Dog training is an important responsibility of a successful dog owner. Apart from the fact that dog training makes your dog obedient, it helps you more in communicating with your dog. A decline in the frequency of embarrassing moments in public because of your dog’s erratic behavior is another added advantage.
The basic principle behind effective dog training is mutual trust and respect. You would be more proud of your dog than being ashamed of him, if he has been trained properly and you would definitely not like to say no to some quick tips for dog training that can help you with this task.
There are certain dogs that are more intelligent than others and that can be trained to a greater degree and with more ease. Still, you should give at least some basic training to your dog in order to control him so that he causes no harm to himself or to others.
Given below are some basic tips for dog training that can be useful in training your dog and make the task more simple and easy for both of you.
• The most obvious yet important tip for dog training is to appropriately praise and reward your dog when he obeys you and to discourage disobedience by appropriate corrective action. The rewards should work as reinforcements and not replace the commands themselves. The idea is not to over do it.
• Do not ignore any good behavior on his part. After all, consistency is the key.
• You can give dog treats as rewards to your dog. But, try to give small bits only which he can eat quickly without any mess. Basic dog training tips focus on keeping a variety of treats for the dog so that the treats to keep the dog’s spirit high at all times. Identify his favorite items and use them as reinforcements to attract his attention and interest in the dog training activities.
• In case your dog is not a foodie, nor does he like a toy, not even petting or verbal praises, then you can introduce a brief play session as a reward. Such tips for dog training help a great deal in dealing with tricky dogs.
• As for punishments, try to avoid punishments as far as possible. If necessary then at least do not call your dog and then punish him or else he might not respond to your calls in the future. The punishments should be short, sharp and well defined. Also, remember that your punishment can suppress a particular behavior in your dog but do not expect the complete elimination of such a behavior.
• Do not hit your dog if he behaves badly. Instead, take this as an opportunity to teach him the “stop” and “no” commands.
• Timing is an integral part of dog training. While training a dog, the reward or reinforcement should come within seconds of the act of appraisal or else the dog might not associate with the connection between the correct behavior and the reward. A clicker is an effective tool in solving this problem. Same goes for corrections.
• Do not give a command that you are not serious to enforce. This is because when you are not serious, the dog might or might not follow the command without your appropriate acceptance or rejection of his behavior and the dog might take this as a sign of liberty for other commands too.
• Be sure of what you want from your dog else both of you would end up confused. This is one of the most significant yet ignored tips for training dogs.
• Training a dog can be a stressful activity for both dog and the dog owner. Hence, tips for training a dog aim at keeping the training session for short durations, though precise. For instance, 10 to 15 minutes should be sufficient for each training session. Plus, efforts should be made to make it a more fun filled activity than stressful activity. Even you want to cherish each and every moment that you spend with your dog.
• Try to fix the time for the training session at a time when your dog craves your attention (like when you return from work). This way, he will follow your commands with more enthusiasm.
• While framing the commands, keep in mind that dogs do not understand complex lengthy commands or statements. So, keep the commands short and simple. The dog’s interest is inversely proportional to the complexity of the command. Plus, test the effectiveness of your dog’s response in different situations.
• One of the most crucial tips for training your dog is to think from your dog’s perspective. Try to understand his natural instincts. You can not curb all his natural instincts; you simply have to bring out the best in him.
• Learning is a continuous process. So, your dog learns throughout his life. Therefore, do not discontinue the reinforcements completely and all of a sudden. Instead, reduce the frequency of giving away dog treats gradually and progressively.
