Puppy training often ends up looking more akin to human training. That’s really because an owner must train himself, before he can effectively attempt to train his dog. It is important for people to learn the proper ways to communicate with their pets, otherwise they may reinforce bad behavior. This article offers some good guidelines for first-time dog trainers.
Establish a quiet environment when you go into a room your pet is in. Play time is great, but your dog needs to learn to stay calm as his master enters the room. Avoid acknowledging him as you enter. This helps to maintain a controlled atmosphere.
If you plan to incorporate a crate in puppy training, choose one that corresponds to the size of your dog. Remember, puppies grow up. Choose a crate which will be the right size for the dog when he grows up. At full size your dog should be able to move around without feeling too constricted.
Don’t reinforce your dog’s negative behavior by accident. Never give your dog any treats or special attention for doing bad things. If they jump on you, don’t pet them, for example.
When you train your dog, you need to establish control. Otherwise, the dog will think that he is in charge and will not respond to your training tactics. Don’t let your dog control the direction or pace of your walks.
Shock Collars
Do not use shock collars. These devices are expensive and do not always work as well as you would expect them to. Plus, shock collars are not positive reinforcement when your dog is exhibiting proper behavior. These methods of training generally fail.
Be prepared to reward the dog as soon as it completes a positive behavior. After all, the point of rewarding him is to show him that he is following good behavior. This helps the dog understand what is right and what is wrong.
It is important to avoid dwelling on one task for too long. Spending too much time just on one aspect of training will bore your dog and waste your efforts. Early on, your training sessions should be limited to less than 10 minutes.
Primary reinforcement is key during puppy training. In this method the reward you use is something it is natural for your dog to want. This can be a belly rub, a favorite toy or a tasty treat. This helps them to make positive associations with the desired behaviors.
Do not wear out your new puppy with an excessive training regiment. A puppy has a short attention span and limited energy to focus, so keep your sessions brief and as positive as possible. If you try to do too much too fast, he will associated it as a negative experience and will resist in the future.
Now that the people who are interested in training their new pet dog have, hopefully, learned some new tricks, they can proceed to pass them along to their pets. Once a dog is on its way to learning, the owner will begin to appreciate the dedication that he or she has shown for doing the right thing for man’s best friend.