Offering your dog training in dog obediance can be a worthwhile endeavor but before you start, there are some things you need to know in order to make training easier and more pleasant for both you and your dog. The most important thing you must always remember is that you are the boss! By nature dogs are pack animals and adhere to a strict hierarchy with every pack having a “leader”. In order to successfully complete dog obedience with your dog properly (and easily), you need to establish yourself as the leader early on in your relationship.
Some dogs may be more aggressive than others, some more dominant, some more easy going but no matter what your dogs personality, you must be able to instill in your dog you are the boss. Don’t let your dog get the upper hand or he will start to think that he is the leader. The importance of dog training will be seen more and more as you place more demands on your dog. Now, I don’t mean that you need to be physically abusive to your dog – far from it. You need to show your leader ship with your actions, and as you receive more dog obedience training education you will see that the smallest and subtle changes will make amazing changes with your dog’s obedience training.
Another thing to consider is that while your dog understands you at about the same level as a two year old, he is not a human. In fact, your dog has many differences from humans that cause him to interpret your commands and act much differently than a 2 year old child would. So, do not expect him to behave like you’re 2 year old during obedience training. When training your dog, you need to be consistent. Set aside about 45 minutes or a half hour every day to work on obedience training. You can start training your dog as young as you want but don’t be discouraged if you have an older pet as training can be done at any age, and like an older person some time a little maturity makes obedience training all the more easier.
You want to start training your dog with the basics. The sit command is a good place to start as getting your dog to sit is the basis for many other commands. Work on this one command every day until your dog has it down cold, then move on to the next command, ensure you finish each pet training session on a win so the dog looks forward to the next obedience training session. During training, you want to be firm. Always use the same word for each command and say the word clearly but don’t yell the command. Never punish your dog when he does not do what you want but, instead, use positive reinforcement when he DOES do what you want. Punishing or scolding will only confuse your dog so have patience when he is not behaving the way you want – the best thing to do is ignore him and he will soon learn that he only gets the reward when he performs the desired action.
Try to work on training every day at first, but every time you interact with your dog is a perfect opportunity to do obedience training. As your dog learns more and more commands, you can slack off a bit, but training should always be a part of your relationship with your dog. It can be fun and rewarding for both of you to keep learning new behaviors and taking the training to the next level.
Dog training is a task that takes, consistence, persistence and patience but your efforts will be well rewarded with a well behaved dog as well as a stronger bond with your 4 legged friend. Training your dog properly insured not only his safety, but the safety of those around him and it can also be a lot of fun for both you and your dog!
