If you want a well behaved dog you need to teach him how to behave. An untrained dog can make your life miserable, but you can’t really hold him responsible for his actions. He doesn’t know any better. But before you start on a training program there is some basic information you need to be aware of. Professional dog trainers use these basics all the time. Here are their top 10 tips.
1. Don’t waste any time in starting to teach your new puppy. Establishing routines right from the start and sticking to these routines is easier than trying to change things up after a period of time. That only succeeds in confusing your pet. For instance, if your dog is not allowed on the furniture, don’t let him join you on the couch one day and then shoo him off when you find him on your couch another day.
2. Be firm, but fair and consistent. If you change the rules you will only frustrate and confuse your dog. So, if you don’t want your dog to beg food from the table, don’t ever feed him treats while you are eating.
3. Collar and lead training is one of the most important things you can do to have a well behaved dog. Start in on this as soon as possible when your puppy arrives to make training much easier and more effective.
4. When training your dog, have fun with him and reward his accomplishments, no matter how small they may be. Rewards can be treats, a scratch on the head, or praise. If he enjoys what you’re doing with him and can look forward to being rewarded, you will accomplish a great deal in a shorter time frame.
5. Patience is a quality that every single good dog trainer needs to have, and lots of it. Progress should be measured in very small steps. Your dog will not learn and remember overnight. It takes lots and lots of practice before the desired behavior will come naturally. Be sure to reinforce the targeted behavior by repeated practice and rewards.
6. When disciplining your dog, never use the command “come”. The command “come” should only be used in a positive way because it is such an integral part of training. Don’t hit your pet when you are disciplining him. This will only cause him to fear you and it will end up damaging the trust between the two of you.
7. When starting a new session with your dog, start by reviewing behaviors your dog has already mastered. Reward him and then move on to new training exercises.
8. Keep lessons short. You never want to drag things out to where the training becomes a chore. So if your dog begins to lose focus, end the lesson with a simple-to-follow command. Then give him a reward and then spend a few minutes playing with him.
9. Always teach basic commands first. Things like sit, stay, down, and come are integral for success with more involved dog training. So be sure he has mastered these commands before you try to teach him more complex commands.
10. Only reward when a command is executed correctly. This goes along with being consistent. If he knows that he will get a “good boy” whether or not he sits on command, he won’t learn the lesson.
By following these tips on dog training, you can be sure of having success in your quest to have a well behaved dog. And really wouldn’t you rather have a dog that listens to you than one who doesn’t?