If you want to be happy with your dog and you want it to be happy, training is essential. Your dog will be more predictable when he is trained in the right way. You will be less stressed knowing that he will behave himself when he is home alone or around other people. Although it may not be easy, the time you devote to teaching your dog manners, tricks, and the proper way to do things will be well spent.
Unless you offer a distraction or stimulus, your dog will probably focus exclusively on a single thing. With enough repetition, your dog will focus on other things less and less, opting to wait for signals from you.
Before your dog can learn a new command it will take several repetitions. It isn’t unusual to have to repeat a trick dozens of times before the dog understands. Try using the command more often and be very patient if you want your dog to learn.
Never reinforce your dog’s bad behaviors. Don’t give praise or treats to your dog if it does something wrong. For instance, avoid rubbing the dog’s head every time they jump up when you get home.
As you train your dog, be sure to create verbal cues to make your pet know that he is doing what you want it to do. If you do not have a treat you can reward your dog with, pet it and talk to it in a soft voice until you find a treat.
Keep your dog up to date with dog training, in order to keep him or her compliant with an established set of rules. People think that just because their dog has been trained once, that is all they need. That’s not a good idea, since animals and humans form and retain habits in a similar way. For this reason, you need to reinforce what your dog has learned in training or better still, teach him a new trick every now and then.
Primary Reinforcement
When you are training your doggy friend, use what is known as primary reinforcement. Primary reinforcement uses something that is inherent for the dog to love as a reward for good behavior. Primary reinforcements include using food as treats and rubbing your dog’s belly. By doing this method of training, your dog will learn that in order to get what they want, they must do what you want.
Let your dog get used to triggers that make them bark to reduce the behavior. It could be a particular sound or it could be the experience of being in front of other animals or people. Once the dog is acclimated, he’ll begin to see there is not reason to bark.
To teach a young dog to behave while walking on a leash, start by initiating some good-natured playing. As you play, you can then place the collar on his neck. Leashes are important for control and identification if you lose your pet.
To keep dogs from scratching at doors or jumping on people and furniture, try spraying them with a water-filled spray bottle. Your dog will quickly learn that what he is doing is not acceptable. Eventually, these behaviors will end and your dog will be well-behaved and play in the right manner.
Don’t reward or ignore bad behavior because you want to put a stop to it. This only tells your dog that it has the choice to do whatever he wants and that you are under his power. An example would be a scenario in which you give your dog treats whenever it barks.
Most of all, canine training is about establishing the rules of the relationship, and, just as with a person, you will enjoy each other so much more now that these rules have been established. Keep in mind that you must continue to reinforce everything you have taught your dog. Constantly review what you have taught him and correct any issues. Once your dog gets the training basics under his collar, you will not be limited in what you can achieve together.