7 Dog Training Tips You Must Teach Your Pet

Responsible dog owners will often look for dog training advice. This is available from a variety of sources including the internet, books and DVDs. 

The following dog training tips are designed to help dog owners understand what is needed of them to create a strong bond between themselves and their pets, as well as creating a safe environment for the dog and all those around it.

1. Establish leadership and boundaries 

Dogs are pack animals and respond to the leader of the pack. If the owner of a dog is seen to have moments of weakness, the dog will assume that it they who are in charge and all future commands from the owner will be wasted.

It should be clear from the very start who the leader is and what is expected of the dog.

2. Be patient 

When teaching a dog a new command, it is important to be patient. Shouting or punishing the dog by hitting them will only serve to confuse and scare the animal. If an owner can feel their patience slipping, it is time to end the training session.

3. Reward and correct 

Dogs do not automatically know what a command is. 

By showing them what is expected of them and rewarding them, owners are giving the dogs a reason to do what is asked of them. 

If a dog does not respond correctly to a command, the owner should correct their behavior.

4. Consistency is key

Once the boundaries have been set, it is imperative that the owner keeps maintains the course of action which has been set. 

If a dog is rewarded one minute for behavior and then the next time it is ignored, they will become unsure of what they are supposed to be doing.

5. Keep sessions short 

By doing this, dog owners are less likely to become impatient and dogs can quite often be very similar to small children in that their attention span is not as great as the trainer might like. 

A few minutes of dog training each day is more than enough for both parties.

6. Practice somewhere quiet

Whilst the goal may be to go into a park and be able to retrieve the dog no matter how many other distractions are around, it will take time to get to this point. 

In the early days especially, it is essential that dogs should be trained in a quiet place with as few distractions as possible. 

After training is finished though, it is a great idea to take them out somewhere and have a play with them as a final enforcement for their good behavior during training.

7. Start as early as possible 

Dog training should begin as soon as possible after the dog has become a member of the family. 

Whilst it is easier to teach puppies, those people who rescue dogs which are older will be able to achieve the same results, even if it takes a while longer. The key is to be patient but persistent.