some helpful hints on how to get through to your dog and train it to behave to your expectations you simply need to follow what you have learned. After changing your dogs behavior to fit with the tips suggested you can properly train your dog..
