Training Your Dog
by: Amy Howells Training your dog can be
time consuming and frustrating at times, but it's well worth it.
Here are several tips that should help things go much smoother and
faster... plus reduce the frustration both you and your dog feel!
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Conduct "play training" where by the training tasks are made into
fun games and your dog's play drive is used as motivation. There are a lot
of really good books available on this type of training.
Intelligent dogs can also be stubborn, so you may have to outwit them!
While training your dog, you have to make him want to do what you want him
to. You can't make him do stuff unless it is fun. Otherwise you are wasting
both your time and his.
Try to make your dog's training so fun that it becomes his or her favorite
activity. This will make learning much easier and more enjoyable.
Most dogs love to play! You can make your dog the happiest just by spending
some time with them, giving your undivided attention each day. Without this,
your dog will feel ignored, bored, or think they're in trouble. When this
happens they're more likely to chew, tear things up, and not listen to you.
Here are some tried and true tactics you can use to make your dogs listen
to you more:
When playing with your puppy, play at his level. If play is encouraged at
ground level, this builds your role as the dominant, or "top dog",
when you are standing and training your puppy. If the puppy is allowed to
jump up and initiate play, then this can lead to unwanted jumping up as your
dog gets older.
From the very beginning, make sure your dogs know you are the master. This
is usually accomplished with simple tasks such as teaching the dog to raise
it's paw for a handshake; kissing your hand; or rolling over on command to
show submission.
There is no need for extreme measures to prove you are the boss. Obedience
training should be both fun and rewarding for you and your dog.
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Make sure your dog always eats after you do. This is one of the easiest
ways to show your dog who is the boss. This is especially important if you
share your food with your dog, because if you let them eat while you are,
they could develop the habit of taking food right off your - or someone else's
- plate. You may need to train your family to follow this rule too... and
that could be harder than training the dog ;)
Very active young dogs have short attention span, and some breeds are worse
than others. So it's best to have several short 5-10 minute training lessons
instead of one long one.
Start the training at quiet places familiar to your dog, and be sure there
are very few things and people around to distract him. Gradually move the
training to places with more and more distractions so he will learn to obey
your commands despite those distractions.
Speak to your dog strongly but not in an angry voice. Be kind but be firm
while training and never give in to what they want. It seems cruel but in
the long run you will have a much better relationship with you dog.
Celebrate after every training session for a good job done. Have a big play
by running and throwing his favorite toys. If you give them a lot of playtime
with yourself they'll listen to you more.
Don't confuse your dog by trying to use different words for one command.
One word commands work best, and they should always be consistent. For example,
when your dog gets on the lounge with you, say "sit" and he should
sit. Then if you want him to lay down, say "lay" and he should
do so.
Also note how well your dog seems to understand your command words. Some
dogs may not be able to distinquish between two words that sound the same.
For instance: "lay" and "stay" sound very similar. With
one of my own dogs, I've had to use the word "sleep" in place of
lay, in order for him to understand me fully.
To keep your dog from charging the front door each time it opens, try putting
up a door or gate that he can't see through or hop over. Have him wait until
people enter and come up the stairs. Then give him a treat for waiting.
In closing: no matter how well trained you think your dog is, he usually
has an attention span of seconds. So be careful not to let him run away,
because some dogs will simply keep going and going as they find new things
to chase.
Always keep your dog leashed securely when they're outdoors, unless you
have a secure fence. Beware though: Some dogs can actually jump fences, even
when you think they're high enough, and some even climb trees too. And most
dogs run much faster than any human can so if your dog gets loose, it could
be quite dangerous for him.
About The Author
Amy Howells
For more information about training your dog visit: http://www.dog-owner.net.
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