Training Your Dog
Like any other relationship in life, the one you build with your dog will also require work, dedication and understanding. You must have seen interesting examples where a dog obediently listens to its owner, fulfilling each command and you probably felt eager to have this kind of relationship with your pet as well. You’ll be disappointed to find out that this kind of training doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right discipline and persistence on your part, you too can have your beloved dog completing the tasks you ask of it.
You must have noticed that some people have absolutely no control over their dogs and that the behavior of these pets is erratic and unpredictable. The problem is the owner, not the pet. The owner in this case doesn’t know how to communicate with the dog and how to explain what it is that the dog is supposed to do. You have to understand your dog and what works best when it comes to understanding commands. Dogs are very quick learners.
Exercise With Your Dog Everyday
You need to understand that your pet isn’t a computer that you can program to do what you want at any given time and expect that it will respond perfectly each time. Your approach should be similar to how you would approach disciplining a child who is just getting to know how to function in its surroundings. Love and patience are a must. It is very important that you dog doesn’t feel dominated over, but that it feels that your intent is driven solely by love. At first the simple act of extending its paw (shaking ’hands’) is challenging, but if your dog feels like there is no malice, it will begin to relax and listen to you.
Rewards
Positive reinforcement has shown to be the best technique. Therefore, even if you can’t talk to your pet, positive reinforcement is a universal language we all understand. All dogs love to receive treats or awards and this makes it impossible to fail when you apply this technique. Start by awarding your dog whenever it is well-behaved, give a treat, and if it behaves badly, then, do the opposite, i.e. withhold the treat and tell it that he’s/she’s behaving badly so that it knows what good behavior is and what isn’t.
Start With Basic Training
Your dog doesn’t understand you want or think. Pets are generally very curious by nature and it is difficult for them to focus for longer periods. Sometimes, training will be illogical to them, they won’t understand what’s happening and therefore the training itself will take longer. The best thing to do is to start with basic commands such as ’sit’. This is done by taking a treat and when your dog sits, you give him the treat and tell it that it’s a good dog. Again, patience is key, each new command will take time for your pet to learn, a lot of love and patience. The hardest thing to train your dog to do is to teach it to put something down that it’s picked up between its teeth or to teach it to stop doing something that it’s already starting doing. These commands will take longer time to learn.
Your lovely pet will learn everything you want to teach but it will take a lot of time and patience. Don’t let your pet feel aggression or impatience, it is important that you and your dog enjoy spending time together and that it learns during this time with your support and love. Also, it is necessary for you to understand that you and your dog are not the same, and depending on its breed, some commands will take more time to learn and others less.
It is always a good idea to consult an expert in order to learn the best practices of dog training but it is equally important that you monitor and get to know your dog well because he/she will definitely provide you with valuable insight i.e. your dog’s body language will tell you everything you need to know.
