Expert Tips To Make Dog Training Easier

If you take the time to train your dog the essentials, you are building a foundation for a lifelong enjoyable relationship with your pet. You can even teach an old dog a few new tricks with the right strategy. Here are a few neat dog training pointers.

You, as the leader of the pack, should always eat first. In the animal world the Alpha always eats before the rest of the pack. This confirms dominance and establishes trust in the leader. When you exhibit this behavior you teach your dog to respect you as leader and also to trust that you are leading in the proper way.

Learning how to show authority is the foundation of all dog training. You have to show your dog that you are in control or he will not obey or respect you. In practice, this means that you should walk ahead when walking your dog, for instance, rather than allowing him or her to take the lead.

Your breeder should begin socialization with your puppy, but it is up to you to continue it. It is important for a puppy to get used to people and the environment around him, but he will need to be protected from becoming too overwhelmed or scared. Your job is to encourage your puppy’s confidence as he goes out into the world.

To make your dog understand what you are expecting from it, you should reward it when it behaves well. Pet it when it obeys you, and use a soothing voice. You can even feed your dog a treat if it did something remarkably well. Make sure your dog understands why you are pleased.

To teach your dog how to walk on a leash, you should start by getting your dog used to the leash at a young age. Walk around your yard or garden with your dog on a leash at first. Reward your dog if it does not tug on the leash. Use a command such as ‘come’ and tug on the leash at the same time. Your dog should quickly understand that you wish it to follow you.

Some dogs have enormous reserves of energy that can cause the dog to act crazy through out the day. For dogs like this a fenced in yard or electric collar fence can be a useful tool to allow the dog to run around in a contained area. The dog will have more exercise and be more relaxed when it comes inside.

When deciding to train your dog, make sure that you have patience towards your pet. All dogs are unique and learn at different paces. To be effective in training your pooch, make sure you have the patience to see it through. Treat your dog with kindness even if he or she may try your patience.

Food is one of the best positive reinforcement tools available to the owner in the dog training process. Feeding a dog after it has behaved acceptably is a powerful message that any dog will understand. Of course, dogs should not be starved! But associating feeding time with success will encourage a dog to work harder to live up to its owner’s expectations.

Find out what motivates your dog as a training reward, and save it for training sessions to get maximum results. Some dogs love a chance to chew on a special squeaky toy or ball, while others adore a certain brand of treats or tiny chunks of fresh baked chicken. It never hurts if the dog is a little hungry so the treats seem even tastier.

To help train your dog, you must be consistent in your use of commands. Your dog will remember the way a command sounds, not the context of the command. For example, if you wish to use the command “come” to summon the dog, only use that command. Do not use a command “here”, or “get over here” and expect the same result.

If you do not communicate that biting is unacceptable, your puppy doesn’t know he is doing something wrong. When you catch your puppy biting, redirect him to a chew toy or bone. As soon as the pup starts to bite, firmly say “No!” and give him the chew toy. While you are teaching a puppy to stop biting, do not play any wrestling or tug of war games with them to strengthen what you are teaching.

Short training session are better suited to your dog’s attention span. The average dog will pay attention for about fifteen minutes and will not learn anything once it has lost interest in the exercise. After each time you do some training, spend time horsing around with your dog, and let him know what a good boy he is.

For dogs that tend to pull, consider the equipment you are using. The neck is the strongest part of a dog’s body, so walking dogs on collars will only work for dogs that are already very mellow. A head halter or an appropriate harness will help for pulling dogs. Harnesses should clip from the front, as ones that clip in the back may encourage pulling more.

Is your dog barking constantly? Excessive barking can often be related to too little exercise – try upping your walks or runs by thirty to sixty minutes each day, and you’ll likely notice a huge reduction in barking almost immediately. Giving your dog plenty of appropriate things to chew on can also make a big difference.

It is important that you get to know your dog well. Dog training is not a “one-size-fits-all” proposition. A lot depends on your personality and capabilities, your dog’s personality and capabilities, and how these traits mesh. Something that may work well for one trainer with one dog may not work with another trainer and another dog. Or it may not work for the same trainer with different dogs. Everyone is different!

When your dog understands the benefits and rewards of learning the tricks you teach it, the desire to learn is often as rewarding as the reward itself. Your dog will be happier, and so will you.