A dog is very similar to a television remote that needs to be programmed to work with a TV. They already have the correct abilities, but they aren’t synced correctly out of the box. Practically any dog is capable of learning new things, but only if the owner is willing to put forth some effort in teaching these tricks.
Stay Calm
Whenever you’re rewarding your dog for good behavior, make sure you stay calm and in control. Whenever your dog does something right, it’s important that they remain calm. Don’t get too excited, though, as your excitement may cause them to break their concentration. Stay calm, require calm from the dog, and give the reward.
Use positive reinforcement when dog training. Praise the dog with petting, upbeat words and the occasional treat when he does something right. Under no circumstances should you be violent or aggressive with your dog in response to negative behaviors. This never works, and your dog will sense that you are cluelss. Stay consistent and use positive reinforcement.
Maintain your dog’s training throughout its lifetime. Dogs do not cease learning after puppyhood. You have to train your dog to keep up the good work so it never reverts to bad habits.
It is important that you teach your dog proper behaviors from day one. You will have much better success if you teach a dog properly early on, instead of attempting to break negative behaviors later in their life. Never feed your dog from the table, if you don’t want him to get the habit of begging for scraps.
When you’re consistent with your dog, they’ll be better able to hold off on their urge to eliminate. Take your dog to the bathroom at least once each hour. Give him praise when he goes to the bathroom outside. Do not scold the dog if he relieves himself inside the house. Yelling does not teach, and the dog won’t understand why you’re upset. Instead, give the pet every chance to succeed by taking it outside as soon as you remove it from the crate and roughly 15 minutes after it eats or drinks.
Does you dog eat an appropriate diet? Like kids, a dog’s mood can be severely affected by their diet. Consider changing your dog’s diet to something more species-appropriate, and he’ll have long-lasting, consistent energy all day. Your vet should be able to recommend the right food for your dog.
Your dog has to have a consistent set of rules in order to learn the difference between right and wrong. You will need help from everyone in the family to teach this. It can erase what you have accomplished.
Make training fun for you and your dog. Keep your training sessions to a period of time that is less than 15 minutes. The dog should be given ample rewards in various forms. Your dog should enjoy lots of praise for a job well-done. When you take a more positive approach to discipline, the process becomes far more enjoyable.
Anxiety in dogs often leads to destructive behavior like chewing or clawing. Using a dog gate to set aside his own space or a crate to confine his nervousness may provide him with the security he needs while you are away, and adding a chew toy may redirect some of his destructive tendencies.
Don’t use punitive methods to train your dog. While it’s best to prevent bad behavior to start with, if your pet is misbehaving, make sure he does it right the second time. Build a positive relationship with your dog during the training process.
Keep a close eye on what environments cause your dog to bark more. When you know what causes it, you’ll be able to train him in those situations. For instance, if the only time your dog barks too much is when visitors arrive, ask a friend to visit you to assist you in dealing with the behavior when the trigger event occurs.
Understand that older dogs have certain limitations. An older dog will never be able to be trained perfectly. They all have little quirks that you should learn to embrace! If you decide to adopt a dog that is older, remember he may be set in his ways. Though you might be able to teach them a few new things, it may make more sense to pick just a few areas to improve and just deal with the rest.
Unless breeding is in your dog’s future, make sure he or she is spayed or neutered before six months of age. This should happen before you start obedience classes. You will find that dogs that have been neutered or spayed exhibit calmer behavior and are more eager students than they might otherwise have been. By spaying or neutering a dog he will have a longer happier life.
Hopefully you now feel more capable to train your dog after reading this article. Your dog will take pleasure in learning commands and will love to see you happy when he does something right.