Properly training your dog will allow you to coexist with ease and become best pals. When your dog is trained, both of you know what you can expect. You will not have to worry about leaving him home along or taking him to public places. It might take some effort, but teaching your dog tricks and manners is an important investment in everyone’s happiness.
Your dog should always give you its attention when asked. With enough training, your dog should be able to pay more attention to your orders.
The first thing that you must do is to command control over your dog. Your dog will neither obey nor respect you if he believes he is the leader of your household. On walks with your dog, you should lead him and not the other way around.
Think of a word you can use as a command during training. “yes” is a great bridge word between the dogs positive accomplishment and the reward they receive.
Try to get your dog on a regular feeding schedule. This will give you the opportunity to understand when your dog needs to go to the bathroom. A regular schedule will also give your dog a chance to learn how to exercise self-control, as he will know that a trip outside is eminent.
Among the first commands that you should teach your puppy is the command “leave it,” which tells the puppy to drop whatever he has in his mouth and back away from it. It ensures they don’t eat food they shouldn’t, chew on items not intended to be chewed on or even pick up dangerous or poisonous items in their mouth.
The first thing you should do when training a puppy is teach him to understand his name. Always use his name, and expect him to come to you when he is called. These are the commands your dog should learn before anything else. Spend ample time with the puppy to create a bond. This will build trust between the puppy and you. When you set this trust early on, the puppy will be more open to the next steps in training.
Try to teach your dog good habits right away. It is much more difficult to break a dog’s bad habits, than to teach it correct behavior in the beginning. Don’t feed your dog scraps if you don’t want want him begging at the table.
Split treats into bite-sized pieces to keep rewards from affecting your dog’s daily diet, weight or overall health. The calories in treats are often overlooked, but they should also be taken into consideration when planning your dog’s diet.
Never reward bad behavior with the intent of quickly ending a certain behavior. This only makes the dog more likely to do those bad things again. For instance, giving a dog a treat each time it barks.
By being consistent you can teach your puppy to “hold it.” If you are home, spend time everyday with your puppy, and take him out every hour or so. Give him a little praise if he makes waste outside. If your dog has an accident in the home, do not scold him. Yelling does not teach, and the dog won’t understand why you’re upset. It’s better to teach your dog to expect to potty outside by taking him out a few minutes after meals or after being crated.
Ground Rules
Every relationship has ground rules, and the act of puppy training establishes those ground rules with your dog. This makes it less likely that you and your dog will have issues later. Keep up with the things your dog has been taught during training. If you continue to keep up with training your dog you will curb any bad behaviors that have popped up. Once your dog is trained properly, your dog can do so much more.