Dog Training 101 - What You Need To Know
Dog Training 101 - What You Need To Know
Properly training your dog is a responsibility of dog ownership. It is important to train your dog right away as a puppy, so you can avoid dealing with rude or destructive behavior from your four-legged friend. This article will give you some great tips about how to train your dog.
Dogs need a well fitting collar and lead if they are to be properly trained. Don't choose these items because they are cute or because they have rhinestones on them. Choose your dog's collar and lead based on the service you desire from them. Ask yourself if a halter might be more appropriate for your particular dog. Do they need a long lead or would a shorter one be better? Make the right choices, and your dog will benefit.
Create a bridge between the dog's response to a command and the reward for success. By saying a bridge word such as "yes" or "good", you will reinforce that the behavior is acceptable and the reward will follow. Keep using this bridge word even after training is complete to be consistent with your pet.
When training your dog, use the dog's name when you want their attention. This ensures that you will have good verbal control when you go outside your home, and good verbal control is absolutely vital to responsible pet ownership. Never call your dog to you in order to dish out punishment, as this will create a negative connection.
Take everything that your friends and family members say about your training program with a grain of salt. Everyone will have their own opinions about how you should help your pet learn to follow directions. Ignore most of it and do what you know is best for you and your pet.
Shock collars are not a good idea. They almost never work as advertised and they are expensive to boot. In addition, shock collars and related devices can actually irritate your dog and eradicate current good behaviors. These tools often do more harm than good.
If you use treats for positive reinforcement when training your dog, be sure that you use them sparingly. If the dog receives a treat every time it follows one of your commands, it will learn that treats and obedience go together, not you and obedience. If you stop giving treats at that point, the dog will stop obeying.
If you want to train your dog, you should wait until it is at least six weeks old. A younger dog will not understand what you are expecting, and not be able to control itself enough to obey your commands. The first weeks of your puppy's life should be about creating a bond with you.
As stated at the beginning of this article, it is important to train your dog. If he's not well-trained he may cause you and others a lot of trouble. Training your dog while he is young will avoid bad behavior in the future, when your dog is older and harder to train. Apply the tips from this article, and your pet will be loved by all!