Responsible dog owners understand that a trained dog is a good dog. Socializing and training your dog will teach proper obedience and keep your dog happy and safe. Here are some tips to help you train your dog or find a trainer.

When crate training a puppy, try to make your puppy feel like the crate is his home. You should put their food in the cage and leave the door open if it is time for them to eat. This will help them associate good food to the crate.

TIP! Your dog will perform best on a healthy diet. Too many table scraps can unbalance your dog’s diet.

Good behavior means rewards! If your pet successfully completes a task, then reward him only if he/she is calm. While you might be happy with this accomplishment, your excitement plus theirs can cause this situation to get out of control. Try to stay as calm as possible during your puppy training session.

Training a dog to go outside to pee means remembering that they’ll have to go after ingesting food or water. To keep your puppies toiletry habits regular, feed him a high quality food 2-3 times a day at the same time each day. This ensures your dog won’t have accidents as you’ll know when to expect a trip outside.

You must begin your relationship with the dog as the boss for any training to be effective. He needs to know that you are the authority before he will let you train him. When walking with your dog, always walk first, never let your dog lead, as this is the leadership position.

TIP! When you are trying to house train your puppy, keep in mind that everything that you put in, will come out. In order to foster routine toilet habits, give your dog good food between 2 and 3 times daily on a firm schedule.

One command that should be taught early to a puppy is “leave it.” This teaches them to drop something and step way from it. You can use this command for a number of purposes. For example, it is used to prevent the dog from chewing on something or even to guide them out of harm’s way.

Your training sessions should be short. Because dogs do not have a long attention span, short lessons will keep them from getting bored. If you want to engage in additional training, allow the dog to have a break in order to get some exercise.

You have to be firm during canine training. But do not yell at your dog constantly: try finding the right balance between being strict when your dog misbehaves and being a loving master the rest of the time. This ensures you have a positive relationship between the dog and yourself.

TIP! When using a crate to train your dog, you’ll want to make sure that you select the right size. Keep in mind that puppies grow big.

Use your dog’s name often to ensure you have its attention. Over time and repetition, the dog will begin to understand their name and that they are being spoken to. For best results, the dog’s name should be short and not sound like any other word in the English language.

You will be doing more harm that good if you over train your puppy. Puppies can’t pay attention for too long and are not very good at focusing on something for long periods of time, so limit the duration of training sessions. If you try to do too much, the puppy will probably not remember much except that it was an unpleasant experience, and that will make it more difficult when the time comes for the next training session.

Accidents are a part of training your puppy to go potty outside. Get rid of accidents immediately to improve training efficiency. If the mess stays on the area for too long, it can leave a scent behind that your animal may return to in the future to do his business. A pet shop in your area will carry products specifically for this problem.

TIP! To strengthen your training efforts, you can use a designated verbal command to help your animal understand what your expectations are and when they have been fulfilled. Using an affirmative word can help your dog understand they did their part and it is time for a treat.

A good training your dog tip is to always be aware of other dogs when you’re taking your dog for a walk. There are aggressive dogs, and not every owner is at fault. If you notice an aggressive or antisocial dog, keep your dog away from it.

When traveling with dogs, be certain to pack all the dog will need in terms of food, sleep accessories and toilet supplies. You should take their bed, bowls, and things to clean up after them. You can buy dog food when you get there, of course, which is a lot easier than bringing it with you.

When you are consistent, your dog will learn to postpone his elimination until he is at an appropriate spot. When you’re home with your puppy, take it out as often as possible. When he goes potty outside, tell him he did good. If your dog has an accident in the house, never harshly reprimand it. He can’t understand why you are yelling. Have the dog outside around 15 minutes post-meal or drink to ensure he can empty himself.

TIP! In addition to regular walks and dog training sessions, you should make time to let your dog exercise for at least one hour every day. When your dog gets enough exercise, training sessions are usually more effective and produce faster results.

Is your dog getting all their required nutrients? Like kids, a dog’s mood can be severely affected by their diet. There are specialty foods available for individual dog breeds. You can try one of these if your dog’s energy seems low. Talk to your vet to learn the nutritional needs of your dog.

Teach your dog to learn ‘down’. It can be very useful during emergencies and also serves as a great foundation for future lessons. When the animal is familiar with the ‘down’ command, he can be more effectively controlled with little advance warning. This is important when others’ safety is at stake.

With these tips, you will get the most enjoyment out of your new, well-behaved dog. Your family and friends will be proud. Proper training makes dog ownership more rewarding and less stressful. Either way you train your dog, yourself or through a trainer, you will enjoy your pet more.