Dog Training Tips That Will Save You Grief And Time
Dog owners have many methods of training their dogs to choose from today. A number of these methods use only positive reinforcement; others utilize positive and negative reinforcement while others use incentives like treats. The difference in dog training techniques mainly lies in the specific procedures and commands that the dog is being trained. The most appropriate training technique for a dog depends on the dog owner’s or the trainer’s preference and the desired end result.
No matter the training method, these tips will substantially assist you understand and choose the best training technique for your dog.
Dog training Tip 1
Start the training when the dog is still as young as possible. However, it is not practical to train a dog younger than 49 days.
Dog training Tip 2
At the beginning, the training sessions should not last over 15 minutes. At advanced stages, dog training may go on for up to several hours but a beginner dog has a short attention and interest span. Even after the dog is accustomed to the training, obedience training should not last over twenty minutes. If you suspect that the dog is losing interest, end the session.
Dog training Tip 3
End all dog training sessions on a positive note. It will not go well if you end the session with a bad note, like after you just disciplined the dog. If necessary, create a positive situation just before you end the training session.
Dog training Tip 4
Schedule the dog training sessions at a certain time of the day. After awhile, the dog will learn the timing and will even show excitement when it is almost time for the next training.
Dog training Tip 5
Use light weight leashes or leads that are about six feet long for all training sessions. Using heavy leather leashes are heavy and very distractive.
Dog training Tip 6
Consistency in the command you use to train the dog is very important. The dog gets accustomed with certain words that it takes as keywords. For instance, if you train the dog to understand “sit” to sit and “Dowd” to lie down, it would be very confusing to it to tell it to “Sit Down”. Try as much as you can to avoid using negatives. The best example is telling the dog “Don’t Sit”. It will just grasp the word “Sit” and do what it understands by it. Other phrases that should not be used are phrases like “Please sit”, “come and sit”, “Sit boy” etc.
Dog training Tip 7
Play the dog’s favorite game for at least 5 minutes after the training to make the dog excited about the training. This will boost a positive experience and make it look forward to training sessions.
Dog training Tip 8
Use the same volume and tone in instructing the dog. You can make a special “command tone” so that the dog can have an easy time understanding the commands each time. However, after the training, practicing with different tones, volume or even by different people will assist reinforce the commands.
