Why Dog Training Tips
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Congratulations on the newest member of your family! Whether you’ve purchased your puppy from a breeder or adopted from an agency, their basic needs are the same and they need to be trained in the basics to become the companion you want. (Unless you are looking to raise the puppy to be a guard dog, then you’ll need a different website)
Your dog looks up to you to take care of it, play with it, feed it, and love it. All of these require you spend time with it. Now spending time doesn’t mean sitting in front of the TV while he or she sleeps or lounges in a corner all the time (although a little down time with your pet can prove to be relaxing, no ones 24/7). Spending time means interacting with your pet - walking, communicating and, as I said before, playing with your pet. And what do you get back? The best possible return, unconditional love. So don’t look at the time you spend training your dog as work. Look at it as time spent building a bond between the two of you.
There are so many different methods of dog training out there it can become overwhelming. You could spend a lot of time wondering what is best for my dog? Crate training, classroom training, one on one training with a professional? These are just a few of the choices. The real question should be “What am I most comfortable doing?” If you don’t buy into the method of dog training you have chosen your dog will most likely pick up on that and it won’t work for either one of you. Another thing to consider is how highly trained to you want your dog? Do you want the winner of the next Greatest American Dog contest or do you want a pet that simply won’t mess in the house and will allow invited guests into your home without instilling fear in them?
Once you’ve looked over each dog training method and determined what will be best you are ready to being. Whatever you’ve chosen, there are two key items that apply to all dog training methods and they are patience and consistency. Praise and rewards are important in working with your pet as they are both examples of positive reinforcement, but patience and consistency are always needed. As you work with your chosen training method you need to apply them at all times. Saying or acting “Once in a while I’ll let this slip” won’t work. This will confuse your dog and they will become unsure of what is acceptable behavior and what is not. This doesn’t mean your dog won’t slip up once in a while, it’s just important that you calmly and patiently correct the behavior as quickly as possible.
When praising your dog, keep your tone of voice in mind. Although it is obvious when a person is angry by the infection in their voice your dog will be able to pick up calm and excited/happy tones too. As far as using food as a reward when training your dog, this will almost always get their attention immediately but there are two things of which you should be aware. First, if you use food often as a reward while training your dog, your dog may come to expect this treat and, if you deviate from giving it to them once, they may hold out from performing the task you have requested the next time. Second, and even more important, using food as a reward too much may result in an overweight pet and overweight pets become unhealthy pets. This is not to say a piece of hot dog or some peanut butter should never be used but it is best to keep these as special treats. There are also many natural treats owners can purchase or make at home for their dogs that will help keep their pets healthy.
Starting with the basics, the first thing you’ll want to address is housetraining. The best time for that is as soon as you bring your dog home. As a new puppy owner, when the puppy is up and about the home, you need to aware of where he or she is (much like a child who has learned to crawl), you need to keep track of when they ate and drank and let them outside as often as possible. When they are outside and “do their business” be sure to praise them both verbally and physically, with a happy tone, pets, head and belly scratches.
Probably the next basics to work on training your dog not to do is biting, as this is a natural instinct in a puppy you want to be careful how you curtail this trait. Not jumping up on people and furniture is also something you may want keep close to the top of your dog training list.
It is important to remember you need to keep yourself and members of the household in the dominate, or Alpha dog, position and this is accomplished and instilled in your dog as you train them. Your dog should never be in a dominate position over you.
Your dog depends on you 100% and, as a loving “parent” you’ll want to keep their safety and best interest close to your heart.
