You and your dog will both benefit from training. A dog who is well-trained will know how to behave. With a trained dog, you won’t worry when you’re together in public, you have visitors or he is home without you. Training isn’t always easy, but it is well worth the effort. Follow these ideas to help get you started.
You can try a little bit of ingenuity if you are going with crate training for your indoor dog or puppy. If your dog doesn’t want to enter the crate, put a chew bone inside the crate, then close to door. Your dog will want to get into the crate in order to eat the treat. When they go inside to get the bone, give them lots of positive reinforcement.
Take small steps when crate training your dog. Once he is comfortable walking in and out of the crate, try quietly closing the door and offering him a biscuit through the wires. Leave them in for short periods of time, as little as 10 seconds. Work up from there. If the puppy gets too upset then you increased the time too much, too fast.
Your dog needs to learn good feeding habits, and this is best accomplished with a clear routine. Teaching your dog to realize that when you place its food bowl down, it will be removed within 10-15 minutes, will help it understand that there is a feeding schedule to stick to. By doing this, your dog will eventually learn to finish their food in one sitting, making feeding a little easier on you.
Your dog should be eating the right amount of healthy food. A bad diet is unhealthy for dogs for many reasons. It can damage your dog’s health and affect their behavior. Something as simple as improving their diet can sometimes have a huge impact on how receptive they are to training.
When using a crate to train your dog, you’ll want to make sure that you select the right size. Puppies will grow up quite quickly. Select a crate that is large enough for them to fit in when they are older. Your dog needs to have the room to get around the crate and not feel cramped.
Most of all, canine training is about establishing the rules of the relationship, and, just as with a person, you will enjoy each other so much more now that these rules have been established. You must continue to reinforce what you are teaching your dog. Maintain discipline and watch for any attitude changes. Once the basic puppy training skills are mastered, the world is your oyster when it comes to working with your dog.