Who doesn’t enjoy the joy and company a dog can provide? There is a lot of extra work involved with owning a puppy though. You need to do lots of training with the new little one. Apply these ideas consistently, and you can have a perfectly trained dog.
It takes small steps to crate train your puppy; they must become accustomed to it. Allow them to feel comfortable in their crate by closing the door and feeding them treats while praising them. Start with short times numbering in mere seconds, and increase the intervals gradually. If your dog becomes restless, you may be ramping up too quickly.
The best way to train your dog is to reward it when it behaves properly. It’s very important to provide treats at the proper time. This is because a dog does not always understand what it is being rewarded for if they do not receive their treat at the right time.
Don’t expect your dog to learn a command the first time you say it. It may take as many as fifty repetitions before your dog learns the command. Use the command over and over again until the dog gets the hint.
Train your dog on a regular basis to make sure he understands the rules of the house. Too many owners tend to be under the impression that once they have trained their dog, that’s the end of it. However, pets are ruled by habits, structure and routine in much that same way that humans are. It’s important to be consistent with the rules for your dog.
In training your dog, use the same volume and tone of voice when you state a command. The dog will know you’re telling them what to do that way. It also helps the dog to understand the difference between a sharp tone for discipline and a sharp but non-punishing command.
One of the very first commands you should teach a new puppy is the “leave it” command, which tells them to drop an item and step back from it. This little command will save your furniture and possessions from getting chewed up, plus it keeps your dog away from dangerous or unclean items outside.
Primary Reinforcement
When you are training your doggy friend, use what is known as primary reinforcement. Primary reinforcement uses something that is inherent for the dog to love as a reward for good behavior. Primary reinforcements can include using treats, food or even a good belly rub. This lets your dog know how to earn something it wants.
Understand that getting your dog to respond during the times that you tell him or her ‘no’ is not helpful. It is important to be positive when you are training your dog. When you say ‘no’, your dog isn’t understanding how it should respond to you. Every situation and dog is different and their training should be tailored accordingly.
Consistently train your dog. If you have a large family ensure everyone is involved with the training your dog. The dog will learn more easily if he learns a single set of commands and if he knows what response will be received for his behavior.
Try to teach your dog good habits right away. Dogs find it much harder to break existing bad habits than to learn new, positive ones. If you do not want the dog to beg for table scraps, then never give it any food from the table to start with.
Expect the occasional setback when you are training your dog, but don’t give up! You will need to give your dog continuous reinforcement, or he or she will go back to how they were before being trained. Training is something you do with your dog all the time, just like feeding and grooming him.
When you’re consistent, he can learn to hold it in. When you start housebreaking a puppy, you will want to take it outside as often as possible. Praise him immediately as soon as he goes to the bathroom outside. If you dog has an accident inside your house, do not scold him. He won’t know what he did wrong and will learn nothing. Always take the dog out about 15 minutes after he eats or drinks anything, as well as every time he comes out of his crate.
It is important to improve your dog’s recall ability. Teaching your dog to come when called in any situation is an important skill for him to learn. These are things that have to be done to have a obedient dog. This important lesson can save your dog some day.
You need to find out how to recognize when your dog needs to go to the bathroom. Most dogs have a specific pattern of behavior indicating a need to eliminate. By learning your dog’s behaviors, you can immediately take your dog to his potty area to train him where to go to the bathroom. Getting in sync with the natural tendencies of your dog will make house training a whole lot easier.
Your dog’s intelligence has to be trained and worked. Canine puzzle toys are a great way to get your dogs mind working during the day. There are a variety of puzzle-type toys, so choose a toy that plays to your dog’s strengths.
Training your dog methods differ from dog to dog. If your dog is not responsive to being rewarded with a treat, you must find some other type of reward that will act as an incentive. Once you find a treat that motivates your dog, you will see huge progress in its training.
After reading this article, you are ready to start training your dog. Be patient with your animal and make sure, above all, that you show your dog when he is doing the right thing. It won’t be an overnight success story, but with time you both will be much happier.